Pear Bars in Paula Deen Cookware

If you are a little tired of pumpkin pies, and it's not even Christmas, then consider this nice little treat. It is still nice and wintry, but it won't make you resent the pumpkin! I've also heard that pumpkin is in short supply, so relieve the shippers and switch to another in-season product. Its unique moisture and flavor will make it a hit!

Bake the bars in a 9" square stoneware baker (which you can win! see below) or double the recipe and put it into a 9x13" baking pan.

Pear Bars

¼ cup Butter, melted (1/2 stick)

½ c Sugar

1 Egg, beaten

½ t Vanilla extract

½ c Pear Puree baby food

1/2 cup Milk, 1% or almond milk

2 cups Pamela’s Gluten-Free Baking Mix (has baking soda) (or use 2 cups favorite gluten-free flour mix and 1 1/2 tsp baking powder)

scant ¼ tsp Salt

1 cup Butterscotch pieces

1 Bartlett Pear

1/2 cup Lemon-lime soda pop

1 bottle Caramel sauce, warmed slightly (one with a squeeze top is convenient)

Using a stand mixer and flat beater attachement, beat the sugar and butter together until creamy. Stir in the pear puree, milk, egg, vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in the flour and salt thoroughly. Dough will be stiff. Fold in the butterscotch pieces. Pour into a 9" greased stoneware baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Cool before cutting.

Thinly slice the pear, and dip slices into soda pop to prevent from browning.

Place one bar on a dessert plate. Lay three slices of pear next to it. Drizzle caramel sauce over the top for a sweet garnish.

Merry Christmas, my friends!

~~~

Stoneware is one of the easiest items to bake in, and a 9" stoneware baking pan is a versatile item that easily fits into even well-stocked kitchens. The Paula Deen Cookware collection is both functional and beautiful, and the stoneware is especially handy. The benefit of cooking with stoneware is that the browning of the crust is more even, because heat is distributed throughout the surface of the pan.

Reader, you have the unique opportunity to win this stoneware pan for Christmas! You can also check out other great Paula Deen Cookware items by clicking on the picture below.

Cookware.com has allowed me to offer the stoneware pan to one of my readers! The winner will be chosen at random, based on those who comment on this post. Let me know what your favorite baked Christmas dessert is, and I will select a random reader from the response.

Happy Holidays!

Coconut Granola

This recipe is inspired by Wireworks Coffee House, Pueblo, CO. They're located on the Riverwalk. I liked going there for meetings and get their fruit and granola parfait for breakfast. Everything on the menu is absolutely delicious. And in Wireworks' style, eat this granola with a generous spoon of plain yogurt and fresh berries. If you're eating a strictly gluten-free diet, make sure you select "certified gluten free oats." Bob's Red Mill has a version, but there are several brands to choose from.

4 cups whole oats, old fashioned rolled

1/2 cup brown sugar, loosely packed

2 cups almonds, whole, raw (untoasted)

2 cups coconut flakes, sweetened

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 stick butter, melted

1/2 cup honey*

1 cup raisins, optional

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, optional

1) Gather together your ingredients and have them pre-measured. Set out your tools, as well. You'll want to use a spatula, spoons, bowls, and sheet pans. This way, when the granola is ready to assemble, you won't be wasting time hunting for ingredients or tools, Use parchment paper to line the pans, and clean up will be a snap!

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Arrange the racks so that two pans can be placed in the oven at a time. Make sure you have your recipe available, too!

2) *For measuring the honey, first spray the measuring cup with a little bit of cooking spray -- I use an oil spritzer. Then pour in your honey. It will pour back out of the pitcher very easily!

Measure the honey into the butter, and then microwave it on a low-power setting for 3-5 minutes, until the butter is melted. Stir in the vanilla. These are your wet ingredients.

3) Combine the oats, brown sugar, almonds, coconut flakes, and cinnamon into a large bowl.

4) Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Stir thoroughly, making sure that everything is well-coated, that brown sugar clumps are broken up, and the ingredients are evenly distributed.

5) Spread the granola onto the sheet pans. Spread the layer of granola as thin and even as possible. Place in the oven, one pan on each rack. Bake for 20 minutes.        

6) Remove the pan from the oven. Stir the granola thoroughly, being sure to draw in the more-baked edges into the center and spreading the less-baked portions outwards. Return to the oven and bake for 20 more minutes. Be sure to put the pan that had been on the top shelf on the bottom shelf, rotating the pan as well, so that the baking is even. Repeat for the remaining pan. The skilled hands in the picture below belong to my husband. I'm holding the camera, obviously.

7) As the baking goes along, the granola will darken slowly, turning a caramel brown. When you're stirring the granola, notice the color. Once it is evenly caramel colored, remove the granola from the oven. Depending on the heat of your oven it make take an additional cycle of baking, but be sure to remove the granola and stir it regularly to prevent burning. To be safe, reduce the baking time to 10 minutes and watch it carefully. The granola will become crispy as it cools, so don't wait for that. You'll bake for approximately 45 minutes to an hour. Below, you'll see the distinctive color differences, photographed at the same spot, after 2 cycles of baking. I was also using my mother-in-law's oven, which is a gas Jenn-Air. The coconut will brown, so be careful that it doesn't burn.

8) Remove the granola from the oven and allow it to cool. Stir after approximately 10 minutes to ensure that the granola doesn't stick to the pan in a long sheet. It is very difficult to pack into the container this way. Sprinkle with raisins, if desired, while the granola is hot.

9) Once the granola has cooled completely, it can be placed into an air-tight container and enjoyed at any time!