secret recipe club: snickerdoodle bars & slow cooker chicken fajitas

for this month's secret recipe club pick at anna's bcmom's kitchen, i followed the same format as last month: a delicious dessert and an easy dinner. and while both were delicious, i have to give it to the snickerdoodle bars. the fajitas were easy - chop, dump, and cook for 8 hours - but i forgot how much i love the still crunchy texture of vegetables in fajitas. anyone that's slow cooked vegetables knows they don't stay crisp. so while the flavor was good and the ease of making them spot on, the texture of the vegetables weren't the best for me.

and then there were the bars. when i was making them, i honestly didn't think they would be anything special and was pleasantly surprised when i had my first bite. they have the perfect balance of sugar cookie and cinnamon sugar goodness, in bar form. so good, i had to hide them from my toddler. otherwise, i heard "mama! bar!" a couple times a day when he saw them sitting on the counter.

for more information on the secret recipe club, including the list of participating bloggers, featured recipes from members, and instructions on how to join, visit the secret recipe club website!

 

check out my previous secret recipe club posts: meyer lemon iced raspberry yogurt cake & slow cooker chicken cacciatore, almond strawberry jam thumbprints, almond butter cookies, enfrijoladas, chocolate snack cake, bacon topped maple french toast cupcakes, cherry sorbet, slow cooker beans & mushrooms, mojito chicken tacos, maple glazed whole wheat spiced apple pizza, pig out cookies, pasta with blistered tomatoes & arugula and iced grapefruit cookies, mushroom barley soup, scalloped ham and potato bake & andes mint cake, chicken souvlaki with tzatziki, asian pork chops, lemon lime meltaways, blueberry peach crisp, minted lemon ice, white chocolate macadamia nut blondies, raspberry cream filled eclairs, jam swirled cheesecake, whole wheat grapefruit cake, chewy no bake granola bars & carrot cinnamon waffles, cannoli, gingerbread muffins, double chocolate peanut butter chip oatmeal cookies, butterscotch peach cake, whole wheat honey pancakes, minted pineapple lime agua fresca, breakfast tacos, simple almond sandwich cookies, & roasted banana rum cake.

snickerdoodle bars

adapted from bcmom's kitchen

15 minutes active, 2 hours total; makes 9x13" pan

for the bars

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/3 cups flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

for the cinnamon filling

1 tablespoons ugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

for the glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1-2 tablespoons milk

1. line the bottom of a 9x13" pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil and set aside. preheat your oven to 350F.
2. cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
3. slowly add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until combined.
4. spoon about half of the batter into the pan and spread evenly. the batter will be really thick. 
5. sprinkle the cinnamon filling evenly over the batter.
6. drop the rest of the batter on top to evenly cover the filling. don't worry if there are some places where the filling isn't totally covered by batter.
7. bake about 25 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
8. let cool completely, about 1 hour.
9. to make the glaze, mix the sugar with 1 tablespoon milk. if the glaze is too thick, add more milk, a teaspoon at a time until desired consistency. evenly pour the glaze over the bars.
10. let the glaze harden before cutting into squares. store in an airtight container.

slow cooker chicken fajitas
adapted from bcmom's kitchen
8hours, serves 4-6

1 large onion, sliced
3 bell peppers, sliced
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons cumin
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
juice of one lime

1. combine the onion and peppers in the bottom of a slow cooker and add the water.
2. lay the chicken over the vegetables, season with salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder. 
3. add the lime juice. cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
4. shred the chicken and serve in tortillas with your favorite fixings.

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