Nanaimo Bars

On Canada Day, I was wanting to make a festive treat for my family to have. But I didn't want to go crazy with white and red - I wanted it to be festive and a little patriotic without screaming Canada :). Nanaimo Bars are named after a city on Vancouver Island in British Columbia called Nanaimo! They are one of my favorite treats and they are so fun to bake!

Nanaimo bars are composed of 3 layers - the bottom is a mixture of chocolate, coconut and graham crackers, the middle layer is a custard then the top layer is made from melted chocolate -so good!!

Lemon Squares

This recipe is a long time coming - one of my best friends, Alex has been making these lemon squares forever and I have been begging to have the recipe! Alex claims that this recipe is a big family secret. She finally agreed to let me in on the secret recipe on the condition that my readers keep it on the down low ;)

A couple of weeks ago, Alex and I got together for a little bake day and we made these lemon squares. After baking, I uploaded all of the pictures onto my Google drive but I deleted the pictures before they had a chance to upload - so I lost all of the pictures. I texted her in a panic and she said she had to make more soon, so I could join her again! I am so excited to finally be sharing this recipe - it is one of my favorite desserts of all time!

A Key Lime Pie Walked into a Bar :)

I think my title of this post explains it all - I took my favorite key lime pie recipe and turned it into bars! When I carried these out to the table on mother's day, I said 'A key lime walked into a bar and now we have dessert.' I thought I was just being goofy and punny, but everyone at the table got a good kick out of my not so funny joke! And so, a post was born!

You can find my original key lime recipe HERE - everything stays the same, except the ingredients go into a 8x12'' dish instead of a pie plate.

Start by mixing 1 1/4 cups of graham crackers crumbs, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of melted butter in a small mixing bowl. Once the crust is combined press it into the bottom of a 8x12 inch baking dish. Set the crust aside while you mix up the filling...

Homemade Granola Bars

I made these granola bars on Saturday evening and I have had one every day since as a snack because they are so good! I found the recipe from a cute blog called Bless This Mess and you can see it HERE.

Start by spreading 2 1/2 cups of old fashioned rolled oats and 1/2 cup of roughly chopped nuts of your choice out over a baking sheet. Two notes - I used gluten free oats because my mama is Gluten Free and the recipe worked great! And I used sliced almonds, but you could use any kind of nut you like! Bake the oats and the nuts for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and transfer them to a medium mixing bowl.

Saltine Toffee

This Saltine Toffee could not be easier to throw together and you only really need four ingredients! I found the recipe on Dessert for Two & you can find the original recipe HERE.

Start by covering a baking sheet with tinfoil.

Cover the baking sheet with saltine crackers, with the salt side down. The original recipe recommends using a baking sheet that fits 6x4 crackers, mine fit 5x8 crackers and it worked out fine - I do suggest staying within that cracker range though!

Baking with the Bean: Pecan Turtle Bars

My little sister made these yummy bars for my family this weekend, and she took some pictures so I could share the recipe with you today! My sister has been called 'the bean' ever since she was in my mom's stomach and the nickname has stuck, so whenever I mention her on here, I will refer to her as The Bean! :) Well, she made these bars and they are to die for!! They are such a fun little treat to have after dinner!