Apricot Bars

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

• 3/4 cup butter, softened

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 large egg, room temperature

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 1-1/3 cups sweetened shredded coconut

• 1/2 cup chopped almonds

• 1 jar (10 to 12 ounces) apricot preserves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Fold in coconut and almonds.
2. Press two-thirds of dough onto the bottom of a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Spread with preserves; crumble remaining dough over preserves. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

*You can use any preserves. I also made it with Lemon pie filling.

Recipe adapted from Taste from Home

Easiest Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cake box mix (any will work, I used vanilla cake here)
• 1 can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie)

Directions:

1. Follow heating directions on the back of your cake box.
2. Combine cake mix with pumpkin 
3. Easiest to mix with hand mixer just until combined
4. Scoop into muffin tins
5. Bake, as instructed on back of cake box

*Using chocolate cake box is another favorite of ours

Fresh Plum Cake

Yields: 12 Servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, divided
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon
• 2 extra large eggs (or 2 large +1 egg white)
• 6-8 plums (mine were huge so I used 4)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place a sheet of parchment over the bottom disk of an 8-9 inch spring-form pan. Fasten the ring around the disk with parchment paper secured in between. Cut off the excess paper. Grease the sides of the pan.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.
3. In the electric mixer, cream 1 cup of sugar with the butter. Add the eggs one at a time. Slowly add the flour mixture. Scrape the bowl and mix again.
4. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Slice the plum into eights. 
5. Place the plum slices around the top of the cake in a pretty pattern. Make sure they are close together. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice over the plums. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Make SURE not to over bake! Cool for 15 minutes in the pan, and another 10 minutes out of the pan before serving.

*Try with summer peaches, nectarines or apricots!

~Recipe via A Spicy Perspective

Peanut Butter Cookies (Flour-less)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. 
3. Make walnut sized bowls of the dough (about a Tablespoon measure) and place on lined baking sheet.
4. Cook for 9 minutes.
5. Press each cookie down with fork and bake 1 minute longer.
6. Let cook slightly on baking sheet before moving to a cooling rack.

~Recipe from Jana