Category: Bar Cookies
Like Mother, Like Daughter Day 3: Dorie’s Blondies

Like Mother, Like Daughter Day 3: Dorie’s Blondies

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Hi! Jamie here. I’m back for a holiday season of cookies, Christmas music, and lying on the couch watching TV. If you haven’t guessed by now, my mom is kinda crazy about cookies—especially during the holidays. Although I beg her every year not to bake 36 dozen cookies—I eat so many of them—she somehow turns it around and gets me to bake cookies, too. Yup, I’ve caught the baking bug.

We recently had our annual cookie exchange party last week, and, being the ridiculously hyper competitive person I am, I set out to bake the best cookie. Yes, only I would try to make a fun get together an intense competition. I’m just as crazy as my mom. I choose to blame her.

Anyways, as I was looking around for the best cookie recipe, my eyes were drawn to the THREE huge purple books that my mom had sitting on our coffee table. Yes, you guessed it, they were Dorie Greenspan’s cookie books. And no, it isn’t unusual that my mom has multiple copies of the same book, especially when they are Dorie Greenspan’s. I swear she is OBSESSED with that lady. So, I decided to rifle through the book to find the best recipe. I LOVE everything coconut, so, naturally I flipped to the back of the book to find all the recipes with coconut in them. I was surprised to find a recipe for blondies. Dorie adds sweetened coconut, chopped pecans, and chocolate chips to these classic bar cookies, and she bakes them in muffin tins. Intrigued, I set to work. I substituted unsweetened coconut for the sweetened and added a bit more sugar. I also did half mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and half toffee bits, for a little extra sweetness to make up for the unsweetened coconut.

Of course, as soon as I started scooping the cookies into mini muffin tins, my mom came over and FREAKED out over the size. Apparently Dorie’s mini muffin tins were bigger than normal mini muffin tins. I didn’t want to redo them, so I just tossed the pan into the oven, used regular tins with the leftover dough, and waited. I pulled them out in 15 min…I was scared that I would over bake them in the mini tin! I’m sure glad I did, too. The blondies came out incredibly gooey and chewy on the bottom, but had a nice crunch on top. Perfect. I sprinkled mini chocolate chips on the tops because they started to sink and then threw on some red and green sprinkles to make them really festive. They are sweet, and the nuts and coconut give it a great texture without overpowering the blondie flavor. The recipe makes about 30 mini blondies, so I would recommend doubling the recipe if you have a lot of people over.  There is a great article on Kitcn that covers these delicious blondies made 3 different ways.  Check it out!

Dories Blondies blew all the other cookies out of the water, of course. I mean, we all saw that coming.

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Like Mother, Like Daughter Day 3: Dorie’s Blondies

Ingredients

Another winner from Dorie Greenspan's Cookies Book!

Makes about 30

Cooking spray or butter, for coating the pan

  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans toasted
  • 2 ounces best-quality milk chocolate finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup shredded sweetened coconut
  • 8 tablespoons 4 ounces unsalted butter, cut into chunks, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

Instructions

  • Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 325°F. Butter or spray a 24-well mini-muffin tin.
  • Stir the pecans, chocolate, and coconut together in a medium bowl; set aside.
  • Place the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. (Alternatively, use a large bowl and electric hand mixer.) Add the egg and beat on low, scraping the bowl as needed, until you have a smooth, creamy mixture. Beat in the vanilla.
  • Turn the mixer off, add the flour all at once, and pulse a few times to start incorporating it. Mix on low speed until the flour is almost fully blended into the dough. Add the pecan mixture, mixing just until they're evenly distributed; if you'd like, you can do the last few turns by hand with a sturdy rubber spatula.
  • Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out level portions of dough or use a teaspoon to make rounded spoonfuls and place one in each mini-muffin well. When each well has dough (you will use about half the dough), press each mound of dough down very lightly with moistened fingertips.
  • Bake until the cookies are firmly set around the edges and golden-brown in the center, 14 to 16 minutes. A tester inserted in the center of a blondie should come out clean.
  • Place the tin on a cooling rack and let the blondies rest for 3 minutes. Unmold the blondies either by turning the tin over and rapping them against the counter or popping the blondies out with table knife. Transfer the blondies to the rack and and let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
  • Let the mini-muffin tin cool and and repeat baking the remaining dough.
  • Recipe Notes
  • Make ahead: You can scoop the dough out onto a lined baking sheet, pat it down, freeze until firm, and then pack the pucks in an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. Leave the pucks at room temperature while you heat the oven before baking.
  • Storage: The blondies are best eaten soon after they're baked, but they can be kept in a covered container at room temperature for up to 1 day. They can also be frozen, wrapped airtight, for up to 2 months.

Hi Claire J

 
Absolutely Best Brownies from Friends

Absolutely Best Brownies from Friends

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I know, I know…who would have thought, delicious brownies from a cookbook based on the TV show Friends…go figure!  Trust me they are really good.

 

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Absolutely Best Brownies

Kid friendly brownies! Let them cool and rest before eating!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 16

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate like Ghiradelli's, no need to use $$$ stuff
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2/3 cup flour
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips mini-chips preferred
  • 1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Butter an 8 inch square pan and line with parchment.
  • Melt butter and chocolate together. Mix in sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, and the 2 eggs. Mix well and then add flour mixture (flour, salt, baking powder) and stir until combined.  Do not overmix.  Fold in chips and nuts.
  • Spread in pan and bake approximately 25 minutes.  Brownies are done when a toothpick inserted halfway between the edge of the pan and the center comes out clean. Try not to overbake!
  • Special occasions call for a chocolate ganache made with 1:1 heavy whipping cream and melted semi-sweet chocolate blended and  poured over the top and left to set. Totally boss.
Italian Jam Crostata

Italian Jam Crostata

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I almost skipped this recipe but I’m glad I didn’t. The fancy name, Italian Jam Crostata, and its veil of preserves and almonds threw me off.  Behind the name and hidden under the jam lies a buttery, crumbly cookie crust that melts in your mouth.  A clever play on my absolute FAVORITE cookie, shortbread. So good and so easy to make!  I found the recipe on the blog site Bake or Break.  Great site, worth a visit.

The shortbread base screams of buttery goodness (did I mention that already?) not too sweet with just a hint of almond.   The dough is soft much like cookie dough and easily pressed into a tart pan (use one with a removable bottom) or a springform pan.  My tart pan has a dark finished which probably contributed to the shorter baking time than posted. Next time I’ll lower the baking temperature and check it before the suggested baking time elapses.

The original recipe calls for 1/3 cup of jam.  I used a bit more, almost 1/2 cup which covered the crust to within 3/4 of an inch from the edge. The crostata is finished off with sliced almonds and a crumble topping made from a portion of the dough.  Pick your favorite jam .   I used raspberry jam this time, next time I will try pineapple preserves with macadamia nuts and flaked coconut.  Sounds intriguing right?

DSC03796

This is really a great dessert.  Your friends will be oohing and aahing, only you will know how easy it was to put together.

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Italian Jam Crostata

Tender buttery shortbread crust topped with your favorite preserves and almonds. It’s easy to make and yummy to eat!
Course cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword crostata, strawberries
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 10 inch fluted tart pan or springform pan

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (12 tablespoons)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup jam use your favorite!
  • 1/3 cup sliced almonds

Variations:

  • Pineapple preserves and flaked coconut

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy on medium speed. Add vanilla & almond extracts and salt to mixture. Mix until combined.
  • On low speed, add flour to butter mixture, blending just until mixture comes together. Do not overbeat, the dough should be crumbly.
  • Remove 1/2 cup of dough and press onto a plate or pan (~1/4 inch thick). Cover with Saran Wrap and place it in the freezer.
  • Press remaining dough into a 10-inch tart pan or springform pan. You can press the dough in with a glass, covered with saran wrap or with your fingers. Flour your fingertips to prevent sticking. If using a fluted tart pan, press dough to fill to fluted edge but not up the sides!  I made that mistake without thinking that I wasn't making a tart!
  • Spread jam over the dough leaving approximately a 3/4 - 1-inch border.
  • Sprinkle almonds and reserved dough (crumble it with your fingers or a fork) evenly over crust.
  • Bake approximately 40 minutes or until the edge is golden brown. Cool completely before taking it out of pan.
  • Cut into wedges.
When Life Gives You Lemons…Make Lemon Bars!

When Life Gives You Lemons…Make Lemon Bars!

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Who doesn’t love lemon bars?  But just to be sure, I do have two recipes for lemon bars to cover just about everyone.

For the longest time, my favorite Lemon Bar was from Michael Bauer’s column in the San Francisco Chronicle.  A classic lemon bar with a meltingly tender crust topped with a sweet lemon curd and dusted with powdered sugar.  These bars were the hidden gems in a summer picnic basket or the citrus foil to the chocolate cookies on the holiday cookie tray.

Along came Alice

….Medrich that is, the chocolate maven. She penned a wonderful little cookbook simply titled Cookies and Brownies (still available luckily).  Fifty recipes of classic cookies to cookies with a twist.  Hands down the best snickerdoodle, delicious butter cookies with pecans and cocoa nibs, and Steve’s brownies, fudgy and decadent.  For years I shied away from the bar cookies in her book.  The recipe started with melting the butter for the crust.  Whaaat?  Melted butter for a shortbread crust?  Just didn’t seem right.  I finally gave in and I am glad I did.  These lemon bars are a party in your mouth, the classic lemon bar amped up.  The crust is buttery and crispy crunchy not soft, the perfect foil for the filling which is sweet but tart enough to make your taste buds stand up and take notice.

The next time you make lemon bars, make the classic bars if you are feeding a swarm of little kids.  They’ll love them.  But if you are taking them to your friends, make Alice’s version, all grown up with attitude, just like us!

This recipe can be baked in a tart pan, once again upping the wow game on these bars. After pressing the dough into the pan, freeze for 15 minutes before baking.  If the crust puffs while baking, poke it back down with a fork.  To ensure it keeps its shape weigh the crust down with pie weights and remove about halfway through baking.  Remember to bake to a rich deep golden brown for a crispy, buttery crust.

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Alice's Lemon Bars

A grown-up version of Lemon Bars from Alice Medrich. Tart lemon filling in a buttery, crisp base, absolutely delicious.
Course bar cookies, cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword alice medrich, buttery, lemon, Lemon Bars, lemon curd, tart
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour

Ingredients

For crust:

  • 8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted 1 stick
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp regular table salt or sea salt
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

For topping:

  • 1 cup plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 -1/2 tsp finely grated lime or lemon zest
  • 1/2 cup strained freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
  • Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

  • Position a rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of 8- by 8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil.

To make crust:

  • In a medium bowl, combine melted butter with sugar, vanilla and salt. Add flour and mix until just incorporated. Press dough evenly over bottom of pan. Freeze dough for 15-20 minutes until firm. Start filling while dough chills.
  • Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until crust is fully baked, well-browned at the edges and golden brown in the center. If dough bubbles poke a few holes in it andpat it down.

To make topping:

  • While crust is baking, stir together sugar and flour in a large bowl until well-mixed. Whisk in eggs. Stir in lime or lemon zest and juice. When crust is ready, reduce heat to 300 degrees, slide rack with pan out and pour filling onto hot crust. Bake 20 to 25 minutes longer, or until topping no longer jiggles when pan is tapped.
  • Remove from oven to a wire rack to cool completely. Lift up foil liner and transfer bars to a cutting board. If surface is covered with a thin layer of moist foam (not unusual), blot surface gently with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture; repeat with a fresh piece of paper towel if necessary.
  • Using a long, sharp knife, cut bars into 16 or 24 daintier bars and sift powdered sugar over bars, if desired. Stored in an airtight container, bars can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
  • I bake my lemon bars in a rectangular tart pan with removable bottom. It gives the bars a nice side crust and a nice finished look. The idea came from the blog Baking Obsession Check it out for instructions to bake in a rectangular pan.