Blueberry Bars

One of my favorite fruit flavors for desserts is blueberry.  Kevin needed to bring a dish for a large school meeting so I thought a nice blueberry bar would do the trick.  I found this recipe online and decided to try it.


Typically, I use two main websites, Cooks.com and allrecipes.com.  My strategy for selecting recipe is to always  sort by ratings/reviews. That has generally worked very well and this time was no different. I will be using this recipe as a base recipe and try it with different fillings.


This produced a very moist cake layer with a nice crumb to it.  I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Blueberry Bars

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 ¾ cups sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 (21 ounce) can blueberry pie filling

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

GLAZE:

1 ¼ cups confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted

Directions

1.  In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. 

2.  Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture just until combined. 

3.  Spread half of the batter into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Spread with pie filling; sprinkle with nutmeg. Drop remaining batter by teaspoonfuls over the top.

4.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. 

5.  In a small bowl, combine the glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over cooled bars.

Chocolate Chip or Butterscotch Bars

These bars are super easy to make and really taste quite good.  The bars pictured were made with 1 cup of butterscotch chips.  I also melted ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips melted in the microwave at 10-second intervals until melted.

Butterscotch Bars

2 1/2  cups Bisquick baking mix

1 ½    cups sugar

2        large eggs

½       cup vegetable oil

2        tablespoons vanilla

1        cup chocolate chips (Butterscotch or Peanut Butter Chips work)

 

Directions:

1.  Combine all ingredients except chips.

2.  Spread in a 13 x 9-inch pan, greased and floured.

3.  Sprinkle chocolate chips over top.

4.  Bake 25-30 minutes at 350° (will look bubbly and light in the center).

Apple Slices

Today, Kevin and I went to a picnic and we were in charge of the baked beans and a dessert.  Well, naturally, I made the Chuckwagon Beans found in an earlier post to the blog.  For the dessert, I decided to make Apple Slices.  No, I wasn't trying to bring fall around sooner than we should!  I just thought a nice apple slice with the comfort of cinnamon in the background was just the trick.


It was a great day all the way around.  Spending time with the people you love, hearing the kids running around laughing and having fun, and great summertime foods!  Everyone who brought dishes, hats off to you!  They were all very good.

Apple Slices


Crust:

5 cups (25 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon table salt
5 tablespoons sugar
3 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces
1/2 cup cold vodka
1/2 cup cold water 

Filling:

9 to 10  apples (Any baking apple, I used Gala)

¾ cup sugar (Taste an apple after you mix all ingredients, add more sugar if needed.)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons butter

Frosting:

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons milk

11x17-inch jelly roll pan

1. Process flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps using short pulses, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour).

2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. Process until dough comes together.  Divide dough into two disks.  Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

3.  On a floured sheet of waxed paper; roll out the larger piece of pie dough to fit the bottom and sides of the jelly roll pan.  It is easiest to do this if you fold it in half before moving it.  There should be enough dough on the sides to be able to pinch together when you put on the top crust.

4.  Peel and slice the apples.  Taste a piece to see how much sugar you will need.  Stir sugar and cinnamon in with apples.  Sprinkle in the flour and stir to distribute.  Put apples into dough-lined pan.  Dot with butter.

5.  On another floured sheet of waxed paper, roll out the other rectangle of pie dough to fit the jelly roll pan and place on top of the apples.  Crimp edges on all sides and cut some slits in the top crust.  Chill while preheating oven to 375˚.

6.  Bake until crust is lightly browned, 50 to 60 minutes.  If the crust is browning too quickly, reduce the heat to 350˚ for the last 10 minutes.

7.  While apple slices are baking, combine the frosting ingredients and stir until smooth. 
Frost apple slices while still hot.

The Perfect Brownie

I have been on a quest.  Searching for the perfect no-fail brownie.  Too many are very cakey or too fudgey.  Now, whether you are a brownie with nuts, powder-sugared covered, or blanketed by frosting brownie lover, you can understand my quest.

My mother used to make THE best brownies ever. After a long day at school, I can remember walking in the house and that chocolatey-fugdey smell would greet me at the door.  Always warm out of the pan, these brownies had a wonderfully shiney top crust.  I am a brownie lover who does not want nuts nor the frosting.  Just plain with light dusting of powdered sugar.  This is how she always made them. We were given one as her way of welcoming us home and a way of her showing her love for us.

Now, unfortunaely for me, my mother is not the best recipe keeper in the world.  Boxes, books, and paper bags stored the hundreds and hundreds of recipes she would collect.  In my opinion, her brownies were the best.  But, the recipe has disappeared into the vast collection she has or lost in one of her moves. 

I believe I have found a brownie recipe that has come closest to the blast from my past I enjoyed as a child.  I tested this recipe as a dessert to bring to a party hosted by my very good friend from college, Carla.  As fate would have it, Carla now works with Kevin.  I will try these brownies again without the nuts to see how they match my mothers.  Mom, if you are reading this....you best be looking for that recipe now!

Classic Brownies

1  cup pecans or walnuts; chopped

1 1/4  cups cake flour

1/2  teaspoon salt

3/4  teaspoon baking powder

6  ounces unsweteded chocolate, chopped fine

12  tablespoons unsalted butter; cut into 1-inch pieces

2 1/4 cups sugar

4  large eggs

1  tablespoon vanilla extract

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees with rack in middle of oven.  Line a 13x9-inch pan with foil.  Use two pieces, one going in each direction.  Leave approximately 2-inches overhang.  Spray with non-stick cooking spray.

2. If using nuts, spread chopped nuts evenly on rimmed baking sheet and toast in oven until fragrant, 5 to 9 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

3.  Whisk to combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in medium bowl; set aside.

4.  Melt chocolate and butter in large heatproof bow set over saucepan of almost-simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth.  When chocolate mixture is completely smooth, remove  bowl from saucepan and gradually whisk in sugar.  Add eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition until thoroughly combined.  Whisk in vanilla.  Add flour mixture in three additions, folding with rubber spatula until batter is completely smooth. 

5.  Transfer batter to prepared pan; using spatula, spread batter into corners of pan and smoothing surface.  Sprinkle toasted nuts evenly over batter and bake until toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into center of brownies come out with few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes.  Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours, then remove brownies from pan by lifting foil overhang.  Cut brownies into 2-inch squares and serve.  Store in an airtight container.