Celebrating 200 Days of Baking: A Journey Through Sweet Treats and Shared Memories

It’s hard to believe we reached our 200th Day of baking and blogging! This journey has been an absolute delight, filled with countless hours in the kitchen, experimenting with flavors, and sharing our culinary adventures with you. While we weren’t giving away a jar of Nutella, as tempting as that sounds, it certainly sparked some delicious ideas – and perhaps a confession.

My Sweet Obsession: A Love Affair with Nutella

Confession time: I have a serious, undeniable addiction to Nutella. It’s a love-hate relationship, really. If a jar isn’t in my pantry, I’m perfectly fine. But the moment it crosses the threshold, it’s a game-changer. Suddenly, it finds its way into everything, from a quick spoonful straight from the jar to an impromptu lunch! It’s just that good.

Over these past 200 days, Nutella has, unsurprisingly, made several appearances in my kitchen. Remember the Nutella Sour Cream Cookies? While I wouldn’t rush to recommend them – they didn’t quite hit the mark – they were an early attempt at incorporating my favorite hazelnut spread. Far more successful were the Salted Nutella Banana Muffins. Oh, those were truly exceptional! The combination of sweet banana, rich Nutella, and a sprinkle of coarse salt on top created an irresistible balance of flavors and textures that I still dream about.

And let’s not forget the incredible Nutella Pull Apart Bread shared by Dana from Food For Thought! This guest post quickly became one of the most popular recipes on 365 Days of Baking. I still haven’t had the chance to make it myself, but the photos alone are enough to make your mouth water. Dana did such a fantastic job creating what looks like the ultimate comfort food. A huge thank you again, Dana, for that truly inspiring recipe!

Introducing: Nutella Coconut Bars – A Sweet Experiment

Today, we’re diving into another Nutella-infused creation: Nutella Coconut Bars. This recipe is an adaptation from the classic The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, a treasured resource for many home bakers. We’ve given it a modern twist with the irresistible addition of Nutella, creating a layered bar that promises a delightful blend of flavors and textures. These bars yield 16 servings, making them perfect for sharing – or for keeping all to yourself!

Ingredients for Nutella Coconut Bars:

• 1/4 pound unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons, separated
• 1/2 cup Nutella
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup coarsely chopped almonds
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

Step-by-Step Baking Instructions:

1. Preparation: Preheat your oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Lightly butter and flour an 8×8-inch square baking dish, ensuring an even coating to prevent sticking.
2. Prepare the Base Layer: In a medium bowl, cream together the softened butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add the initial 1 cup of flour, blending until just combined to form a soft dough.
3. Bake the Base: Press this dough evenly into the bottom of your prepared baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Remove from the oven and set aside.
4. 
5. Create the Topping Mixture: While the base is baking, crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and beat them thoroughly. Add the packed light brown sugar and vanilla extract, continuing to beat until the mixture becomes thick and pale.
6. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a small separate bowl, whisk together the remaining two tablespoons of flour, salt, and baking powder. Add this dry mixture to the egg mixture, incorporating it well until smooth.
7. Fold in Nuts and Coconut: Gently fold in the coarsely chopped almonds and unsweetened shredded coconut into the egg and flour mixture. Ensure everything is evenly distributed.
8. 
9. Layer with Nutella: Carefully spread the 1/2 cup of Nutella over the warm, baked pastry base in the baking dish. A warmed knife or offset spatula can help spread it smoothly.
10. 
11. Add Topping Layer: Spoon the nut and coconut mixture evenly over the Nutella layer, gently spreading it to cover the entire surface.
12. 
13. Final Bake: Return the baking dish to the preheated oven and bake for an additional 25 to 30 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and set.
14. Cooling and Cutting: Once baked, remove the dish from the oven and place it on a wire rack. Allow the Nutella Coconut Bars to cool completely to room temperature before attempting to cut them. This is crucial for clean, well-formed bars.
15. 
16. Serve: Cut into 16 even bars and enjoy your homemade treat!

My Honest Take: A Review of the Nutella Coconut Bars

Now for the honest review, as always! These Nutella Coconut Bars, while visually appealing, didn’t quite reach the ‘wow’ factor I always hope for in a new recipe. The flavor was, in truth, just okay. I found myself wishing for a stronger, more defined taste profile. Perhaps a bit more salt to balance the sweetness, or a deeper toasted flavor from the coconut to add complexity.

Full disclosure: my judgment might have been a bit clouded on the day of tasting. I had unfortunately come down with a fever and a cold, a rather unwelcome companion for our 200th-day celebration! Illness can definitely dull the senses, especially taste, so it’s possible these bars didn’t get a fair shake from my palate. They also weren’t the type of firm, self-contained bars that hold their shape perfectly; they were softer and best eaten with a fork. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s something to consider if you’re looking for a grab-and-go snack.

On my personal baking scale of 1-4 rolling pins, these Nutella Coconut Bars earned a 1 1/2. My daughter, ever the optimist (and perhaps with a less compromised sense of taste!), thought they deserved a 2. Ultimately, I concluded I’d rather have a classic cookie. However, tastes are subjective, and what didn’t quite hit the mark for me might be exactly what you’re looking for! I leave it entirely up to you whether you decide to try them.

A Look Back at Our Memorable 200th Day Giveaway!

Speaking of cookies, that brings us perfectly to the truly special giveaway we hosted to celebrate our 200th Day! This wasn’t just any giveaway; it was a heartfelt offering designed to share a piece of my kitchen memories with one lucky winner. The prizes were carefully selected to inspire joy and creativity in baking, just as they do for me.

The Heart of the Giveaway: Vintage Cookie Cutters

The centerpiece of our giveaway was a collection of vintage cookie cutters, each with a story. You might remember the special cookie cutter I used to make the Homemade Samoas for The Secret Recipe Club. That specific cutter holds immense sentimental value for me.

It was my grandmother’s, a cherished heirloom she used for her famous jam-filled sugar cookies. I even tried to recreate her recipe, though I wasn’t quite as successful, probably because my dough wasn’t rolled thin enough. I received so many wonderful comments and emails about that particular cookie cutter, highlighting how much these simple tools can mean to us.

That’s why, as part of our Day 200 celebration, one lucky winner received not just one, but a collection of four beautiful vintage cookie cutters, along with a charming metal scoop! These treasures were sourced from Jaanas Vintage on Etsy. I’ve become absolutely enchanted with vintage kitchen items lately; they evoke such warm, comforting memories of time spent in my grandmother’s bustling kitchen, full of laughter and the aroma of freshly baked goods.

My hope was that these vintage finds would allow the winner to create their own cherished kitchen memories, just as my grandmother’s cookie cutter has enabled me to keep her spirit alive in my baking.

The Perfect Companion: A Cookie Cookbook

What’s a set of cookie cutters without some fantastic recipes to put them to use? To complete the prize package, the winner also received the “Crazy About Cookies” cookbook by Krystina Castella. This incredible book boasts 300 cookie recipes, accompanied by stunning photographs and invaluable tips for baking the perfect batch every single time. It’s truly a comprehensive guide for any cookie enthusiast, from novice to seasoned baker.

All these items – the vintage cookie cutters, the scoop, and the cookbook – were purchased by me personally. This was a genuine expression of gratitude from my kitchen to yours, not a sponsored promotion. And to ensure everyone had a chance to participate, we joyfully opened this giveaway to our international readers too!

How We Entered and Chose a Winner

To enter this special giveaway, participants simply needed to leave a comment on the original post, sharing a favorite memory they had of being in the kitchen. The response was heartwarming, filling the comments section with beautiful, nostalgic tales that reminded us all of the power of food and family.

The giveaway ran from the day of the original post until Tuesday, September 6th, at 10:00 pm MST (Mountain Standard Time). The winner was then chosen randomly using Random.org on Wednesday, September 7th. We asked the winner to contact us by Friday, September 8th, to claim their prize and provide shipping details, ensuring a smooth delivery of their new baking treasures.

To give participants even more chances to win, we offered several ways to earn extra entries:

• “Liking” 365 Days of Baking on Facebook by visiting our page here.
• Becoming a dedicated follower of the blog.
• For fellow bloggers, writing about the giveaway on their own site and linking back to us.
• Subscribing to our feed, either through RSS or email, to receive daily updates of our latest posts.

Each action earned a separate entry, creating multiple opportunities for our amazing readers to join the celebration.

Announcing Our Lucky Winner: Cindy B.!

This special retrospective isn’t just about looking back; it’s about celebrating the connections we’ve built. We always love reading your stories and hearing your thoughts.

Before we sign off, a huge thank you to Marla from Family Fresh Cooking! Marla kindly asked me to contribute my Secret Recipe Club Homemade Samoas to her wonderful “Happy Post – Summer 2011: Recipes for Labor Day Weekend!” It was an honor to be featured alongside so many other fantastic bloggers sharing their happy summer creations. Do go visit her site to see all the delightful things she and others cooked up that summer.

It has indeed been a wonderfully happy summer, and we look forward to many more days of sharing delicious recipes and heartwarming stories with you all.

Happy baking!