Last Baking Day and TIME TO EAT!

Made two more recipes yesterday (Dec 23) - Toffee-Pecan Bars and Nanaimo Cookie Bars. Those recipes are below. That was the end of the baking! LOL

Tonight (Christmas Eve), I served a platter of the goodies to my family. Pictured are (starting at 12:00 and going clockwise): Chocolate Mint Thumbprints, Orange Cream Cookies, Fudge-Mint Brownies, Toffee-Pecan Bars, Candy Bar Fudge, Nanaimo Cookie Bars, and in the center - Buckeye Delights. YUM! First gone, surprisingly, were the Orange Cream Cookies.

Toffee-Pecan Bars

A buttery crust holds a rich topping enhanced with pecans and chocolate-caramel chips.

Crust
3/4	cup butter or margarine, softened
1/3	cup packed brown sugar
1	egg
2	cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
Filling
1	cup butter or margarine
3/4	cup packed brown sugar
1/4	cup light corn syrup
2	cups coarsely chopped pecans
1	cup swirled milk chocolate and caramel chips (from 10-oz bag) I could not find these swirled chips, so I used partly semi-sweet chocolate and partly butterscotch chips.

1.	Heat oven to 375°F. Grease bottom and sides of 15x10x1-inch pan with shortening or cooking spray (do not use dark pan).
2.	In large bowl, beat 3/4 cup butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat until well blended. On low speed, beat in flour until dough begins to form. Press dough in pan.
3.	Bake 12 to 17 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, heat 1 cup butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar and the corn syrup to boiling over medium heat, stirring frequently. Boil 2 minutes without stirring.
4.	Quickly stir pecans into corn syrup mixture; spread over partially baked crust. Bake 20 to 23 minutes or until filling is golden brown and bubbly.
5.	Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over hot bars. Let stand 5 minutes to soften. With rubber spatula, gently swirl melted chips over bars. Cool completely, about 1 hour. For bars, cut into 24 squares (6 rows by 4 rows), then cut each square in half to make triangles. Store in refrigerator.

Nanaimo Cookie Bars

Prize-Winning Recipe 2009! Try this easier cookie-mix take on a classic layered chocolate and vanilla bar.

Cookie Base
1	pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® double chocolate chunk cookie mix
1	cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2	cup chopped nut topping or chopped walnuts
1/2	cup coconut (I left out the coconut)
1	cup butter or margarine, melted
1	egg
Filling
4	cups powdered sugar
4	tablespoons vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
1/3	cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4	cup milk
Topping
1	bag (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
1/4	cup butter or margarine

1.	Heat oven to 350°F. Line bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with foil, leaving foil overhanging at 2 opposite sides of pan. In large bowl, stir cookie base ingredients until well mixed. Spread into pan; press lightly. Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until set. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
2.	In another large bowl, stir together powdered sugar and pudding mix. Add 1/3 cup butter and the milk; beat with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth (filling will be very thick). Spoon over cookie base; press evenly to cover. Refrigerate while making topping.
3.	In small microwaveable bowl, microwave topping ingredients uncovered on High 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth. Spread over filling. Refrigerate uncovered until set, about 30 minutes.
4.	Use foil to lift bars from pan; pull foil from sides of bars. Cut into 9 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.