These copycat cookie bars are a dead ringer for some popular treats at a large coffee chain. Best of all, they have less than half the calories and fat of the originals - with an even better flavor! These chewy delights have cranberries and white chocolate chips inside, and are topped with a low-sugar cream cheese frosting, chopped dried low-sugar cranberries and a drizzle of melted white chocolate. They're sweet, but not ridiculously so, like the original.

These bars are perfect for afternoon coffee or tea, or to bring to the office for a party. Make a double batch. They'll go fast!

 The recipe is adapted from one by the Cookie Rookie. We made significant changes to the baking time and adapted the ingredients a little. The 9x13 pan makes about 15 triangular servings. We didn't do a new calculation, but this size bar is around 115 calories (the original is a whopping 340). These are best kept refrigerated.
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​BARS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup salted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup brown sugar unpacked
• 1/4 cup egg whites or 2 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup dried reduced-sugar cranberries, roughly chopped if you like smaller pieces
• 1 cup good quality white chocolate chips (we like Ghirardelli)

FROSTING

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 8 oz low fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 4 ounces white baking chocolate melted and divided
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup dried reduced-sugar cranberries roughly chopped

NUTRITIONServing: 1bar | Calories: 114kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 72mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 89IU | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg

You know those cookies in the blue tins that pop up at grocery stores and pharmacies during the holidays? Maybe you've had them at your grandma's or in the office. We all love them. Well....they're not so hard to make at home. And the results are more tender, crumbly and can be slightly less sweet than those tinned cookies. There's really no comparison with homemade.

We piped our dough into circles using a large star tip and sprinkled the top with sugar for crunch and sparkle. But you can use a smaller start tip and pipe them as bars or use a cookie press for a variety of shapes. You can also dip any shape into melted white or regular chocolate and decorate with sprinkles to dress them up. Check the end of this post for tips and options.

This recipe, slightly adapted from one by @browneyedbaker, makes about 36 cookies. They freeze well and can be kept in a sealed container at room temperature for around a week. They travel well, too - you can even fill your own tin! 

We're going to end pumpkin season with this surprisingly simple - yet stunning - pumpkin bundt cake swirled with chocolate ribbons. Superfast in the mixer (and a SideSwipe beater, of course), but can be made with just a whisk or your hand mixer. 

The trickiest part is the layering. You'll be using 1/3 of the pumpkin cake mixture to combine with cocoa and cinnamon in a small bowl. Alternate pumpkin layers with thin chocolate-pumpkin layers and you get this! It really wowed the folks at a family dinner. Moist, pumpkiny and not overly spiced. Perfection.

The recipe is minimally adapted from a recipe from @zoebakes. We made half a cake for our small group (and to use some leftover pumpkin). Normally the cake will yield 10-12 healthy servings.

Cake

• 1 cup (240ml) vegetable oil
• 1 cup (215g) sugar
• 1 cup (235g) brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 15-ounce (425g) canned or homemade roasted pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup (185g) sour cream (can sub in whole milk yogurt)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2-1/4 cups (295g) all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon all-spice (we didn't have so subbed with pumpkin pie spice)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Chocolate Layer

• 2 Tablespoons (20g) dark or dutched cocoa
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Optional Topping

• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

This time of year we put a lot of miles on our mixers. With holiday gatherings, parties and gift-giving just around the corner, you need your mixer to be ready to handle it all. It's especially important if you only use your mixer this time of year.

Below find our handy checklist for making sure your KitchenAid is up to the tasks ahead.

Good luck and happy baking!