Pucker Up

          I'm not usually a huge lemon square person. I would usually opt for a brownie or something instead. But I saw this recipe and it looked so good I just had to try it -- and I'm sure glad I did! These Lemon Squares have the perfect balance of sweetness and freshly bright tartness from the lemon. The thin shortbread crust is satisfyingly crunchy, a welcome contrast to the silky smooth lemon layer. I found these in Cooking Light Magazine and sometimes they do a recipe makeover by taking a traditional and common recipe that is usually high in calories and fat and drastically lightening it up. These squares have less than half the calories and fat than traditional lemon square recipes and 3/4 less sugar! And the best part is that you'd never know the difference. They taste as indulgent as they look!


Yield: 16 squares, 124 calories each


Ingredients:

• 3 2/5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• Cooking spray
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar 
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind 
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice 
• 2 large eggs 
• 1 large egg white 
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions: 

1.      1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2.      2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place flour, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, pine nuts, and salt in a food processor; pulse 2 times to combine. Add butter and canola oil. Pulse 3 to 5 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. Place mixture into the bottom of an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray; press into bottom of pan. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Reduce oven temperature to 325°.
3.      3. Combine granulated sugar and next 5 ingredients (through egg white) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Pour mixture over crust. Bake at 325° for 20 minutes or until set. Remove from oven, and cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Sprinkle squares evenly with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar.

Tips:

• Toasting the pine nuts for the shortbread crust really amps up the flavor, so don't skip this step. Just throw the pine nuts into a non-stick skillet and toast over medium heat for about five minutes, or until they become fragrant and lightly browned, shaking the skillet occasionally to move the nuts around. Watch them closely, though. They can burn easily and turn bitter.
• I have found that when baking bars of any kind, lining the baking pan with aluminum foil saves you clean-up hassle and makes the bars easier to cut into squares. After you line the baking pan with foil, spray with cooking spray and pour the batter into the pan. Once the bars are out of the oven and cooled, remove the aluminum foil with the bars inside and peel away the foil. Now you have a perfectly flat surface on which to cut your bars -- no digging into the baking pan at weird angles and getting ugly-shaped bars!
• Do no over bake the crust. I followed the bake time for the recipe and the crust didn't really brown that much but I stopped baking it anyway. If you try to bake the crust until it really browns, you'll end up over baking it, making it tough and crumbly.
• Wait to sprinkle with powdered sugar until you are ready to serve; otherwise, the powdered sugar will just melt into the square and not look as pretty.
• I would recommend making these squares the day you plan to eat them. I had one the day I made them and they were perfectly smooth with a crunchy crust. I ate one the next day after it had sit overnight in the fridge and they were still delicious, but the crust wasn't quite as crisp. If you don't mind this, they can keep several days in the fridge. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. Learn how here:  http://www.ehow.com/how_8236005_freeze-lemon-bars.html .

S'mores, Sh'mores

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Styling: Lynn Miller

          
          So . . . I'm pretty much IN LOVE with s'mores. The 4th of July cannot pass by without me having some. And then s'more. I don't really eat them any other time because they're totally bad for you. But once a year I indulge and eat my fill. Today I made these S'more Cookie Bars (yes, I know it's not the 4th of July, leave me alone) and I knew I would like them before I even made them. Aaaaaand I was right. They are amazing! So gooey and sweet. Honestly, they are just as good if not better than actual s'mores. I just might have to make these my new 4th of July tradition. Or a Saturday tradition. Or just everyday. 


Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 cups marshmallow topping (about 1 7-ounce jar)
• 2 cups milk-chocolate chips
• 
  
• Directions:
• 1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides. Mist foil with cooking spray.
• 2. In a bowl, combine flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt; mix well. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs until well combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly beat flour mixture into butter mixture. Divide dough in half. Press half of dough into pan until dough is uniform and flat. Spread with marshmallow topping and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Scatter remaining dough over in clumps. Don't worry about covering the top; marshmallow and chocolate chips should peek through.
• 3. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Place pan on a wire rack to cool completely. Remove from pan, peel off foil and cut into bars.

Tips:

• The dough and marshmallow layers can be a little hard to spread into the pan because the pan is greased and the dough and marshmallow layers are both sticky; just be patient and work with it. You can use clean fingers to help you spread the layer evenly, or you can try a wooden spoon that has been sprayed with some cooking spray to help alleviate sticking as you spread.
• I used semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate chips because that was what I had on hand and they still turned out super yummy.
• I used my mini ice cream scooper to drop the clumps of cookie dough on top of the marshmallow layer and it worked great.

Summer's Bounty

          Strawberries are one of my all-time favorite fruits. I love tossing some into my steel-cut oats in the morning! They are so good and so abundant, juicy, and sweet during summertime! Anyway, I teach a Sunday school class at my church and I told them I'd make them a treat for this Sunday. These Orange-Glazed Strawberry Cupcakes were perfect! Honestly, they were one of the most tender, moist cupcakes I've ever made that weren't made from a cake mix (yeah, you know we've all done it: used a mix and conveniently let everyone assume it was made from scratch, haha). They turned out great and the kids in class gobbled them up! My husband, Brandon, was mad at me that I didn't make more, but seriously, I wasn't going to double the recipe just so he could have a dozen to himself! Also, this is somewhat random but I had to share it! I recently learned that you can freeze egg whites. That may be common knowledge to some, but up until recently I would just put them in the fridge and try to find ways to use them before they went bad (I don't like scrambled egg whites). I found out that you can freeze egg whites in ice cube trays and once they are frozen, just pop them into a freezer-safe plastic bag and they last a REALLY long time (one egg white ice cube ends up being about one egg white, or two tablespoons). So, the next time you have a recipe that calls for egg whites, take out the amount you need and allow to thaw before using in your recipe (you can thaw them at room temperature or put them in a plastic bag and run a stream of cold water over them for five minutes or so). I used some previously frozen egg whites in this recipe and it worked great.

• 
  
• Ingredients:
• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar 
• 1 large egg plus 1 large egg white 
• 8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) orange juice 
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries 
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• Directions:
•      1. Make cupcakes: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt.
•      2. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and egg white until well combined. With mixer on low, beat in half of flour mixture. Beat in 6 Tbsp. orange juice, then add remaining flour mixture and beat until combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gently fold in chopped strawberries.
•      3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each until almost full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes.
•      4. Make glaze: In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and remaining 2 Tbsp. orange juice until smooth. If glaze is too thick, stir in additional juice, making sure to add only 1 tsp. at a time, until you reach desired consistency. Glaze should be loose enough to spread easily on cupcakes, but not so thin that it drips.
•      5. Remove cupcakes from pan and top evenly with glaze. Let cool completely on rack, about 1 hour. Garnish each cupcake with a strawberry half, if desired.
• Tips:

• Cream the butter, sugar, and eggs well until the batter becomes light and fluffy. But, once you add the dry ingredients, make sure to mix on low just until everything combines. Overmixing cake batter is pretty easy if you aren't paying attention and it results in a tough cake.
• Make sure you allow the cupcakes to cool completely before you top them with the glaze. I glazed one before it was completely cool and the glaze started to melt and run down the sides, so I had to wait a little longer.
• These cupcakes cannot sit out for too long at room temperature because they have fresh strawberries in them and they will spoil. Obviously serving them soon after they are made is the best option to preserve freshness, flavor, and texture; but if you need to serve them later, I would suggest freezing them. I froze them overnight and let them thaw at room temperature for a few hours and by the time my class started, they were just perfect. Try not to refrigerate them as refrigeration alters the texture of the cake (it dries it out). 

Death Bars

          Alright, so this recipe isn't technically baking per se, but my Nana Shaw emailed it to me and I decided to pay her some tribute. These are called Nanaimo Bars, but as you can see, I gave them another name: Death Bars. I chose that name because they have over two sticks of butter in them and I'm pretty sure you'd die of a heart attack if you ate more than a couple at one sitting. BUT . . . they are totally worth dying for! And they have a cool background story that Nana shared with me: "This recipe originated from this lady for her husband who enjoyed a variation of this square in England. He was a coal miner and this square packed nicely into his lunch bucket. I imagine it was quite a treat for him when he opened his lunch so many hundreds of feet underground in the tunnels." Well, it was quite a treat then and it still is now. I altered the recipe slightly in that I swirled the top chocolate layer into the second layer because the chocolate kept seizing up on me when I melted it with the butter and wouldn't stay in a smooth liquid form. I'm sure that's just personal error on my part. I know Nana could do it better :). I also couldn't find vanilla custard powder as it's a British import and though it's easily found in Canada where Nana lives, not so much here in the States; I substituted vanilla instant pudding powder. I'm sure there's somewhat of a difference between using one or the other, but I did the best with what I had and they still turned out great! Enjoy!!! Only a couple though. Don't go too crazy if you want to live.


Ingredients: 
Bottom Layer
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 egg, beaten
1 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
Middle Layer
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons whipping cream or half and half
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla custard powder
Top Layer
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons unsalted butter


Directions:
     1. To prepare bottom layer, melt butter, sugar, and cocoa in top of a double boiler. 
     2. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken.
     3. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, coconut, and nuts. Press firmly in an ungreased 
8 x 8-inch pan.
     4. To prepare middle layer, cream all four ingredients well. Beat until light and fluffy. Spread over bottom layer.
     5. To prepare top layer, melt chocolate and butter over low heat. Cool. When cool but still liquid, pour over the second layer and chill in the refrigerator. 



Tips:
Leave out of the fridge for at least 1/2 hour before cutting to avoid the chocolate coating from breaking. Use a very sharp knife to cut into squares. 

Jewish Fare

          I know it's not the Jewish Sabbath or a Jewish holiday, but I found a challah bread recipe the other day and decided to try it out. We had some tonight for dinner with some roasted butternut squash (the best!!!). It turned out yummy. My only regret is that I wish I'd maybe let the top brown more in the oven. It still came out great with a crisp outer crust and chewy center. My favorite part was definitely braiding the ropes of bread dough like I would my daughter's hair. It was actually sort of fun (I know, I'm a nerd). I've seen pictures of challah where the dough is divided into many more ropes and braided more elaborately than what this recipe specifies, but it's all about baby steps! Also note that this recipe is a lighter version of challah as it uses fewer eggs than many traditional challah recipes, making it less rich.


Yield: 16 servings
124 calories per serving

• Ingredients:
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 3/4 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten 
• 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• Cooking spray 
• 2 teaspoons water
• 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten 

Directions:

     1. Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Add oil and egg, stirring with a whisk. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flour and salt to yeast mixture; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth.
     2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)

1.      3. Punch dough down; shape into a ball. Return dough to bowl; cover and let rise 1 hour or until doubled in size.
2.      4. Punch dough down; turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest 15 minutes.
3.      5. Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Working with 1 portion at a time (cover remaining dough to keep from drying), shape each portion into a 15-inch rope. Place ropes lengthwise on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray (do not stretch); pinch ends together at one end to seal. Braid ropes, and pinch loose ends together to seal. Cover and let rise 1 hour or until doubled in size.
4.      6. Preheat oven to 375°.
5.      7. Uncover dough. Combine 2 teaspoons water and egg yolk; brush over braid. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes or until loaf is browned on bottom and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pan; cool on a wire rack.

Tips:

• I was able to cut the rising time in half by rising the dough in the oven. I preheated the oven to its lowest setting (170 degrees on my oven), put the dough in the oven, turned the oven off, and let the dough rise for about 30 minutes each time rather than an hour each time.
• To make kneading easier, I used my stand mixer to knead the bread dough rather than kneading by hand. I've kneaded bread dough many times by hand and it's definitely a workout for my hands (but at least then you can sport some impressive hand and finger muscles, haha). So, if you have a stand mixer, use it!

The Addictive Crunch

          There's something about crunchy foods that is just addictive. Popcorn, chips, toffee, you name it  -- once you start it's hard to stop. Tonight, I proved this theory once again. I got home from church and decided that I needed some cookies. I was going to bake up some of my normal tried and true chocolate chip cookies (I'll share that recipe sometime later), but I had some flaked coconut in my pantry that I've been meaning to use up so I decided that some Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chunk Cookies were in order. I have tried this recipe once before and they turned out super tasty so I gave it another try! This recipe has you toast some flaked sweetened coconut in the oven before you add it to the cookie batter. The coconut comes out of the oven a rich golden brown color, perfectly toasted and amazingly crunchy. To add even more crunch, I (chocolate lovers don't hate me!) replaced half of the chocolate chunks with toffee bits. The cookies were delicious. They came out thin with a crisp outer layer and a chewy yet crunchy interior. Heaven. And addictive. Yeah, yeah, ok so you got me, I ate like five. I'll probably go get another, geez get off my back!


Yield: 2 dozen
88 calories per cookie

• Ingredients:
• 1 cup flaked sweetened coconut
• 4 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg 
• 2 ounces dark chocolate (70% cacao), chopped
• Cooking spray
• 
  
• Directions: 
•      1. Preheat oven to 350°.
•      2. Arrange coconut in a single layer in a small baking pan. Bake at 350° for 7 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring once. Set aside to cool.
•      3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk until blended. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Beat in vanilla and egg. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Stir in toasted coconut and chocolate.
•      4. Drop by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until bottoms of cookies just begin to brown. Remove from pan, and cool completely on wire racks.

Tips:

• Keep a close eye on the coconut when you toast it in the oven. It can burn really fast!
• As you noticed, this recipe specifies the flour in ounces as well as in cups. If you have a food scale, put it to good use and measure your flour by weight rather than with measuring cups. It's so easy to pack the flour too tightly or too loosely and that can affect the amount of flour you put in by more than you'd think. It's still totally fine to use measuring cups, you just need to be attentive. A food scale is the fool proof way to get the right measurement.
• When you beat the sugar, butter, and eggs, beat them at medium speed for a good 3 minutes or so until the batter lightens in color and appears fluffy. Doing this incorporates air into the batter and helps prevent the cookies from becoming dense.
• If you don't have dark chocolate to cut into chunks, just use semi-sweet chocolate chips. That's what I used today and the cookies turned out just great.
• Make sure you really do let the toasted coconut cool before you add it to the cookie batter. If you add it while it's still hot, it'll melt the butter in the cookie batter and affect the consistency of the cookies when they bake.
• To put the cookies on the cookie sheet, I always use a mini ice cream scoop that holds about 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter. Using the scoop is super fast and the cookies will obviously be a little bigger (you'll yield about 1 1/2 dozen rather than 2 dozen).