I had a few Granny Smith apples lying around my kitchen that weren't getting eaten. I'm typically an "apple a day" girl, but for whatever reason, Granny Smiths are one variety I can't really stomach on their own. Dip them in caramel and I'm game, but my keyboard at work is dirty enough without me dripping caramel all over it!

When the October issue of Family Circle arrived in my mailbox, I immediately turned to flip through the recipes and saw these apple raisin bars: Granny Smith problem solved. I whipped these up after work one day with the intention of bringing them to church later that weekend...and then found myself stealing slivers from the pan for the next 36 hours!

These were more fudgy than cakey, almost doughy in the middle. I prefer my baked goods like this, but if you want them to set up a bit more, you may want to bake a few extra minutes (I took mine out after 35 minutes). Full of cinnamon and apples, they're the perfect dessert bar/pseudo breakfast for Fall! Now I want to try combining this recipe with my oatmeal raisin bar recipe to get an Apple Oatmeal Raisin bar. I'll post if I give it a try!

I stored mine in the fridge, but I also recommend heating them up in the microwave and topping with a scoop of ice cream. Enjoy :)

One Year Ago: Shredded Beef Sandwiches
Two Years Ago: Homemade Sushi

Apple Raisin Bars
from Family Circle, October 2011

Ingredients:
-1 cup all-purpose flour
-1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (can sub all-purpose or regular whole wheat)
-1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
-2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 cups packed light-brown sugar
-2 eggs
-1 stick butter, softened
-2 cups diced apples (I used Granny Smith)
-3/4 cup raisins

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat sugar, eggs, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth (approximately 3 minutes).
4. With mixing speed on low, gradually add flour mixture stirring just until incorporated. Stir in diced apples and raisins. With a spatula, spread batter evenly into prepared pan.
5. Bake at 350F for 35 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting into bars and serving.

This content was originally posted on Honest Cooking in my featured column "Cooking the Magazines".

Any guesses as to what the "best foods" ingredient for my second recipe of September's Best of 2011 challenge is? Yes, the walnuts again, but as I mentioned yesterday, I already created a recipe from the book featuring walnuts.

Chocolate is the featured ingredient here. Yup, it turns out the authors of this book have determined chocolate to be one of the best foods for you. Of course, keep in mind that they mean chocolate in moderation. Though the food has the highest antioxidant content of any food, it also tends to have a lot of sugar and fat, which is why the darker the chocolate, the better it is for you. In addition to this, chocolate:
-Has demonstrated heart-protecting benefits
-Is a source of fiber, iron, and calcium (particularly in milk chocolate)
-Makes people HAPPY, though a link between eating chocolate and feeling good has not been scientifically proven (though I'm willing to bet most people will agree with this statement!)


Though the cookbook had a handful of recipes that included chocolate (like chocolate pancakes!), I was intrigued by these nuts. The past times I've used this book, I skipped right over this recipe. This time, I recalled the Mexican Brownie Bottom Cheesecake and how much I liked the kick of the cayenne paired with the chocolate. Much like the dessert, these nuts had a bit of heat contrasting with the sweetness. They were good the day I made them, but even better in the days to follow. These would be great to bag up and give out during the holidays, especially for those who aren't huge sweets lovers (do people like that exist? Oh yeah, Nate!). I think they'd also be a fun salad topping, change it up from plain, toasted nuts. They're minimally sweet and the slight punch of heat doesn't hit you until after you've chewed a few times, a little surprise if you will. Try them, you'll see what I mean!

One Year Ago: Honey Wheat Sandwich Buns
Two Years Ago: Whole Grain Waffles


Chocolate-Chile Nuts
from The Twelve Best Foods Cookbook

Ingredients:
-2 cups pecans
-1 cup walnuts
-1 large egg white
-1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
-2 tsp cocoa powder
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/3 tsp cayenne pepper
-1/4 tsp salt
-pinch of chile powder

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside. Place the nuts in a mixing bowl and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, whisk the egg white until foamy. Place over medium-low heat and whisk until the egg white is liquid (1 minute). Stir in the sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, chile powder, and cayenne, whisking until the mixture is fairly smooth.
3. Pour the chocolate mixture over the nuts and toss to completely coat them. Lay the nuts out on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 20 minutes. Once cooled, break apart any nuts that are sticking together. Store in an airtight container at room temperature overnight before serving.
*Nuts will keep for 2 weeks