Because I Like Blondies Better than Brownies

I love brownies...but I love blondies better.

And these ones, with a slightly chewy, moist interior, gently crisped golden top, and rich, caramelly-buttery-brown-sugar-vanilla-y with a touch of salt flavor, are highly craveable. 

Don't get me wrong. I don't hate brownies. In fact, quite the opposite. If you hand me a dense, fudge-like brownie, I will be your friend for a good long time. There are some moments when only a brownie will satisfy your needs.

But if I were pressed to make a choice to have one or the other only for the rest of my life...I'd choose blondies over brownies.

What is it about blondies?

Maybe it's the texture: just chewy enough to provide a little resistance when you take a bite, to keep things interesting. Not too cakey, but definitely not a cookie. 

Maybe it's the color: blondies do have an awfully alluring toasty, honey-colored hue. 

Maybe it's the fact that the milder flavor lets the flavor of nuts really shine, whereas they can get lost under the powerful chocolate flavor of brownies.

Or maybe it's the flavor: each bite with flavor undertones of butterscotch, graham crackers, sweetened condensed milk, caramel, and shortbread, even though blondies contain none of these things. Maybe it's how the subtle flavor fills your mouth with sweet with a touch of salt flavor, and makes you want more and more and more.

Maybe it's all of these things. Probably.

But honestly, while I can get very thoughtful about the whole thing, I'd rather just eat some blondies. This is a particularly nice recipe, adapted from the Whole Foods Market Cookbook.  

These blondies rule

Makes one 9-inch square pan - printable version here

3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Place the pecan pieces on a baking sheet, and roast them until they are nicely toasted, 4 to 6 minutes. I do this as the oven preheats; if you smell the fragrance of the nuts, they're ready. Once toasted, remove from the oven and set to the side for the moment.

Generously grease a 9-inch square cake pan, and insert a strip of parchment paper (I do this so I have "handles" to lift the bars out later).

In a medium bowl, stir the flour and salt to blend.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until fluffy (2-3 minutes on medium speed). Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract. 

Remove the bowl from the mixer, and stir the flour in by hand. Fold in the toasted and cooled nuts. 

Spread the thick mixture in your prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden and just set in the center. 

Remove from the oven, and let cool for several minutes. If you've added that little handle I told you about, you can pull out the blondies in one solid unit.

Enjoy!

Do you prefer blondies or brownies?

I Love H: Award-Winning H-Bars Recipe

I love love.

I also love cookies.

And furthermore, I adore a good story.

Naturally, I gravitated toward this recipe, since it combines all of the above in one tasty form. Adding to its intrigue was the fact that is was an award-winner: these bars are featured in the new book Holiday Cookies: Prize-Winning Family Recipes from the Chicago Tribune for Cookies, Bars, Brownies and More. 

These so-called "H-Bars" have a mysterious story: 

Victoria Weisenberg won first place in 2012 for this recip and her tale of using them to woo "a very special man". Weisenberg created the recipe as a Hanukkah give for her former beau and said the "H" stands for the first letter of his first name, though she opted to leave that name a mystery.

This story is what intrigued me about the bars, which I might have otherwise passed over owing to the fact that they are made with a raisin filling. This t-shirt design sums up my thoughts on raisins in cookies:

Luckily (great timing!) I just received a package from the California Dried Plum Board (no, really). It didn't take me long to decide to swap the prunes for the raisins. I'm glad I did: they add a wonderful moisture and mellow flavor to the bars. 

Yes, really.

The only other thing I did differently is I baked the bars in a loaf pan rather than the size specified in the recipe. Doing such, I had to increase the bake time by about 5 minutes. I have left the instructions intact though; if you want to make them look like mine, use a loaf pan, increase the bake time, and slice into fingers instead of bars. 

Award-winning H-Bars

• Yield: 20 bars
• Prep time: 30 minutes
• Bake time: 37 to 40 minutes per batch

Shortbread base:

• 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup flour
• ¼ cup granulated sugar

Middle layer

• ⅓ cup flour
• ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 4 ounces chopped dried plums (original recipe calls for ⅔ cup golden raisins)

Topping:

• ½ cup flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• ½ stick (¼ cup) unsalted
• butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Icing (I omitted this)

• ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1½–2 tablespoons milk
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla

Procedure

1. Grease or coat with cooking spray a 7½-by-11-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 325 degrees.

2. For the shortbread, combine butter, flour and granulated sugar in a medium bowl until crumbly. Pack into the prepared pan; bake, 15 minutes.

3. For raisin layer, stir together flour with the baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. In another bowl, beat brown sugar, eggs and vanilla together until blended. Stir in dry ingredients and dried plum bits. Pour over the baked shortbread layer.

4. For the topping, combine ingredients in a bowl until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the middle layer. Bake, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool.

5. For the icing, combine confectioners’ sugar, 1½ tablespoons milk and vanilla in a small bowl. Add more milk, if needed, until you get a smooth, easy-to drizzle mixture. Drizzle over the top. Cut into 20 bars.

Food processor method: You do not have to wash the bowl of the processor between steps. Combine ingredients for the bottom layer with a few pulses until crumbly. Pack in pan. Bake as above. Prepare topping in the processor in the same way. Place in a bowl and set aside. Then, place brown sugar, eggs and vanilla in processor bowl and process until blended. Add dry ingredients and pulse a few times. Stir in raisins. Continue as above.

Do you like raisins in baked goods?

Pillsbury Bake-Off Countdown: Chocolate Chip-Espresso-Almond Bars

Um, yum? I would like to enjoy one or possibly ten of these chocolate chip espresso almond bars. It's like a candy bar, coffee shop visit, and cookie, all at once! Thanks to Sharon Kershner of Fleetwood, Pennsylvania for dreaming up these sweet treats. Good luck at the Bake-Off!

Chocolate Chip-Espresso-Almond Bars

• Prep Time: 20 Min
• Total Time: 1 Hr 30 Min
• Makes: 24 bars

Ingredients

• 1 container Pillsbury™ Gluten Free refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1 tablespoon instant espresso coffee powder or granules
• 1/2 teaspoon Watkins™ Imitation Almond Extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon Watkins™ Pure Vanilla Extract

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan with Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray.
2. In medium bowl, break up cookie dough. Add 1/4 cup of the sliced almonds, the espresso powder and almond extract. Mix with wooden spoon, or knead with hands until well blended. Press dough evenly in bottom of pan. Bake 13 to 18 minutes or until golden brown and center is set. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, stir powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of the milk and the vanilla until smooth; add additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired spreading consistency. Spread glaze over cooled bars; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup sliced almonds. Refrigerate about 10 minutes or until glaze is set. Cut into 6 rows by 4 rows.

Note: the Pillsbury Bake-Off is coming in November! Check out my coverage of the 45th and 46th Bake-Off, and follow the recipes posted so far by clicking the bakeoff tag below.

Pillsbury Bake-Off Countdown: Sweet and Salty Chocolate Chip-Maple-Peanut Bars

CakeSpy Note: OMG! It's getting to be that time of year again. The Pillsbury Bake-Off is coming in November! Since I so deeply loved attending the 45th Bake-Off as well as the 46th Bake-Off, I thought I would get you excited the 47th one early by sharing all of the sweet recipes in the running. I will focus on sweets! You can follow them by clicking the bakeoff tag below to see the recipes posted so far (as well as recipes from previous Bake-Off events). 

I need to tell you, these bars basically have all the building blocks of what I consider delicious.

Well, first, before any ingredients, let's start with something important. Arlene Erlbach, who created this recipe, hails from Morton Grove, Illinois. I consider Illinois firmly planted in bar country. No, not dives where you drink beer (although yes, that exists there too). I am talking about cookie bars. The midwest just does them right.

Now, back to the actual ingredients. They have maple, which is a quintessential cozy flavor; they have peanut butter, which loves sweets and makes them nice and rich and dense. They have chocolate chip cookie dough, which makes everything better. The peanuts, frosting, and toffee bits are hardly necessary after all that goodness. But no, I am certainly not going to turn them away.

Good luck at the Bake-Off!

Sweet and Salty Chocolate Chip-Maple-Peanut Bars

• Prep Time: 30 Min
• Total Time: 1 Hr 40 Min
• Makes: 16 bars

Ingredients

• 1 roll Pillsbury refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
• 1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 3 teaspoons maple extract
• 1 cup vanilla creamy ready-to-spread frosting
• 1/2 cup salted cocktail peanuts, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons toffee bits

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Let cookie dough stand at room temperature 10 minutes to soften. Spray 9-inch square pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In large bowl, break up cookie dough. Add peanut butter and 2 teaspoons of the maple extract. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 1 to 2 minutes or until well blended. Press dough evenly in bottom of pan. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely in pan on cooling rack, about 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix frosting and remaining 1 teaspoon maple extract until smooth. In another small bowl, mix peanuts, toffee bits and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spread frosting evenly over cooled bars. Sprinkle with peanut mixture; press in lightly. Refrigerate about 30 minutes before cutting. Cut into 4 rows by 4 rows. Store covered.

Pucker Up: Lemon Walnut Bars Recipe

After Thanksgiving, people crave light treats that will make them feel refreshed, in contrast to the fullness they may have felt over the holiday.

These Lemon Walnut Bars are perfect, because owing to the lemon they taste refreshing, and the addition of oats gives them the slightest tone of healthfulness.

But don't worry--they're not actually healthy. With creamy sweetened condensed milk and plenty of butter, rest assured, these are definitely dessert.

I had a brief love affair with the lemon crumb bars sold at Tully's Coffee Shops in Seattle a few years ago--they certainly weren't fancy, they were made by a commercial bakery in the area and wouldn't be what I would consider "artisan". But there was something about the tart-sweet lemon filling paired with a streusel-like topping that had me hooked.

So when I saw a recipe for Lemon Walnut Bars in the new cookbook Butter Baked Goods: Nostalgic Recipes From a Little Neighborhood Bakery (also the source of this fab marshmallow recipe), I knew I had to try it.

Seriously, this recipe is a classic. It's like the bars I so loved at Tully's, but tastier since they were baked fresh. The filling is tart with lemon but so smooth and creamy with the sweetened condensed milk, which makes it almost like a key lime pie filling, but with lemon. The sweet-salty streusel has all of these notest that work well with the lemon: brown sugar, coconut, walnuts, and oats--which make it also slightly crunchy, and a perfect texture complement to the creaminess. I promise, if you love lemon bars and you love crumb cake, you will adore these squares. You won't be able to stop eating them. 

Lemon Walnut Bars

adapted from Butter Baked Goods: Nostalgic Recipes From a Little Neighborhood Bakery

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup large flake rolled oats
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (dark)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup ground walnuts
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup lemon juice (2 lemons)

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter.
3. In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, sugar, coconut, walnuts, and baking powder. Pour in the melted butter and mix until the butter is evenly distributed. Press half of the oat mixture into the prepared pan, and press it in firmly. If you wanna, line the bottom with a strip of parchment to make for easy removal later.
4. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the consensed milk and lemon uice until thick and combined. Pour the mixture over the base. Use the back of a spoon or spatula to make sure it's an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the filling.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 22 to 25 minutes or until golden on top.
6. Remove from oven and cool completely into the pan. Run a knife along the edges of the pan. Cut into bars.

Peanut Butter Honey Banana Oatmeal Bars, with Love from Haydn

When it comes to cookbooks, are you attracted to the unusual ones? 

Well, you're not alone. I simply cannot pass by a rummage sale, secondhand store, or bookstore's dollar rack without checking out the unusual cookbooks they always seem to have.  I've found a few great ones this way, including my personal fave, Cooking in WetLeather (a biker recipe book). Yes, it exists. 

At a yard sale recently, I was purchasing a $10 sofa and this book caught my eye: Haydn in the Kitchen.

Since I was already shelling out for the sofa, they gave it to me for free. Score!

As it turns out, this recipe book was put together by the Denver Symphony Guild to benefit the orchestra. Unfortunately, the recipes have little to do with famous composers, and the only way that they incorporated music was to call the chapters things like "Symphonic Variations", "Finales", and "Intermezzi". Nestled in the Intermezzi chapter was a recipe for Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars. 

I made a few changes to the recipe, one of which was using honey peanut butter, and then I added banana. Oh my, were they ever good. Sort of in the blondie family, but with a much more mellow, rounded flavor. The rich peanut butter with the golden, sunshine-y honey.

The moist and gooey banana bits. The vaguely healthy tasting oats, adding a nice nuttiness. The slightly caramel-y taste from the brown sugar. All in a fairly dense bar cookie. They're very, very good. 

They certainly disappeared quickly in my house. Bet they'll disappear faster than a symphonic overture (is that a thing?) in yours, too. 

Haydn Bars

Makes 16 - printable version here.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup honey peanut butter (or, plain peanut butter with 1 teaspoon honey mixed in)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup quick cook oats
• 1/2 a banana, cut into small pieces

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Cream the sugars, butter, and peanut butter until smooth (or as smooth as the chunky peanut butter will get). 
3. Mix in the egg, milk, and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally to ensure that they're mixed fully.
4. Stir in the rest of the ingredients all together, until combined.
5. Spread in your prepared 8x8-inch pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden on top and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan, then slice into squares. These bars keep well for 3 to 4 days, well wrapped.

Salted Butterscotch Cashew Shortbread Bars 4 Eva

Salted. Butterscotch. Cashew. Shortbread Bars. It's necessary to pause while considering the sum of these awesome parts, which heighten the experience of each to a sort of baked goods nirvana state.

It's a recipe that I came up with for the Walkers Shortbread challenge, but for the event, I honed and perfected it, and here is what I consider the absolute ideal version of the recipe. 

I'll tell you the truth: I didn't win the competition with these. But I think that I win at LIFE, because I have the ability to make this recipe whenever I want! Plus, when it came to the end of the event, there were only a few left, so I think the crowd liked 'em! 

I should mention that it was a great event, btw. I got to meet Susan of Girl in the Little Red Kitchen, who brought a killer cheesecake (and who like me is a proud pug parent):

Serena of Big Apple Nosh, who brought these ridiculous Hazelnut Banoffee Tartlets:

and Emily of Nomnivorous, who brought the most beautiful boozy pie I've ever seen; I got to hang out with Alejandra Ramos and a bunch of other cool dudettes (and a couple of dudes).

Oh oh oh! Here is the recipe. I should note that you'll see that the pan I used is bigger--I doubled the recipe and it worked fine.

Oh, and--you're so very welcome.

Printable Recipe here!

Salted Butterscotch Cashew Shortbread Bars
Makes 1 big serving (kidding. sort of)

• 2 boxes Pure Butter Shortbread
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 package (10 to 11 ounces) butterscotch chips
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup coarsely chopped nuts (I suggest cashews or pecans)
• coarse sea salt

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan.
2. Combine the cookies and melted butter in a food processor or blender with a pulse mode. Press it into the pan. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until lightly golden on the edges. Remove from the oven.
3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the butterscotch chips, corn syrup, butter, cream, and vanilla. Cook and stir over medium heat until smooth.
4. Spread over crust. Sprinkle with the nuts; press down lightly. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until topping is bubbly and lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Cut into bars when totally cool. 

Donut Hole Blondies Recipe

Photo: Domestic Rebel

Donut-Hole Blondies are purely experimental. It was kind of those moments where you walk by the donut holes and think to yourself thinking to them, you’re going into a blondie today. 

Oh, you don’t talk to food? Nevermind.

They're a popular recipe on my blog for a reason: they're sweet yet salty and are completely delicious.  Blondies are my absolute fave for their rich brown sugar-y flavor, but adding donut holes to them elevates that flavor to crazy levels of awesomeness.  Also, donuts are known as being the best food ever.  Just a fact for you. 

Donut Hole Blondies

Ingredients

• 2 cups brown sugar (light preferred)
• 2/3 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 pkg glazed donut holes (like the pop’ems kind or from your local market/bakery), cut in half

Procedure

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease an 8×8 inch baking pan with cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar and butter together over medium heat until butter melts, the sugar dissolves, and the mixture is smooth, stirring constantly. Allow to cool slightly.
3. Stir in eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Stir in the flour one cup at a time, then the baking soda and baking powder. Stir in 3/4 of the chopped donut holes and pour into the prepared pan. Top with a couple more donut hole halves and sprinkle with sea salt (you may not use all the donut hole halves but uh, think of something else to use them for?)
4. Bake for approx. 25-30 minutes or until center is set and blondies are lightly golden. Cool for about 1 hr before cutting into squares. Store airtight for 2-3 days.

About the author: Hayley is The Domestic Rebel. She believes in cake mix, overdosing on sparkles & eating that extra cookie. And she really, really loves cupcakes.

Pillsbury Bake-Off Countdown: Chewy Peanut Butter-Caramel Bars

CakeSpy Note: I am beyond ecstatic to announce that I have been invited as a media guest to the 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off in Orlando, Florida! The event will take place in late March; til then, I am going to feature several of the sweets finalists here in anticipation of the big day!

What happens when Millionaire's shortbread meets peanut butter? Total deliciousness, that's what!

And these ones are not only delicious but quite easy to prepare, says Sandra Hilbert of Fort Littleton, PA, who invented this recipe for the Pillsbury Bake-Off: "Pillsbury sugar cookies jump-start these ooey-gooey bars. A few additional ingredients create an awesome flavor combo!"

Chewy Peanut Butter-Caramel Bars

36 Bars

• 1package Pillsbury® Ready to Bake!™ refrigerated sugar cookies
• 1/2cup LAND O LAKES® Butter
• 1can (14 oz) Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1cup packed light brown sugar
• 1cup granulated sugar
• 1 3/4cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1bag (11.5 oz) Hershey's® milk chocolate baking chips
• 1/2cup Jif® Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1/2cup finely chopped Fisher® Dry Roasted Peanuts

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan (dark pan not recommended) with Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray or line with nonstick foil. Evenly arrange cookie rounds in pan.
2. Bake 24 to 26 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 15 minutes on cooling rack.
3. Meanwhile, in 2-quart heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in condensed milk, brown sugar and granulated sugar until blended. Add graham cracker crumbs; mix well (mixture will be thick). Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly, or until slightly thickened. Pour caramel mixture over warm cookie crust, spreading evenly.
4. In medium microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips on High 1 minute to 1 minute 20 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until smooth. Stir in peanut butter until blended. Spread evenly over caramel layer. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Refrigerate 1 hour or until chocolate is set. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

Pillsbury Bake-Off Countdown: Peanut Butter Crunch Layer Bars

CakeSpy Note: I am beyond ecstatic to announce that I have been invited as a media guest to the 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off in Orlando, Florida! The event will take place in late March; til then, I am going to feature several of the sweets finalists here in anticipation of the big day!

It's time to hit the bars. No, I don't mean to drink mai tais. I mean bar cookies, and boy are these ones good-looking: Peanut Butter Crunch Layer Bars.

They're a finalist in the upcoming Pillsbury Bake-Off, invented by Becky Pifer of Blanchard, MI, who says "Create ultimate bars in an easy way, starting with refrigerated cookie dough. Toffee, nuts, butterscotch and chocolate all rolled into layered goodness." That's a whole lot to love in just one bar.

Peanut Butter Crunch Layer Bars

Makes 36 bars 

• 2 rolls Pillsbury® refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough
• 3/4 cup Heath® Bits 'O Brickle toffee bits
• 1 cup Reese’s peanut butter baking chips
• 1 3/4cups Fisher brand Nut Topping
• 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 bag (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate baking chips
• 1 bag (11 oz) butterscotch baking chips
• 1/4 cup Creamy Peanut Butter

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan (dark pan not recommended) with Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray. In large bowl, break up 1 1/2 rolls of cookie dough. (Refrigerate 1/2 roll cookie dough for another use.) Add toffee bits, peanut butter chips, 1/2 cup of the nut topping and vanilla. Mix with wooden spoon or knead with hands until well blended. Press evenly in bottom of pan.
2. Bake for 18 to 24 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
3. In large microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and butterscotch chips on High 2 to 2 minutes 30 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until smooth.
4. Stir in peanut butter until smooth. Spread over cooled bars. Sprinkle with remaining 1 1/4 cups nut topping; press in lightly. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows. Store covered.

You Say Nanaimo: Chocolate Cranberry Nanaimo Bars Recipe for Serious Eats

It's a fact: Nanaimo Bars are delicious. They're a decadent no-bake treat named for the Canadian city in which they were invented, comprised of a chocolate-graham-coconut crust, a custard-buttercream middle, and a chocolate topping.

But they also dress up nicely for Thanksgiving, as proven in this chocolate-cranberry variation.

The Canadian classic takes a tart-but-sweet Thanksgiving turn by adding dried cranberries to each of the three layers. The resulting seasonal variation is bound to delight family and friends at Thanksgiving festivities and start the holiday cookie season off sweetly.

For the full entry and recipe, visit Serious Eats!

Smear Campaign: Smearcase Recipe for Serious Eats

If you ask me, a baked good had better be great to get away with an exceedingly unappetizing name like Smearcase.

And happily, it is—this little-known Baltimore specialty, introduced to me by Rachel Rappaport of Coconut & Lime, is sort of like a thinner-crusted cousin to the pride of St. Louis known as Gooey Butter Cake. A dense, cakey crust encases a big ol' smear of gooey cream cheese-based custard filling; when sliced into squares, it's sort of like cheesecake condensed into a bar cookie form.

Note: While not strictly traditional, I added a handful of lightly roasted walnuts to the top of my Smearcase, with delicious results.

For the full entry and recipe, visit Serious Eats!

Pastry Profiles: Oatmeal Fudge Brownie at Gill's Deli, Rutland VT

Gill's Deli in Rutland, VT, is famous for its sandwiches.

But, you know, they also have a nice little array of home-baked goodies too.

When I went to Gill's as a sandwich ambassador for Serious Eats (my title, not theirs) I was able to scope out the bakery case, too, and pick up some treats.

But the one I want to tell you about is the Oatmeal fudge brownie.

Sort of like a chocolate fudge bar cookie on the base, this baby was studded with a sweet, crunchy oat topping which added a nice, nutty flavor, as well as a satisfying heartiness to the bar. Not a fancy treat by any means, it was a nostalgic, lunchbox style treat that was charming to find among the sandwiches, and worth picking one up if you find yourself in the environs.

Gill's Deli, Rutland, VT. Online here.

Pastry Profiles: The Majestic Bar from Corina Bakery, Tacoma WA

Riddle me this. What's a Majestic Bar?

No, it's not a bar at which they serve grandiose alcoholic beverages (though, come to think about it, such an establishment wouldn't be so bad, would it be?).

No, the Majestic Bar, at least at the lovely and amazing Corina Bakery in Tacoma, WA, was described like this to me:

"Like a magic cookie bar but with frosting & MORE chocolate chips." 

I know--like poetry, right? Of course, if you're not familiar with the Magic Cookie Bar (also called Hello Dolly Bars and 7 Layer Bars, and other names), let me give you a primer. This decadent bar cookie starts out with a graham cracker base upon which several layers of deliciousness are piled, including but not limited to sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut, and nuts. They are rich and delicious. They also make a great pie, with the ingredients distributed slightly differently.

But when you make the upgrade to the Majestic Bar, you're on decadence overload, in the best way possible.

To sum it up: If you are what you eat, you might just become the Monopoly Man by the time you finish this big bar of awesome.

Of course, Corina also has a very worthy case full of other stuff, like this:

The Majestic Bar, available at Corina Bakery, 510 6th Avenue, Tacoma WA; online here.

Make it in a Shake: Nanaimo Bar Milkshake Recipe

File under "Unholy, but Wholly Delicious": The Nanaimo Bar Shake.

That's right.

When I recently found myself with an excess of Nanaimo Bars--to the point where they were just on the verge of getting stale--I thought to myself, "how can I revive these sweet treats for an extra-awesome treat?". The answer was swift and obvious: make it in a shake!

The result when you give the richest, most decadently addictive bar cookie on earth gets a butterfat upgrade? You have yourself a frosty froth of fantastic, that's what you've got. 

Here's how to make this magic happen at home. 

You're welcome.

Nanaimo Bar Shake

• 1 Nanaimo Bar
• 2 scoops ice cream, vanilla or chocolate, or one of each
• milk or cream, to thin (up to 1/4 cup)

 Procedure

But in a blender. Blend. Add more milk/cream if you want it more sippable. Enjoy.

Sweet and Salty: Closeup on the Maple Canadian Bacon Nanaimo Bars Recipe

CakeSpy Note: by popular request, here's an individual post, all on its own (originally part of this massive Nanaimo Bar oeuvre), for the Maple Canadian Bacon Nanaimo Bars. Um, plus I thought it would make for a great entry in the Denny's / Foodbuzz Baconalia challenge for a chance to win! Enjoy!

Inspired by two other Canadian specialties, these bars were made with a "blonde" (sans cocoa) bottom layer, topped with a maple-infused buttercream center, all of which was topped off with a thick layer of white chocolate sprinkled with brown sugar and Canadian bacon baked until crispy with a maple glaze.

Makes 24-36 bars, depending on how hungry you are

Bottom Layer

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 egg beaten
• 1 ¼ cups graham wafer crumbs
• ½ c. finely chopped pecans
• 1 cup coconut

Middle Layer

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 2 Tablespoons cream
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup (I used grade B)
• 2 Tbsp. vanilla custard powder or vanilla instant pudding powder
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar

Top Layer

• 3-4 slices canadian bacon
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

 Procedure

1. Melt the butter and sugar in the top of double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, coconut, and nuts. Press firmly into an ungreased 8" x 8" pan.
2. Cream butter, cream, custard powder, sugar, and syrup together well. Beat until light. Spread over bottom layer, making sure that it is as smooth and flat as possible. 
3. Prepare the bacon. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet with parchment. Place the canadian bacon slices on top of the parchment, and drizzle with the maple syrup. Place in the oven until it is very crispy, turning after about 5 minutes. For me, the slices were fairly thin so it only took about 10 minutes total to get them very, very crispy. Remove from the oven and let cool while you prepare the rest of the topping.
4. Melt white chocolate in the microwave in 20 second increments, stirring after heating, until it is melted and smooth enough to spread on top of the buttercream layer. Spread it on top as quickly and smoothly as you can.
5. Sprinkle the brown sugar on top of the white chocolate, and then crumble the bacon on top, making sure to get even coverage. 

Triple Chocolate Nanaimo Bars: A Delicious Valentine's Day Recipe for Serious Eats

Why are forks more popular in February? Because they have Valen-tines!

And happily, there's still time to make up something tasty for those tines: Triple Chocolate Nanaimo Bars. Now, in case you're not familiar with Nanaimo bars, they're a fairly perfect food to begin with: a decadent three-part confection made up of a chocolate graham cracker crust, a (vanilla) custardy middle section, and chocolate topping.

Of course, like so many things, they're even better with more chocolate—and this version, with a rich dark chocolate center and a high quality bittersweet chocolate topping, might just make you fall in love, à la black widow spider, with the whole tray. Hey, nobody says you have to share.

For the full entry and recipe, visit Serious Eats!

Intensely Delicious: Chocolate Cake Bars Recipe Adapted from Intensely Chocolate by Carole Bloom

I'll tell you the truth: I kind of fainted when I got a personal email from cookbook author and baking legend Carole Bloom. After all, I consider her book The International Dictionary of Desserts, Pastries, and Confections: A Comprehensive Guide With More Than 800 Definitions and 86 Classic Recipes to be an essential reference guide, and every other thing little thing she's done is magic, too. 

But for real, there it was: an invitation to check out her newest book, Intensely Chocolate. With a name like that, what wasn't to love? Sign me up!

Well. Here's the first recipe I tried. Her version is for "Individual Chocolate Bundt Cakes With White Chocolate Passion Fruit Frosting", but you know, I'm not too-too fancy, so I baked the cake batter in a single pan instead, and topped it with delectable brown sugar frosting and Peanut Butter M+M's. But my baking experiment only serves to prove Bloom's prowess: this recipe is easily dressed up or down, and is completely delicious either pinkies-out fancy or footloose and fancy-free.

Chocolate Cake Bars with Brown Sugar Frosting and Deeply Un-Fancy M+M's

Ingredients

• 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 3/4 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher or fine grained sea salt
• 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup superfine sugar
• 2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream (I used yogurt)

For the topping

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Procedure

1. Position the oven rack in the center position. Preheat oven to 350. Coat an 8x8 or 9x13-inch pan with nonstick spray, and line with parchment paper.
2. Melt the unsweetened chocolate in the top of a double boiler over low heat, stirring often with a rubber spatula to ensure even melting. Remove from heat and set to the side for a moment.
3. Over a bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda. Add the salt and toss into the blend.
4. Beat the butter in the bowl of an electric stand mixer using the flat beater attachment until soft and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the superfine sugar and brown sugar and beat together well, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
5. Use a fork to lightly beat the eggs and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Add to the butter mixture. Mix together, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl every now and again. The mixture may look curdled at first, but as you continue to mix and scrape down the bowl, it will become smooth.
6. Add the dry ingredients and sour cream in alternate stages, making for about 4-5 total stages of adding ingredients. Mix thoroughly after each addition.
7. Add the melted chocolate and blend completely.
8. Pour into your prepared pan.
9. Bake for 35-50 minutes (since the original recipe for bundt cakes, it called for a bake time of 25-30 minutes, but baking it in a pan takes longer). It's done when a cake tester / toothpick comes out mostly clean.
10. Remove from oven and transfer to rack to cool completely before cutting. I topped mine with frosting AFTER cutting.
11. While you wait for the cakes to cool, make yo'self some frosting. Pour the heavy cream into a medium bowl, and whip with an electric mixer. Add sugar, vanilla and cocoa powder; whip until stiff and spreadable. Refrigerate until needed.
12. Top each cake with a dollop, and with candy if desired (I had extra m+m's from making cornflake wreaths so used them on top).

Happy Hour: The Breckenridge Bar Cookie

Say hello to my new favorite thing in the world: the Breckenridge Bar Cookie.

My fortuitous meeting with La Breckenridge took place at Half Price Books, where I stumbled on a slim volume entitled Creme De Colorado Cookbook. This book piqued my interest for two reasons: first, I have a rather keen and slightly obsessive interest in regional cuisine, and second, I've never been to Colorado, so I was very interested in the foods that might constitute the creme de Colorado.

Flipping to the dessert section, I found the Breckenridge Bar right away. I already knew that Breckenridge must be a delicious place based on Rainy Day Gal's guest post on the fair city, but this bar looked like an exceptional specimen of sweethood: comprised of rich layers of chocolate cake, coconut and condensed milk, and chocolate topping. Unfortunately, the cookbook didn't offer any story behind the bar's history or development, so I can only imagine that it is called the Breckenridge Bar because people are eating them all day, every day, there.

Of course, upon reviewing the original recipe it seemed a little low-fat for my taste, so I made it slightly awesomer by adding brown sugar crumb topping and toasty almonds on top, making for a final result which fell, taste-wise, somewhere between brownie, Almond Joy, and crumb cake. A delicious adaptation, if I do say so myself.

Breckenridge Bars

Adapted from the Creme De Colorado Cookbook

Makes 24-30 bite-sized bars

Ingredients for base

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

Ingredients for middle layer

• 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups shredded coconut (sweetened)

For the topping 

• 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the crumb topping, if you want it (you do!), adapted from Arthur Schwartz

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoons salt
• A handful of sliced almonds or nuts, if desired

 Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add cocoa and flour, mixing until incorporated. Add nuts, if adding.
3. Spread into a floured and buttered pan (original recipe called for 9x13-inches; I didn't have one handy so used an 8x8-inch pan).
4. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. While baking, mix the condensed milk and coconut; add this to the top of the baked bottom crust and bake for 18-20 more minutes at 350.
5. Immediately after removing from oven, add chocolate topping, and then the crumb topping on top of that. Turn off the heat, then put back in the oven for about 10-15 minutes to heat in the residual heat. Once lightly but not completely cooled, cut into squares. (Note: The original recipe simply called for the bars to be removed from the oven and frosted while still warm and that was it--but I think because mine were thicker in the smaller pan, the extra baking time helped them set up better).
6. Let cool completely (I put mine in the fridge to set for several hours) before serving.

To prepare frosting:

In a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients until well mixed.

To prepare crumb topping:

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a low flame. Remove from the heat and cool for about 5 minutes, but do not allow the butter to become cold.
2. Add the flour, brown sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Stir with a table fork until the mixture forms small crumbs. 

Happy Overload: Peanut Butter Crispy Nanaimo Bar from Savary Island Pie, West Vancouver, BC

If the subject of Canada comes up in conversation, chances are you're going to hear all about my deep and undying love for the Nanaimo Bar. 

If you don't know what a Nanaimo Bar is, then clearly you've been wasting your life up until today. It's a no-bake bar composed of three layers of pure pleasure: base of graham cracker crumb, cocoa, coconut and nuts all held together with butter, a middle layer of rich, buttercream custard, and a top layer of firm chocolate. They're messy, they're hella buttery, and they are pretty much the most delicious and decadent thing you could dream of eating.

And while I've embraced variations in the past, recently I came across one that stopped me in my tracks: the one at the Savary Island Pie Company (not a typo; pronounced the same as "savory" or, you know, since they're in Canada, "savoury") in West Vancouver.

What we thought was a Nanaimo Bar was actually referred to as a peanut bar--because you see, the bottom layer was not the chocolate crumb mixture, but instead it was like a peanut butter cereal treat.

It does bring up the important question: is it ok to mess with the perfect balance of a classic?

In this case, when you're doing a sort of scotcheroo-meets-Special K bar-meets-rice-krispie-treat-Nanaimo Bar-mashup, it's so, so very OK.

The crispy crunch of the base adds a wonderful texture contrast to all the soft creaminess on top, and the peanut butter offers a satisfyingly savory dimension to the flavor. 

All things considered? A successful riff on a sweet treat that I wouldn't dream of sharing with Mr. Spy (though he was quite satisfied with his raspberry rhubarb pie).

You can find this magic at the Savary Island Pie Company, 1533 West Marine Drive, West Vancouver, BC.