Berries and Cream Pie Bars

      I thought after having graduated from college, summer would slightly fall in its excitement levels. I figured when I no longer had the pure bliss of finishing a year of strenuous mental work and serious stress balancing skills in sight, summer would just drift in without a major wave of happiness. However, I am finding a certain overwhelming joy with the world right now, and summer has not lost any of its excitement. Trips to see family and explore new places are in planning, there is camping to be done and I just can't help but want to be outside and do more with my days when the sun wakes up and hangs out with me longer.

        Part of summers serious bliss though, is the return of summer produce and farmers markets. I don't know if you guys have been eating fistfuls of blueberries too, but I can't seem to get enough.

        These bars are packed with blueberries, mildly sweet crumbles and crust, and a creamy blending of those two things brought together by some fruity yogurt. If you live in Colorado, I sincerely hope you have tried Noosa yogurt (if you don't live here, I know it is becoming increasingly available around the country). It is the most creamy, delicious, heaven sent yogurt and it is the perfect accompaniment to bring a mildly sweet and flavorful velvetiness to middle of these bars.

        They make a delicious snack, a tasty dessert topped with ice cream, or in the morning, use a little bit more of that yogurt to top for an easy breakfast. They are good at room temperature, but I absolutely loved them cold out of the fridge! It made them super refreshing for the hot summer days.

Note: If you don't have Noosa, as the recipe notes, any full-fat, flavored Greek yogurt will do.
Ingredients:
Crust/Topping
3/4 c sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 C all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c old fashion rolled oats
1/2 tsp salt
1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg

Filling
4 c fresh blueberries
1/2 c sugar
3 tsp cornstarch
2 large eggs
1 c (8 ounces) full-fat Greek raspberry yogurt (or sub other flavor, I think lemon would be awesome!)
       ---I recommend Noosa Yogurt if you can get your hands on it!
Juice and zest of 1 lemon

1. Grease a 9x13 pan and preheat the oven to 375F
2. For the crust: in the bowl of a food processor, combine the sugar, baking powder, flour, 1 cup of the oats, and salt. Pulse a few times.
3. Cut the butter into cubes and add it to the food processor. Pulse a few times until the mixture resembles a course crumble with pea sized clumps. Add the egg and pulse a few more times to incorporate. It will still have a crumbly texture.
4. Divide the crumbs in half and pour one half into the base of the greased baking dish. Press it down and around the sides to create a thick and even layer. Set the rest aside.
5. For the filling: Mix together the sugar, blueberries and cornstarch in a medium bowl and set aside. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, and lemon juice and zest.
6. Pour the blueberries over the top of the crust and spread evenly. Pour the yogurt mixture over the berries, making sure it reaches all over the dish to the corners.
7. Top the berries with the second half of the crumbles, scattering them about in cover the entire dish. Finally, sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/2 C oats.
8. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the top has a slight golden brown. Allow the dish to cool before cutting. They can be served warm, room temp or (my personal favorite) cold from the fridge. Delicious with milk, yogurt or ice cream :)

Bonus: Here you can spot the two cactus I have managed to keep alive for a whole 6 months now! 

Love,
 Boulder Butter

Pumpkin Cake Squares + Baked Spice Cream Cheese Frosting

        I know I am a little late pumpkin excitement. October has already passed and peoples initial "gee-wiz its back!" has long been replaced by dreams of stuffing, turkey, and most importantly, pecan pie. Today though, I denounce the end of the thrill of pumpkin to bring it back because I am just not done with it. Not even pumpkin in particular, but the winter squash family. Oh my goodness, butternut squash is what I want warm, melting in my mouth on the daily right now; and I am not the biggest fan of stuffed vegetables, but an acorn squash, filled with cranberries, wild rice, and some nuts is enough to drive me into autumnal bliss without even seeing the outdoors. 

       I considered mixing up the squash in this recipe for a funkier note (and that is totally allowed), but I realized, I had not had one of the ultimate combos of the season yet. I had not combined pumpkin with cream cheese and you best be darned, I am not letting November go by without eating those two together. I mean really anything you give me an excuse to put cream cheese icing on, I will; but paired with spices and pumpkin-tangy, sweet, warm, and rich in deep flavors...it was time. I broke out the cream cheese, while the scents of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger awoke my nose. I broke into the bag of semisweet chocolate morsels (and admittedly, did nibble on two or three), while the pumpkin called my name from the cabinet.

       These squares were made as my second dish to the La Veta weekend (I mean what is a weekend in the mountains without a freshly baked treat making you want to wiggle your feet in thick socks in happiness). These cake squares are the type of thing you cut into, take a small piece while talking to your friends and feeling the comfort of the flavors find your taste buds. All of a sudden, you find yourself having gone back for another one...and a third. The pumpkin gives the cake deep moisture, and takes away any overly sweetness. It works to balance a warm spice mix and stand up to their powerful notes. The cream cheese baked on top has a sweet touch that sinks down onto the cake and adds a milky mouth feel. It provides the cake an additional moist topping without the overt sweetness sometimes present in frostings. Instead of overpowering the pumpkin cake, it all simply balances together in a wonderful bite of pumpkin-cream cheese bliss Sigh...feel free to take me back to the pumpkin squares now...and for that matter I wouldn't mind returning to La Veta.  

Makes 1 9x13, or 2 8x8 

Ingredients:
Base
2 1/3 C all-purpose flour
2 TSP cinnamon
1/4 TSP ginger
1/4 TSP nutmeg
1 dash of cloves
3/4 TSP salt
16 TBSP butter, room temp (2 sticks)
3/4 C brown sugar
3/4 C white sugar
1 large egg
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
2 TSP vanilla extract
1 1/2 C chocolate chips (semisweet)
Topping
8 OZ. cream cheese
1/2 C sugar
1/2 TSO cinnamon
2 TBSP whole milk
 *You could also double the cream cheese layer to make a thicker coat. I have not done this but I think I would the next time.

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and prepare the baking dish(es).
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, spices, and salt.

3. In a larger bowl, beat the butter to begin the creaming, then add in the sugars and continue to cream until the mixture is light and fluffy.

4. Add the egg and continue to beat until incorporated.

5. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla and beat until incorporated.

6. Switch to a spatula or spoon and add flour in 2-3 additions until just incorporated. Fold in around the sides and bottom to make sure all the flour is mixed in.

7. Fold in the chocolate chips. 

8. Pour the batter into the pans and spread evenly with the back of a grease spatula.

9. In a small bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, milk, and cinnamon, until well combined.

10. Scoop the cream cheese mixture over the pumpkin batter and gently spread with a knife (try not to push down to hard which will begin to mix the pumpkin and cream cheese instead of keeping two layers). 

11. Bake for about 50 minutes until the inside is fully set, an inserted toothpick comes out clean and the edges have started to brown.

12. Remove and allow the cake to cool before cutting into squares.

White Cheddar Cheese Crackers

          A few posts back I mentioned to you guys how excited I am to live in my new apartment in Denver. Part of that is because of a significantly superior kitchen, part of that is because it is my first place out of college and yes, part of that may now be because of a small herd of kitties living in our back parking lot. However, an even bigger part is my wonderful roommate Jess.

       Recently, Jess mentioned her mom's annual ladies summer cocktail night coming up, and I was stoked to get to join in this year. I had heard tales of the mojitos for the inaugural night, the three types of sangria the second, and this year was dedicated to a delicious drink called a tequila daisy. Even in Colorado's massive rainstorms of last week, this drink only brought happy thoughts of summer. Tequila, hard lemonade, lime juice, and grenadine encapsulated a ladies summer cocktail evening pretty darn perfectly. 

         We each brought things to contribute. There were homemade cumin-pickled zucchinis and smoked salmon on blue corn tortilla chips with a spiced aioli (I will tell you the words you were looking for: "yummy" and "jealous"). Seriously tempting food floated around the kitchen counter as we hung out sipping on our beverages crafted by our wonderful host, Sue.    

          When I was deciding what to bring, I figured I had made enough sweets in my oven recently (ha...that does not actually ever happen) so it was time to brake out a savory baked treat. And anyways, what person does not love cheez-its? They are crunchy, buttery, salty, and most importantly cheesy. 

         I was ready to take the party cracker to the next level: homemade white cheddar crackers with subtle hints of spice, herbs and salt. Holy moly, these babies are simple to make and dangerously good. They were polished off by the end of the night and honestly, you can eat them by the handful. They are addicting little mouth-watering treats. They make your house smell phenomenal, and they add just the right amount of class to a childhood favorite. 

        So whether you are having a party or just lounging around in your PJs hiding from gnarly weather outside, these crackers can be made and out of the oven before you know it...and they will probably be gone before you know it too! 

Adapted from "The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook" by Deb Perelman

Oven Temp: 350 F

Equipment: Food Processor

                     Cookie Sheet

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 C. (170 g/6 oz.) White Cheddar Cheese

1/2 stick (55 g) unsalted butter

3/4 C. (95 g) All-purpose flour

1/2 TSP Herbs/Spices: divide evenly between garlic powder, paprika, and oregano

1/4 TSP Salt

Instructions:

1. Places medium chunks of cheddar in food processor and pulse until grated.

2. Add flour, butter, herbs/spices, and salt. Turn on and let it go until a course meal forms. 

3. Flip dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and form it into a loose ball.

4. Pat down to a square and wrap up. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, preheat oven and grease cookie sheets.

6. Remove dough, and roll it out to 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface.

7. Cut it into small squares using a sharp knife or bench scraper (you could also use cookie cutters for fun shapes if you want to bring a smile to your face) and use a fork to poke holes in each cracker.

8. Bake for 10-13 minutes until edges are golden brown, and crackers develop some crispness.

9. Remove, let cool for a moment, and dig in...or store in an air tight container for up to 3 days (that will not happen.)