Baking Challenge # 5: No Bake Baked Apples...and Rum??!

I had braces for over a year and half, and sadly one of the most “dangerous” foods on the no eat list was caramel apples. This was tough, especially since I had my braces through the State Fair, and that’s usually the only time I really get to indulge in my favorite carnival foods, including caramel apples! Sigh…but thankfully this summer I’m brace free, and this no bake recipe is a neat variation of the caramel apple, along with one of my (and Rachel’s….and Captain Jack Sparrow’s) favorite things in the world…Rum!!

These Baked Apples with Rum-Caramel Sauce are a Betty Crocker Recipe and they were very easy to make. The only slight difficulty I had was coring the apples…my mother has this intense apple corer that looks like a weird surgical tool. There must be something simpler out there, but I don’t really bake with apples that often so I don’t know if that would be worth the investment.

The result: magnificent! Tastes just like apple pie! The rum has a nice subtle taste. I only had a little bit of ice cream left, so I used whipped cream, which was okay but the ice cream was way better! Also, kind of difficult to eat because the skin gets tough, so I’d probably get rid of the skin next time. In all, really nice, not too sweet treat!

It's a Peachy Keen No Bake!

On my quest for no bake recipes I came across a microwave peach cobbler. I love peach cobbler, and I hate heating up my house in the summer time, so this recipe seemed like the perfect one to try out!

I found the recipe at.cdkitchen. It only makes one serving so multiple the ingredients by the number of people you want to feed.

Ingredients are simple enough:

Steps:

Coarsely crumble graham crackers into a microwave safe glass dessert cup. I used one of the margarita glasses luisa brought me back from Espana.

Then top with butter, then sliced peaches. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. I mixed them together before sprinkling.

Microwave on high 2-4 minutes and if you're in the mood top with whipped cream or a dainty scoop of vanilla ice cream. I wasn't in the mood. Actually, I was out of whipped cream and the ice cream was freezer burnt. Fun stuff.

The verdict? AMAZING. BEST NO BAKE EVER. Tastes just like the real thing.

Oh, here's a freebie for you:

Have you ever had grilled peaches?

Peel and quarter a peach, stick it on the grill for a few minutes. Remove from grill, plate and sprinkle with brown sugar. MMM!

No Bake Challenge 3: When Life Gives You Lemons...Make Lemon Bars!

So my family and I are going to a trip at the end of the week to Savannah, followed by a few days to Myrtle Beach, and we are in need of some snacks=perfect time to try this recipe I found for No Bake Lemon Bars!

The recipe included coconut, something my dad takes very seriously (as expected, he ate about 90% of the bars!) They weren’t as solid as I would have liked, but I’m finding that’s a trend with these no bake endeavors…This might have had to do with the fact that I couldn’t find tea biscuits at Food Lion, so I just subbed in vanilla wafers…you work with what you got! They were still good though. The lemon taste just POPS, which I love because sometimes when I make lemony baked goods, you get a hint of the taste of lemon but that’s it…what a disappointment! I would, however, appreciate tips on the best ways to zest a lemon…I usually use one of the smaller sides of a cheese grater, but so much lemon skin gets stuck in that thing!! Also, in the future I think I might toast the coconut flakes first, because I do wish they hand a more crunchy, solid feel to them.

The ingredients and directions are below!

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 lemon, juiced and zested

1 1/2 cups tea biscuits, crushed (or vanilla wafers, in this case)

1 cup flaked coconut

Directions

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt together butter and sweetened condensed milk, stirring frequently until smooth. Stir in crushed biscuits, lemon juice and zest, and coconut; mix well. Press into a 9x9 inch dish. Refrigerate overnight before slicing or the squares will come out sticky

Say Yes to No!

Peabut butter no bake cookies that is.

As soon as I mentioned to my husband that Lu and I would be running a "no bake" series he immediately asked for peanut butter no bakes. My husband never asks for or eats sweets so I knew that if these cookies were something he wanted that they had to be good.

Fortunately for him I saved a recipe that I found at The Girl Who Ate Everything. Unfortunately for him, the recipe I planned didn't turn out quite so hot.

Here's what happend.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup milk
3 cups quick cooking oats
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:

Bring butter, sugar, milk, and cocoa to a boil for one minute. To make sure cookies set up properly wait until mixture comes to a complete FULL boil and then start the timer for one minute. Remove from heat.

Add peanut butter, vanilla, and oats. Stir well and drop spoonfuls onto waxed paper or parchment paper. Let them set up and cool.

Problem?

I did all of this- and made sure the ingredients vame to a full boil. Hours later I  gave up and put them in the thr fridge. They set up and we ate them,  but the cookies I took out of the fridge went right back to their gooey state. So we kept them in the fridge and ate them out of there.

Does anyone know what happened?

No Bake Challenge 1: “Strawberry Fields Forever!!

Now, I don’t really like Rachael Ray, for a variety of reasons: her voice (which I know has gotten better, but before I would have rather sat through nails on a chalkboard), and just because she seems a bit frantic when she cooks…I watch cooking shows to be relaxed, but when I watch her I feel like I have an exam to study for! However, when I stumbled upon this super easy recipe for Individual No Bake Strawberry Cheesecakes, I had to give her some credit! Not only does in require a minimal amount of ingredients, most of which I already had, but it leaves a lot of room for flexibility and they were the perfect treat on a hot summer day!

The only thing I would caution about the recipe is that the end product isn’t exactly “cheesecakey”, or rather that at least in my case the mixture was still runny. I did incorporate a box of strawberry Jello, as one of the reviewers had suggested, and while it did make it thicker, it was still way too liquidy to have a cheesecake texture. So I left it in the fridge for a few hours too, and that did the trick! So, don’t expect it to be super solid at first! However, it was very tasty, and I loved being able to use the mini graham cracker crusts-too cute! I also used these cute little dessert dishes my mother bought at Pier 1, and sprinkled graham cracker crumbs on top. See?! So much room for your own touches!

Enjoy making these lovely, simple treats! I sure did!

Prepare for a Meltdown

Get ready!
Lu and I will be hosting a ten recipes series focusing on no bake recipes. With it lingering in the high 80's in PA and hitting the low 100's in good ole SC, no one wants to run their oven and heat up the house. (At least I don't, as we don't have AC!!) We'll be showcasing sweet treats that you can make while still beating the summer heat! The series will start in July so until then please feel free to share your favorite nobake treats with us!

Lu's Next Challenge

 So, Miss Lu, your next challenge is to make a cake or cupcake inspired by the flavors of a candy bar. And no, sprinkling snickers bits on top or inbetween layers doesn't count. Think about the flavors and actually make them into the dessert. Happy baking!