Category: Bar Cookies
The Joy of Cookies (Toffee Bars)

The Joy of Cookies (Toffee Bars)

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Joy is one of my oldest friends.  We went to school together and I mean that literally.  We lived a few blocks from each other, every day we would meet on the street corner halfway between our houses to walk and talk the final mile to school.  Sometimes, on the walk home, we wouldn’t be done talking so we would walk to one of our houses, turn around and walk back to the meeting point together before parting ways.  Silly, huh.  Yep, BFFs.

Holiday Highlight

Every Christmas I eagerly awaited her mom’s plate of holiday cookies.  Joy’s mom, whom I affectionately called Mrs. S, was an amazing baker (and a marvelous cook too). During the holidays, you could find her holed up in her kitchen busy baking no less than 6-8 different kinds of cookies.  Almond Crescents, Spritz Cookies shaped into wreaths decorated with red and green sugar, Chocolate Pecan Thumbprints, Pecan Tartlets, Chocolate Chippers, and Lemon Bars.  Her crescents were perfect, her scalloped-edged Pecan Tartlets were the gold standard of bite-sized pies.

In short, she was my muse for holiday cookies.  I love all of her cookies, but my favorite?  Hands down, her Toffee Bars.  A shortbread crust, buttery and sweet, painted with milk chocolate and finished with a sprinkling of chopped almonds.  Cookie Nirvana.

Attention to Detail

I have most of Mrs. S’s recipes.  Her Pecan Tartlets find their way into every holiday cookie box.  The Hubster considers it blasphemous if they are not included.  I am religious about following her recipes, I mimic each step.  I cut out each tiny pie crust with a flower petal cookie cutter. How else do you get cute scalloped edges?  I meticulously shape each ball of almond-infused dough into crescent-shaped moons. Warm from the oven, I roll each cookie in powdered sugar and place it on a cooling rack.  Then, sift powdered sugar over the cookies for that snow-capped look.  Yep, that little extra step.  Her attention to detail was what set her cookies apart and that’s what I learned from her.

It’s been a few years since she left us.  Every Christmas since, as I am perusing recipes and pulling out my butter, flour, and sugar- I think of her.  I imagine her scurrying around her kitchen churning out tray after tray of her delicious cookies.  Then I hear her voice prodding me, it’s time to get busy and bake.

A Fine Understudy

Unfortunately, I don’t have Mrs. S’s recipe for those Toffee Bars that I love so much. (Update: Found it! Mrs. S’s Toffee Squares) But Alice Medrich does.  Her Cookies and Brownies book contains toffee bars that are so good, they would make Mrs. S proud.  The crust starts with melted butter making these incredibly easy to make. Stir together brown sugar and flour with the butter, press into a pan and bake to a golden brown.  For this batch, I scattered a combo of semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips on the warm crust, let them melt, and ice the melted chips over the crust.  For the final touch, sprinkle toasted hazelnuts over the chocolate.  Next batch?  Endless possibilities, limited only by your imagination.

Kid version:  Use all milk chocolate and either toasted almonds or pecans.  Got milk?

Adult version:  Use semi-sweet chocolate or dark chocolate and toasted hazelnuts, finish with Maldon Salt.  Serve with some bubbly.

Sporty twist version:  Perfect during a ballgame, your choice of chocolate and salted or honey-roasted peanuts.  Play ball!

Allow bars to cool on a rack.  Use a serrated knife to cut the pan into bars or wedges.

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Toffee Bars

A buttery, brown sugar crust topped with chocolate and hazelnuts. A riff on Alice Medrich's Toffee Bars.
Course cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword toffee, toffee bar recipe, Toffee Bars
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes

Equipment

  • 8x8 inch square pan or 9' tart pan with removable bottom. Any pan with roughly same area I like to use a 12x5 rectangular tart pan and cut the cookies into wedges.

Ingredients

Shortbread base

  • 8 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

Topping

  • 6 ounces milk or semisweet chocolate chopped, if bar or block or use chips
  • 1/2 cup toasted nuts your choice!

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position rack in lower third of oven

Shortbread base

  • Cut butter into chunks and melt in a saucepan over medium heat or place in heatproof glass bowl, loosely cover and microwave at 40% power for 15 seconds, repeat if necessary.
  • Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar, salt and vanilla. Add flour and mix just until combined.
  • Press dough into a lined (parchment or foil) 8x8-inch pan or a tart pan with a removable bottom
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes or until well browned at the edges and golden brown in the center

Topping

  • Scatter chocolate evenly on top of warm crust. Let stand to allow the chocolate to melt. If necessary, place in the oven for a minute to help melt the chocolate. Spread chocolate evenly over the crust with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
  • Sprinkle toasted chopped nuts over chocolate. Set on rack to cool.
  • Lift and transfer bar to cutting board. Use a sharp knife (I like using a serrated knife)and cut into 2x2" squares or wedges. If necessary chill in fridge to set chocolate.
  • See story above for variations.
Go Big or Go Home Day 10 of 12 Days of Cookies (CCC Skillet Style)

Go Big or Go Home Day 10 of 12 Days of Cookies (CCC Skillet Style)

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The best thing about cruising the internet right now is the plethora of Top Ten or Best Eats of the Year lists that are popping up everywhere. In between furiously publishing holiday recipes, everyone digs into their 2018 archives and comes up with The Best of 2018.
I scrolled through Favorite Desserts of 2018 on Ktchn and landed on a cookie recipe and I mean A cookie. My stomach grumble meter went into overdrive, a ginormous chocolate chip cookie baked in an iron skillet.

It’s New Year’s Eve. I need a dessert that’s EASY to make, a show stopper, sharable, and has universal appeal.

This pops into my head.

Enter the Skillet Zone.  Julia Child in a suit and tie, sans glass of wine, starts to speak, she’s a bit stiffer than normal but hey, this is a mash up…she starts to speak…

Imagine if you will, a Cast Iron Skillet, ebony from years of cooking and love.  A warm GIANT Chocolate Chip Cookie cooked in the aforementioned skillet and a quart (or more) of Vanilla Ice Cream.

The Oohs and Aahs as you bring this to the dinner table.  Cause who doesn’t succumb to the aroma of a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie?

You cut into the cookie-the chocolate chips are gooey, melted perfection, the cookie is soft, cakey in the middle, you work your way to the edge, the texture changes to that of a cookie with a crisp, caramelized edge.  You place the wedge of cookie on a plate.

Everyone is holding their breath in anticipation, mesmerized by the chocolate oozing and the aroma of the cookie and then…

BAM! You hit it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream which immediately begins to melt over the cookie.

Everyone goes crazy.

Yes, you have entered the Skillet Zone.

Unfortunately, I do not have a cast iron skillet.  Lost, in one of the many moves we have made.  I used an All-Clad skillet.  My cookie was relatively even in height.  I think that if baked in a cast iron skillet, the additional heat of the black pan would cause the sides to bake quicker, rise a little higher than mine, possibly be a bit crisper.  Hmmm, yummy.  Feel free to add nuts if you like.  I CHEATED, I used chocolate chunks and pistoles instead of chopping chocolate.  Definitely try to find chunks and not use regular sized chips.

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Deep-Dish Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 12 ounces dark chocolate coarsely chopped, divided
  • 1/2 cup pecans pieces

Instructions

  • Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 375°F.
  • Place the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine; set aside.
  • Place the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (Alternatively, use an electric hand mixer and large bowl.) Beat at medium speed until lightened in color and creamy, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the eggs and vanilla. Scrape down the side of the bowl. Beat in the flour mixture on low speed until just combined.
  • Set aside 1/3 cup of the chopped chocolate. Add the remaining chocolate and nuts if using, to the dough and fold to combine. Transfer the dough to a 10-inch cast iron or oven-safe skillet. With damp hands, press the dough in an even layer to the edges of the skillet. Sprinkle the reserved 1/3 cup chocolate over top and gently press into the dough.
  • Bake until the center is set and the edges are golden-brown and slightly pull back from the skillet, about 25 minutes. Set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.

Notes

Add nuts if you like.  I use pecans.  Ok, I cheated, I didn't chop chocolate but used chocolate chunks and pistoles I found.  I am all about the path of least resistence.
Will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Use only vanilla ice cream. NO bubblegum flavor, peppermint or anything else but Vanilla...just saying.

 

 

 

 

 
Belly Up to the Snickerdoodle Bar Day 6 Holiday Cookies

Belly Up to the Snickerdoodle Bar Day 6 Holiday Cookies

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A riff on quite possibly my favorite cookie, the Snickerdoodle.  The Snickerdoodle is the quintessential cookie. Buttery, chewy, slightly cakey center, crispy edges, a nice hit of cinnamon, my mouth is watering as I write this. This year’s Washington Post’s favorite cookies of 2018 include a Snickerdoodle Blondie.  We all know the quick and dirty route to a batch of cookies is a bar cookie.  Snickerdoodles, baked in a square pan instead of individual cookies, texturally a bar cookie but taste-wise just like a snickerdoodle. Ah, two worlds collide beautifully.

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Snickerdoodle Blondies

Quick and easy bar cookie.  The texture of a blondie/brownie but the taste of a Snickerdoodle.  All that buttery cinnamony goodness in a bar.
Servings 16 Servings
Calories 220kcal
Author Adapted from WAPO

Ingredients

  • 12 tablespoons 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar plus 2 tablespoons for the topping
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus more for the topping
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch-square baking pan with cooking oil spray then line the bottom with parchment paper.

Instructions

  • Combine the butter, the cup of granulated sugar and the brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer; beat on medium speed for a few minutes, until lightened and a little fluffy. Stop to scrape down the bowl.
  • Add the eggs and vanilla extract; beat on medium speed until well incorporated.
  • Whisk together the flour, teaspoon of cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, then add to the mixer bowl; beat on medium-low speed until well incorporated. The dough will be quite soft.
  • Transfer to the baking pan, then spread the dough evenly all the way into the corners. Whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar with the amount of cinnamon you prefer; we recommend 1/2 to 1 teaspoon. Sprinkle that mixture evenly over the surface. Bake (middle rack) for about 25 minutes, until golden and still slightly soft at the center.
  • Cool completely (in the pan) before serving or storing. It's best to lift out the slab and slice on a cutting board; discard the parchment before cutting.

Notes

I used only 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon in the topping which seemed like plenty

Going to a holiday party? Make a batch, leave it in the pan and give the whole kit-& Kaboodle of s-doodles to the host.

 
Mint to be-Frango Brownies

Mint to be-Frango Brownies

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The other morning I met a friend I hadn’t seen in a while for coffee. Thanksgiving had us talking about the holidays.  We caught up on the kids’ comings and goings, where everyone was spending the holidays, and which kids would be home.

Of course, the conversation ultimately drifted to food. She mentioned ordering boxes of Frango Mints from Macy’s. FRANGO MINTS?! My eyes automatically glazed over.  Frango Mints, ooohhhh, love Frango Mints.  Back in the day whenever I was in Chicago, my to-do list included a stop at Marshall Field’s explicitly to buy Frango Chocolates.  Delightful bites of satiny smooth chocolate flavored with mint, raspberry, or caramel.

Much to the chagrin of Chicagoans, Marshall Field’s was sold to The Federated Group, but for the rest of us, it meant those luscious chocolate morsels can now be found at Macy’s everywhere.  I know, it is not the same as Marshall Field’s on State Street, sigh.  But time marches on.

Doing the Frango Tango

Frango Mints straight out of the box are delectable, but those little bad boys elevate your standard brownie to a new level. Years ago, the Chicago Tribune printed a recipe for a Frango Mint Brownie. They are easy to make, and delicious with that minty twist that sets them apart.  It does help to have a mixer since the recipe calls for whipping the eggs to a nice thick, foamy batter.  There are no leaveners, so the egg mixture accounts for any lift in the batter.  Add the melted chocolate, and fold in the flour, nuts, and chopped Frango mints. Bake. The brownies are ready when a toothpick stuck halfway between the edge and the center comes out fairly clean or just a few crumbs.  Somewhere between fudgy and cakey, these brownies are just right.

With a promise to send my friend the recipe, I hustled home to make a batch of these long-forgotten gems.  Well, I did have to make a stop before heading home. Lucky for me Macy’s is just a few minutes away. Had to get my signature green box of Frango Mints. (Yikes-Cyber Monday deal 9.99/box!)

Shhhh…I shouldn’t be writing this, but in a pinch, if you don’t have Frango Mints, you could use Andes Mints.

Frango Mint Brownies

Frango Mints + Brownies + Cold Glass of Milk = Perfect Treat

You’re welcome.

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FRANGO MINT BROWNIES

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 16 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces baking chocolate chopped
  • 1/2 cup (1 cube of butter) cut into pieces
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup pecans chopped
  • 1/2 cup Field`s Frango Mints chopped

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 inch square baking pan.
  • Melt butter in medium saucepan or in microwave. Add chocolate and stir to melt until chocolate is completely melted.
  • Beat eggs with an electric mixer until thick and lemon colored (~2 min)
  • Gradually add the sugar to the eggs, beating thoroughly (additional 1 min) until the batter is smooth and light.
  • Stir in the chocolate mixture and vanilla.
  • Fold in flour and salt into the batter with rubber spatula.
  • Fold in the pecans and chopped Frangos.
  • Pour brownie mixture into a well-greased, 8-inch-square pan.
  • Bake until the top is shiny and a crust has formed, 20 to 25 minutes. Avoid overbaking.
  • Bake until wooden toothpick inserted halfway between edge and center comes out with on a moist crumb.
  • Cool on wire rack. Cut into 16 2x2 pieces.
  • Store in an airtight container.
  • Allow to cool completely, then cut into 2-inch squares.
Classic Lemon Bars
Classic Lemon Bars

Classic Lemon Bars

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This is the lemon bar of your childhood..tender, buttery, melt in your mouth crust, lemony bur sweet filling, and topped with a snowfall of powdered sugar.  I love them and if I were being nostalgic or feeding a room full of kids, this is the bar ncookie I would make.  But we all grow up, our taste change, we get a little bolder and crave a twist to childhood favorites.  Luckily I found a “grown-up” version, Alice Medrich’s Lemon Bars to bake.  A crisp, buttery crust and filling with enough lemon to make your tastebuds pucker up, so good.

There is absolutely no reason you can’t have both! If you’re feeling like a kid bake this version, if you’re feeling hipster-ish and sassy, bake Alice’s version, Lemon Bars with attitude.

When I am in a hurry I will make the crust for these bars in my food processor.  Put flour and powdered sugar in FP bowl.  Pulse to combine.  Add butter (if you use unsalted butter add a pinch of salt) and pulse until it looks like powdery, loose crumbs. It should not come together.  Pour the mixture into an 8×8 pan and press evenly.  Don’t worry, it won’t look like dough, but will bake into a tender lovely crust.

While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. I have used just lemons, a combination of lemons and limes (2/3:1/3), Meyer lemons and oranges. Experiment!

Imperative to pour the filling on a hot crust which helps set the filling.  The filling will keep baking after it comes out so a slight center jiggle is ok when you take it out of the oven.

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Classic Lemon Bars

Kid tested-Kid approved version of Lemon Bars. Tender, buttery crust with a sweet, citrusy lemon curd topping. A classic from the SF Chronicle Food section.
Course bar cookies
Cuisine American
Keyword bar cookies, Dessert, lemon, Lemon Bars
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 16 squares

Ingredients

Shortbread crust

1 cup flour

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

Filling:

1 cup sugar

2 T flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 T lemon juice

2 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated

2 large eggs

Instructions

Adjust the rack in the lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 or 9 inch square pan.

    To make crust: Briefly blend the flour and sugar in a medium bowl to combine. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles oatmeal. Using your fingertips, press the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until pale golden.

      To make filling: Whisk flour, sugar and baking powder together. Blend eggs, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients and blend until thoroughly combined. Pour filling over partially baked crust and bake 25 minutes. Cool, sprinkle powdered sugar over top and cut into bars.

        Options: Can add additional 1/2 T lemon juice or substitute 1/3 of juice with orange or lime juice and zest. Cut down on baking time ( 25 minutes to 15-20 minutes depending on pan size.)
          Want A Bakehouse Pecan BLONDIE – CALL ME

          Want A Bakehouse Pecan BLONDIE – CALL ME

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          I can see the light at the end of the tunnel…Cookie #11 and it’s a good one. Bakehouse Pecan Blondies from Zingerman’s Bakehouse Cookbook.

          Ipso Fatto posted her review of these delicious Pecan Blondies which then began the usual dance in my head I like to call the Cookbook Tango.  Like mental Pong, do I or don’t I, should I or shouldn’t I?  Really, I don’t need another cookbook… but it looks so good. Well, I could “kick the tires” so to speak beforehand, try some of the recipes, see if I like it.  Okay, I’m gonna be tough and really scrutinize the book before getting it. Yes. Yes. Yes.

          Who am I kidding, it took one recipe and I caved.

          In my defense, Bakehouse Pecan Blondies are absolutely fabulous and justifies my quick surrender.  Why?  You take pecans, toast them in butter and salt, then toss them in a simple sugar-water caramel.  Once the pecan-sugar mixture cools and hardens it literally turns into pecan crack. Chop it up and fold the pieces into the blondie batter and shazam, deliciousness is born!  Pecan praline the zinger in Zingerman’s blondies.

          Zingerman's Pecan Blondies

          The batter is simple and comes together quickly-melted butter, eggs, brown sugar (you can use dark brown sugar for the Muscovado brown sugar) and flour.  Fold the pecans in, bake, dunzo.  It’s not as dense as a brownie and not as airy as a cake.  It’s just right.

          Let’s get busy baking!

          This is a beautiful book, filled with great stories about the bakery and the folks that are or have been a part of Zingerman’s tradition.  This is not cutting edge, new wave fou-fou food, more like all-American homey food, desserts and artisanal bread done really well and with love. Photos for most recipes are included and informative crib notes on the side.  The recipes are organized well and include both volume and metric weight measurements (yay!). Definitely making more treats out of this book soon!

           

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          Want A Bakehouse Pecan BLONDIE – CALL ME

          Ingredients

          Praline

          • 2 Tbs 57gm unsalted butter
          • 1 cup 115gm pecan pieces
          • 1/2 tsp sea salt
          • 1/2 tsp vanilla
          • 2 Tbs 27gm water
          • 1/2 cup 115gm granulated sugar

          Blondies

          • 1 cup + 3 Tbs 230gm packed Muscovado brown sugar
          • 1 cup 230gm unsalted butter, melted
          • 2 large eggs
          • 1 tsp vanilla
          • 1-1/2 cups 200gm all-purpose flour
          • 1/2 tsp sea salt
          • 1 tsp baking powder

          Instructions

          For the praline

          • Preheat oven to 325 degrees, spray a 9x9 square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray
          • Brown the butter: Haven't done that? Serious Eats step by step is really good
          • When butter is browned, remove from heat and add pecan pieces, salt and vanilla and toss to coat nuts.
          • Toast the pecan mixture on a sheet pan at 325 degrees for approximately 12 minutes until they are toasty brown. Start checking at 8 minutes. Set aside.

          Caramelize the sugar: Stir together sugar and water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat without stirring until it is caramelized to a rich reddish-brown. Careful not to burn or go to dark, it will take on a bitter taste. Immediately add the pecans and stir to combine and then spread pecans evenly in the prepared 9x9 pan. The praline will start to harden so work quickly and spread as thin as you can. Set aside to cool. Once cooled, remove pecans from pan and chop into small irregular pieces, 1/4-1/2 inch size. The praline can be made ahead and stored in a cool, dry spot.

            Blondies!

            • The easy part of this recipe
            • In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Stir to combine and set aside.
            • In a large bowl, whisk the brown sugar, melted butter, eggs and vanilla. Whisk until mixture is homogenous and thick.
            • Add dry ingredients to butter-sugar mixture and stir to until it is homogenous. Add the chopped pralines, stir to combine.
            • Pour batter into prepared 9x9 pan, spread evenly and bake for approximately 45 minutes until puffed in the middle and golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.
            • Cut into rectangles and serve with ice cold milk, coffee, tea..just about anything and wait for the smiles.

            Mui-road trip to Ann Arbor from Minneapolis is on the bucket list!

             

            Swedish Visiting Cake Bars
            Swedish Visiting Cake Bars Day 3 of 12 Days of Cookies

            Swedish Visiting Cake Bars Day 3 of 12 Days of Cookies

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            If you like almonds you are going to LOVE this cookie. A crispy almond topping layered on a chewy slightly dense cake. Perfect with a cup of tea. A nice addition to any cookie tray. Find the thinnest sliced almonds possible, they seem to work better to ensure your meringue has a nice crunch but is still light.

            Swedish Visiting Cake Bars
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            Swedish Visiting Cake Bars Day 3 of 12 Days of Cookies

            Ingredients

            For the Topping

            • 1 cup confectioners' sugar
            • 3 large egg whites
            • 1 1/2 cups sliced almonds blanched or unblanched

            For the Bars

            • 3/4 cup sugar
            • 2 large eggs at room temperature
            • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
            • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
            • 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
            • 1 cup all-purpose flour
            • 1 stick unsalted butter melted and cooled
            • Confectioners' sugar for dusting optional

            Instructions

            • Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9-inch square baking pan and line it with parchment paper.

            To make the topping:

            • Put the sugar in a medium bowl and pour over the egg whites. Using your fingers or a form, mix until the sugar is moistened. If there are lumps, ignore them. Toss in the almonds and stir them around until they're coated with the sugared whites. Set aside while you make the batter.

            To make the bars:

            • Working in a large bowl, whisk the sugar, eggs, and salt together until the mixture lightens in color and thickens a little, about 2 minutes.
            • Whisk in the vanilla and almond extracts. Switch to a flexible spatula and gently stir in the flour. When the flour is fully incorporated, gradually fold in the melted butter. You'll have a thick batter with a lovely sheen.
            • Scrape it into the pan and use the spatula to work the batter into the corners. The layer will be very thin.
            • Give the topping another stir, or a run-through with your fingers, and turn it out onto the batter. Use a spatula or your fingers to spread the almonds evenly over the mixture, making sure to get nuts into the corners too.
            • Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with only a few crumbs stuck to it. The meringue topping will be pale golden brown. If you'd like a deeper color on the topping, run it under the broiler until you get the shade of gold you like best.
            • Transfer the pan to a rack and let rest for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the cake and unmold it onto the rack. Very gently peel away the parchment and invert the cake onto another rack to cool to room temperature.
            • Transfer the cake to a cutting board and, using a long, thin knife, slice it into nine 3-inch squares. For smaller portions, cut each square into two triangles. If you'd like, you can dust the bars with confectioners' sugar just before you serve them.
            A Tale of Two Cookbooks (Coffee Cheesecake Swirled Brownies)

            A Tale of Two Cookbooks (Coffee Cheesecake Swirled Brownies)

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            For those familiar with Food52 Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks, I received two cookbooks this past week that made me feel like one of the judges for the tourney.  In a nutshell, The Piglet is like March Madness, sixteen cookbooks go head to head, winner goes on, loser goes home. Judges are selected by Food52 staff and they are not just from the culinary world, but artists, writers, journalists (no pharmacists yet hint, hint) who read and cook from each book and pick their favorite.  Pairings are eclectic and at times exasperating (Robicelli’s Cupcakes vs.The Persian Table, go figure). But that’s what makes it interesting and so much fun.

            Tribute to The Piglet

            Which brings me back to the two cookbooks I received, Easy Homemade Cookie Cookbook and Kristen Kish Cooking.  One homey, approachable, familiar and the other dazzling, appealing, intimidating-polar opposites.

            I’ll start with the familiar. Miranda Couse’s Easy Homemade Cookie Cookbook (not the catchiest title), is a compendium of standard and favorite cookie recipes.  I know, do I need another cookie book? Nope.  But this one does deserve a spot on my bookshelf and yours. The recipes are well organized, straightforward, and easy to follow.  Helpful tips and recipe tweaks are interspersed throughout the book and each recipe starts with a blurb on how many cookies it makes, baking temperature and time and their shelf life. There are photos but not for every recipe which would have been nice. The book is divided into types of cookies including drop cookies, bars and brownies, and sandwich cookies to name a few.  I have tried two recipes so far and both have passed the taste test.  The first cookie that caught my eye was a Blueberry-Lemon Shortbread which is so good, it deserves its own post.  The second recipe I tried, though brownies are not my thing, was the Coffee Cheesecake Swirled Brownies. Chocolatey and decadent, the cocoa brownie layer provided a dense, gooey base for the luscious coffee spiked cream cheese top.  I made new friends when I showed up to work with these bad boys.

            Pour dollop and swirl, the name of the game.

            As I flipped through the book a thought kept running through my mind, Jamie would love this book and I plan to get her a copy of her own.

            A nod to Kristen Kish’s cookbook which I will save for a weekend to read, drool over and tackle. Stay tuned.

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            Coffee Cheesecake Swirled Brownies

            Ingredients

            • MAKES 9 BROWNIES
            • Prep: 25 minutes
            • Bake: About 35 minutes
            • Shelf Life: 4 to 5 days

            For the Brownies:

            • ½ cup all-purpose flour
            • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
            • ½ teaspoon table salt
            • ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
            • 1¼ cups granulated sugar
            • 2 large eggs
            • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
            • ¼ teaspoon instant coffee granules

            For the Cheesecake

            • 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
            • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
            • 1 large egg
            • ½ teaspoon instant coffee granules.

            Instructions

            To make brownie:

            • 1.Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil and spray it with cooking spray. (or use parchment paper)
            • 2.In a medium mixing bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
            • 3.In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed or a wooden spoon, beat together the melted butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and coffee granules until thick and creamy. This will take about 2 minutes if using an electric mixer or 4 to 5 minutes if creaming by hand. Add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed or by hand until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
            • 4.Reserve about ¼ cup of the brownie batter for the top. Transfer the remaining brownie batter to the prepared pan and smooth it out into an even layer.

            To make the cheesecake

            • 1.In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed or a wooden spoon, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until light and creamy. This will take about 1 minute if using an electric mixer or 2 to 3 minutes if creaming by hand. Add the egg and instant coffee, and beat to incorporate.
            • 2.Using a spoon, dollop the cheesecake batter on top of the brownie mix. Add a dollop of the reserved ¼ cup of the brownie batter in the center of each cheesecake dollop. Using a skewer or butter knife, swirl the batters together.
            • 3.Bake for about 35 minutes, until the top is set.
            • 4.Let the brownies cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours to set.
            • To serve, cut into 9 bars. Serve the bars chilled or let them come to room temperature before serving.
            • Add more chocolate to create a rich, dense brownie. Do so by melting 4 ounces of semisweet baking chocolate with the butter or add 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips to batter.

             

             
            Super Apricot-Orange Shortbread Bars (Super Bowl, Super Easy)

            Super Apricot-Orange Shortbread Bars (Super Bowl, Super Easy)

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            I was going to post last week right after the Super Bowl but I needed to recover from the game’s crazy finish before penning a full critique of the game, the commercials, and the food (best part). I admit I was rooting for the Atlanta Falcons and for a while I thought just maybe the underdog would win. In the end, it was not meant to be, Brady and Belichick worked their magic and pulled off the greatest Super Bowl comeback in history.  Ugh.

            What a Game

            Of course, I volunteered to bring munchies and dessert to my friend Sarah’s house for the game.  Since Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts are my “flavor of the month” munchie, it was an easy choice.   For something sweet, I found a recipe on Epicurious for Apricot Orange Bars that sounded so scrumptious I jumped at the chance to make them.  A shortbread crust topped with apricot jam and finished off a delicious almond crumb topping, yep, making them.

            The recipe is straightforward.  The shortbread crust is made first by creaming the butter & sugar, adding the dry ingredients, and mixing just until it comes together.  Reserve 1 cup for the crumble topping.  The dough is very easy to work with.  The tricky part was incorporating the almond paste into the dough for the crumble.  I ended up putting the mixture in the freezer for 10 minutes before lightly pulsing it in my food processor.  This created a uniform crumble and broke up the almond paste.  I also decreased the almond extract in the crust. One teaspoon seemed like a lot so I used half.

            An hour seemed like a long baking time.  But you aren’t pre-baking the crust so it worked out fine.    The 3 tablespoons of Grand Marnier seemed like a lot, it gives the filling a nice punch but surprisingly isn’t overbearing.  My friend Stephanie, an avowed hater of Grand Marnier, liked these bars quite a bit..so there you go.

            These are SUPER delicious and easy to make.  You can find almond paste at most supermarkets.  Do not mistake marzipan (which is sweetened) for almond paste.  The bars were a hit at the Super Bowl party regardless of which team people were rooting for.

            Finally, props to AirBnB for their commercial, awesome. Budweiser’s and Audi’s equal pay (GoAudi).  I liked Cam Newton’s Big Game Buick, Melissa McCarthy’s Kia, and Squarespace’s John Malkovich for chuckles.

            Print

            Apricot-Orange Shortbread Bars from Epicurious

            Course bar cookies
            Cuisine American
            Keyword apricot almond bars, bar cookies

            Ingredients

            • 1 cup apricot preserves
            • 3 tablespoons orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier
            • 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
            • 3/4 cup sugar
            • 1 teaspoon almond extract
            • 2 cups all purpose flour
            • 1/4 teaspoon salt
            • 1/4 cup packed almond paste (from 7-ounce roll), crumbled
            • 1/2 cup sliced almonds divided

            Instructions

            • Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 9x9x2-inch metal baking pan; line bottom and sides of pan with parchment paper, extending over sides. Butter parchment. Mix preserves and orange liqueur in small bowl; set aside.
            • Using electric mixer, beat 1 cup butter and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Beat in almond extract. Add flour and salt; beat just until blended. Transfer 1 cup of dough to another small bowl; add crumbled almond paste and mix with fingertips until small clumps form. Mix in 1/4 cup sliced almonds; set aside for topping.
            • Press remaining dough evenly onto bottom of prepared pan. Spread preserves mixture evenly over. Using fingertips, coarsely crumble topping over preserves, then sprinkle 1/4 cup almonds over. Press topping lightly into preserves.
            • Bake shortbread until top and crust edges are golden brown, about 1 hour. Cool completely in pan on rack. Using parchment paper as aid, lift shortbread from pan. Cut shortbread into 4 equal strips, then cut each strip crosswise into 8 small bar cookies. (Can be prepared ahead. Store in single layer in airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days or freeze up to 2 weeks.)