Nanaimo Bars ~ #CreativeCookieExchange

One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do, especially when making cookies.

Chocolate-Dipped Sesame Nut Bars ~ #CreativeCookieExchange

Summer went by in the blink of an eye.  Make going back to school a little easier with these easy-to-make and even easier to eat Chocolate Dipped Sesame Nut Bars - you won't be able to stop at just one!

Apple Cranberry Crumble Bars ~ #CreativeCookieExchange

The October theme for #CreativeCookieExchange is Celebrate the season - Autumn, and we were asked to focus on seasonally appropriate ingredients for wherever you are for fall!

Coconut Apricot Slice ~ #CreativeCookieExchange

Summer is officially here. The #CreativeCookieExchange has the perfect theme this month for those who do not want to turn on the oven - No Bake Cookies!

White Chocolate & Cranberry Crispy Treats

This month's theme for the #CreativeCookieExchange is Berries & Chocolate. Is there a better pairing than sweet, juicy berries and rich, luscious chocolate? I don't think so.  Since I had already made a few milk and dark chocolate sweets this month I decided to use white chocolate.  I also wanted to make a bar cookie this month, just for something different.  After looking through my collection of cookie magazines for something suitable to the theme, I choose a recipe from a Better Homes & Gardens magazines - White Chocolate & Cranberry Crispy Treats.

Spiced Pear-Cranberry Crumb Bars

I was trying to find something in my freezer this morning, and did a double-take when I realized how many bags of cranberries I still had leftover from last holiday season.  Since cranberry season is almost upon us it is definitely time for me to use up this supply so that I will have room for the next time I purchase excessive amounts of them - and I will because I have this overwhelming sense of fear that I will run out.

As luck would have it Chocolate, Chocolate, & More just happened to post a recipe link from Imperfect & Fabulous on Facebook recently that I thought would work perfectly with the addition of cranberries. I just love the tart-sweet combination of pears and cranberries.  Actually I am just a big fan of cranberries in general.

As I was making the filling the house began to smell like Thanksgiving, which was just fine with me since it is my favorite holiday of the year.  I didn't grow up celebrating Thanksgiving, and if we did it would have taken place around April/May since that is Fall for us. I celebrated it for the first time when I moved to Canada, and from that moment on I knew it would become a tradition no matter where I was living.

Blueberries & Cream Crumb Bars

Blueberries and cream is a match made in heaven.  Although it is now possible to get blueberries year-round, this is the time of year that they are the most affordable. Fresh blueberries make a great snack on their own but when you add them to baked goods the results are amazing.

Recently I used them when I made some scones, but this time I wanted a creamy layer for them to nestle in.  While looking for recipes I saw a lot of blueberry crumb bars and a few blueberry custard bars, but none that combined the custard and a crumb topping.  I decided to use the base and crumb topping from my recent post for Razzeleberry bars and a custard filling, and the combination was a great success.

Last night I had a compulsory parent meeting for my daughters JV volleyball team, and there was to be a potluck afterwards, so I thought these would be perfect.  I think they must have been because when the container I brought them in was returned to me there were a few crumbs and a lone blueberry in the bottom.  I was so glad that I had kept a few small pieces at home or I would not have gotten to try the bars at all.

I just love the base of these bars.  The almond meal gives it such a distinct nutty taste, and the hint of lemon complimented the blueberries perfectly, and it just seems to melt in your mouth once you bite into it. They were prefect on their own, but I think that a la mode may just put them over the top.

Blueberries & Cream Crumb Bars
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

Base/Topping ~

• ½ cup white granulated sugar
• ½ brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• ¾ cups almond meal
• 1 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• powdered sugar for sprinkling

Custard ~

• 3 eggs
• 1¼ cups sugar
• ¾ cup sour cream
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups blueberries

Preparation

Crust ~

1. Preheat the oven to 375℉. 
2. Line a 9×13 inch pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. 
3. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and vanilla together until combined. 
4. In the bowl of a food processor add ½ cup white sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, 2½ cups flour, salt, and baking powder; pulse to blend. 
5. Add cold butter; pulse until small crumbs appear. 
6. Remove half of the crumbs and set aside. 
7. Add almond meal, remaining ½ cup of flour, lemon zest, and egg/vanilla mixture to the food processor; pulse until mix comes together. 
8. Press the almond meal-flour mixture evenly into the bottom of prepared pan and bake in the oven for 10 minutes, remove and cool slightly.
9. While the base is baking prepare the custard filling.

Custard ~

1. Place eggs in a medium-sized bowl and whisk the eggs until combined.
2. Add the sugar and continue to whisk until foamy.
3. Add the sour cream, flour, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt and whisk until incorporated. 
4. Fold in the blueberries. 
5. Pour the custard mixture over the crust and smooth the top.
6. Sprinkle the reserved crumb topping over the custard. 
7. Bake until the center is set and the topping is golden, about 30-40 minutes.
8. Let cool, then refrigerate.
9. Once cold, sift powdered sugar over the top and cut into bars/squares/triangles.

Recipe by All That's Left Are The Crumbs©

Razzleberry Crumb Bars

How fun is the name razzleberry?  Recently, I saw a jar of razzleberry jam sitting on the shelf at my local grocery store.  Having never heard of it before I couldn't resist purchasing it just so I could taste it.  A single berry known as a razzleberry doesn't actually exist, it is just a name that was given to the combination of raspberries and blackberries used in a pie - or in my case, Razzleberry Crumbs Bars.  It was funny that when I was searching online I did find that there are two berries that are an actual cross between a red raspberry and a blackberry- the Tay berry and the loganberry, but they were not given the cool name of razzleberry.

After searching for a good crumb bar recipe, I decided that I would use my newly purchased jam, and a mix of fresh raspberries and blackberries.  I used a blueberry crumb bar recipe that I found on My Baking Addiction (love this blog!) as a basis for my bars, and then made the necessary changes so that I could incorporate the two berries.  I decided to add some almond meal to my base, but I did not want it in the crumb topping too.  To divide the base and the topping I mixed the flour, sugars, salt and baking powder and added the butter to make a crumb mixture and then took out half of the crumbs mixture, reserving it so I could sprinkle it over the berries. Almond meal was then added to the remaining mix in the food processor, along with the other half-cup of flour.  This did make my base a lot wetter than the original recipe, but it wasn't a problem.

Raspberries and blackberries really are a match made in heaven, and these bars were a huge hit with my family.  The crispy shortbread-like base, sweet and sticky jam, tart-sweet berries, and a crumbly topping all combined to make an incredible bite.  These are fantastic on their own but could easily go over the top with a little vanilla ice cream, or some whipped cream to accompany them.  I tried very hard not to nibble on the edges because it was nearly dinner time, but it was hard to stop myself. After dinner all bets are off.

Razzleberry Crumb Bars
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• ½ cup white granulated sugar
• ½ brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• ¾ cups almond meal
• 1 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup razzleberry jam (use raspberry if unable to find razzleberry)
• 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
• 2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 teaspoons cornstarch
• powdered sugar for sprinkling

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375℉. 
2. Line a 9×13 inch pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. 
3. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and vanilla together until combined. 
4. In the bowl of a food processor add ½ cup white sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, 2½ cups flour, salt, and baking powder; pulse to blend. 
5. Add cold butter; pulse until small crumbs appear. 
6. Remove half of the crumbs and set aside. 
7. Add almond meal, remaining ½ cup of flour, and egg/vanilla mixture to the food processor; pulse until mix comes together. 
8. Press the almond meal-flour mixture evenly into the bottom of prepared pan. 
9. Using an off-set spatula spread the jam over the base. 
10. In another bowl, stir together the ½ cup of sugar and cornstarch and gently mix in the berries. 
11. Spoon the berry mixture evenly over the crust. 
12. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs over the berry layer. 
13. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. 
14. Cool completely, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and cut into squares.

Recipe by All That's Left Are The Crumbs©

ANZAC Slice

Today, April 25 is ANZAC Day (celebrated yesterday in Australia and NZ because they are a day ahead) .  It is a day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand for those "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and suffering of all those who have served." Courage, Endurance, Mateship, Sacrifice - that is the ANZAC Spirit.

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, not the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them."

Lest we forget.

Traditionally, each year I make ANZAC biscuits but this year I thought I would make something a little different.  I remembered seeing a slice (or bar cookie) during my travels on the web, so I went in search of it.  It turns out there are quite a few recipes out there, some very similar and some with some tweaks.  I settled on one from Taste.com.auhttp://www.taste.com.au.  I really like this site, and they also produce my favorite Australian magazine, delicious.


This ANZAC slice tastes a little like an oatmeal cookie, but it has golden syrup and coconut added.  It was a big winner in our household, and the few leftover pieces will store well because there are no eggs in this recipe, which was the original intent of the ANZAC biscuit - families of the soldiers overseas wanted something they could mail via sea to their loved ones that would not spoil easily.

ANZAC Slice
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour 
• 1¼ cups old-fashioned rolled oat
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar 
• 1 cup shredded coconut (I used desiccated)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 10 tablespoons butter, chopped 
• 3 tablespoons golden syrup 
• ½ teaspoon baking soda 
• 2 tablespoons boiling water

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350℉.
2. Grease and line an 11x7 pan with baking paper, allowing a 1-inch overhang at long ends. 
3. Combine flour, oats, sugar, salt and coconut in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. 
4. Place butter and syrup in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes or until smooth. 
5. Combine baking soda and boiling water in a jug. 
6. Remove butter mixture from heat and stir in bicarbonate of soda mixture. 
7. Add to flour mixture and stir to combine. 
8. Transfer to prepared pan. Using the back of a spoon, press mixture evenly into pan (I used my hands). 
9. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden. Cool in pan. 
10. Once cool cut into squares and enjoy.

Recipe adapted slightly from Taste.com.au