Almond Brownie Bars

The Christmas cookies are gone, and southeast Nebraska is snowed in.  What better time to bake up a pan of bars?  

Technically, I don't consider brownies to be cookies - or even "bars."  They're brownies - a category unto themselves.  However, I found this in grandma's collection, and the marzipan lover in me could not resist.  I manipulated this recipe a bit, but to begin, I'm going to post the recipe as it appeared in the (most likely) Chicago Tribune back in the day.  I'll post my changes at the end along with the results of our taste test.

1/2 cup butter

1 cup ground blanched almonds

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 cup all-purpose four

Brownie Layer (recipe follows)

Almond Paste Layer (recipe follows)

1/2 cup finely chopped unblanched almonds

Mix together butter, the 1 cup ground almonds, sugar and flour.  Press mixture gently over bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan.  Gently spread Brownie Layer over the top.  Then top Brownie Layer with Almond Paste Layer.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup chopped almonds.  Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven, 50 minutes, or until sides begin to pull away from pan and center is firm.  When cool, cut into 2-by-1-inch bars.  32 bars.

Brownie Layer

1/4 cup butter

1 square (1 ounce) unsweetened chocolate

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Melt butter and chocolate in saucepan over low heat, stirring often.  Cool partially, then beat in sugar, egg and flour.

Almond Paste Layer

1-1/2 cups whole blanched almonds

1-1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1 egg white

1 tsp almond extract

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup softened butter

1/3 cup granulated sugar

3 whole eggs

1/8 tsp salt

5 drops food coloring

Grind almonds, a few at a time, in electric blender or food chopper, using fine blade.  Combine with confectioners' sugar, egg white, almond extract and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Work to stiff paste; refrigerate in airtight container or plastic bag.

When needed, remove 1 cup of paste (return remainder to refrigerator for use at a later time), and crumble into a mixer bowl.  Beat in softened butter, granulated sugar, whole eggs, 1/8 teaspoon salt and green food coloring.

The first adjustment I made was to use unblanched almonds in the bottom layer.  I had whole almonds on hand and was too lazy to put them in boiling water and then work off the skins.  I'm sure the whole blanched/unblanched thing has to do with appearance rather than taste.

The second adjustment I made was to substitute the unsweetened chocolate with 3 Tablespoons of Equal Exchange baking cocoa and 1 Tablespoon melted butter.  I always have cocoa powder on hand and always use it instead of Baker's squares when making brownies.

The final adjustment I made was to use a can of Solo Almond Filling.  I used it in place of the first six ingredients listed under "Almond Paste Layer."  The only reason I did this was because I had the almond paste on hand.  To that paste I added the remaining sugar, eggs, and salt, omitting the green food coloring.  The taste test will tell if I should have also added the 1/4 cup of softened butter (actually, I meant to add it but just plain forgot). You'll notice in the recipe above that you're supposed to refrigerate leftover paste.  By using the Solo canned paste, I eliminated the leftovers which would surely call to me to make another batch.  As it is, it's going to take all my willpower to not pig out on these bars, so I don't need leftovers making my job harder.

The bottom layer was easy to make and pressed into the square baking pan very easily.  The chocolate layer had the consistency of very thick fudge frosting, so it took a little bit of work to spread.  The almond layer poured easily and self-leveled.

Simply put, these bars are delicious.  The bottom crust is wonderful, and the brownie and almond layers are very cake-like and tasty.  I didn't miss the extra butter at all.  The bars are plenty rich without it.  I'll definitely make these again sometime.

Ginger Cookies

I have never made gingerbread men before, nor have I ever piped icing on cookies, so don't judge my art work too critically.  Again, the recipe is a newspaper clipping from a Chicago area publication from the 1960's, give or take a decade.  This is an easy dough to make, and it is very pliable, even after chilling overnight in the 'fridge.  If I knew then what I know now, I would have divided the dough and worked with it a little at a time because it warms up to room temp very quickly.  The recipe says to roll the dough out on a lightly floured board.  Lightly floured didn't do it for me - it needed more.  My yield was 25 large gingerbread men, not the dozen that the recipe estimates.

I added butter and vanilla extract to the icing so I could pipe on the designs using a Roscan cookie press with assorted icing tips.

2-3/4 cups sifted flour

1/2 tsp soda

1 tsp ginger

1.2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

3/4 cup dark molasses

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp hot water

1 tsp vinegar

Sift flour, measure and sift with dry ingredients.  Cream butter and sugar.  Add molasses and egg and beat until smooth.  Fold in sifted dry ingredients.  Add water and vinegar and blend.  Cover dough and chill for at least 2 hours.

Roll out on lightly floured board to 1/4-inch thickness and cut with cooky cutters.  Place on greased cooky sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 15 to 20 minutes.  Rmove from oven, cool and frost as desired.  Yield 24 small cookies or 12 gingerbread men.

Decorative Icing:

To one cup of sifted confectioners sugar, add enough cold milk or orange juice to make it of a spreading consistency.  Color with vegetable coloring as desired.

Pineapple Scotch Bars

Another interesting recipe from the Chicago papers of the 1950's or 1960's.

1/4 cup sugar

1-1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

1-1/2 cups crushed pineapple, lightly drained

3 Tbsp apricot jam

1-1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt

1-1/2 cups uncooked rolled oats

1 cup brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup shortening (again, I always use butter in cookie recipes)

Blend sugar and cornstarch.  Stir into pineappl with jam.  Cook and stir over low heat until clear and thick.  Cool while making crust.

Sift together flour, soda and salt.  Mix with oats and brown sugar.  Work in shortening until mixture is crumbly.

Spread half of the crumb mixture evenly over bottom of 9-inch square pan.  Cover with pineapple filling, spreading evenly to edge and corners.  Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over top.

Carefully press down crumbs to make a smooth top.

Bake in moderate oven (375 degrees F.) 35 to 40 minutes.  Cool.  Cut in bars or squares next day.  Yield:  24 bars

In my oven, 35 minutes was sufficient.  I'm not sure how to make a smooth top with a crumbly oatmeal topping, but I did my best.  And I used 100% whole grain quick oats.  I cooled the bars overnight and cut them the next day.  Refrigeration might have helped because cutting was a little tricky.  The bars are very tasty and definitely different than your usual run-of-the-mill cookie.  I'm not sure I'll ever make them again, but I think we'll enjoy them nonetheless.

Key Lime Squares

Equally delicious to its lemon counterpart, the recipe for these key lime squares was collected from a Chicago newspaper, either the Tribune or possibly the Southtown Economist.  My husband gave these a big thumbs-up!  The green food color helps distinguish them from the lemon bars and makes a rather festive addition to a mixed plate of Christmas cookies.

1/2 cup butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/8 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

3 Tbsp lime juice

1 tsp lime rind

3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

5 drops green food coloring

Cut butter into combined 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and 1/8 tsp salt until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Press over bottom of a buttered 9-inch square baking pan.  Bake in a preheated 350-degree F. oven, 18 to 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Combine eggs, 1 cup granulated sugar, lime juice and rind, 3 Tbsp flour, baking powder, 1/8 tsp salt and green food coloring.  Beat 2 minutes on medium speed with electric mixer.  Pour mixture over baked layer.  Return to oven and bake 18 to 20 minutes longer, or until set.  Cool.  Refrigerate.  Dip knife into war water; cut into squares.  3 dozen 1-1/2 inch squares.

I made the bar part of the cookie in my KitchenAide stand mixer and the lime curd with a hand-held mixer, using fresh limes to obtain the juice and rind.  I refrigerated overnight and cut the bars the next morning.  Again, no artificial flavors, and food coloring was vegetable-based.  This is a recipe I'll make again!

Coconut Lemon Squares

This is one of my favorite recipes and was given to me by a friend when I lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico some 18 years ago.  This recipe predates the Betty Crocker lemon bar mix in a box to which you add various liquids.  And it is far superior.  What you won't find in my recipe is partially hydrogenated oils, modified anythings, artificial flavors and colors, and Bht preservative.  What you will find is delicious natural lemon flavors from real lemons.  The only problem with the recipe is that it only makes an 9" by 9" square pan which disappears fast!


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


Grease a 9"x9" pan.


Bottom layer:
1/2 butter
1/4 sugar
1-1/4 cups flour


Cream butter and sugar; add flour and blend well.  Pat dough evenly into pan; bake 15 minutes until lightly browned.  Cool in pan on wire rack.


Topping:
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp grated lemon rind
1/3 cup shredded coconut


Stir together dry ingredients.  Add eggs, juice, grated rind, and coconut.  Blend well.  Spread topping over cooled dough and sprinkle with a little more coconut.  Bake 25-35 more minutes.  Center should be firm and edges lightly browned.  Cool thoroughly in pan and cut in squares.


Note:  Lime juice and rind can be substituted for lemon.


This is pretty much a no-fail recipe.

Date Filled Cookie

I'm beginning to wonder if the Chicago Tribune had a test kitchen.  These cookies did not appeal to me at all, and I did something I've never done before.  I put them all down the food disposal!  But, if you think you can make these cookies taste like something, feel free to give them a test drive.  Be sure to let me know if they work for you.

Date Filling:
2 cups cut-up dates (about 3/4 pound)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Cooky Dough:
3-1/2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla

Cook together slowly dates, 3/4 cup sugar and water, stirring constantly until thickened.  Add nuts.  Set aside to cool.  Sift dry ingredients.  Cream butter and brown sugar; beat in eggs.  Add buttermilk and vanilla.  Mix in dry ingredients.  Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto baking sheet about 2 inches apart.  Place 1/2 tsp date filling in center of each teaspoonful dough.  Cover with 1/2 teaspoon dough.  Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove to wire racks.  makes five dozen cookies.

Since I detest buttermilk, I keep the Saco brand Cultured Buttermilk Blend on hand for cooking and baking.  I have used it extensively in the past with great success.

This is a fairly moist, sticky dough, so I struggled to get it off the spoon and onto the cookie sheet.  The date filling was thick, as it should have been, and I added a generous dollop atop each cookie.  By the time I came back around to add the top dough, in some cases the date filling had slid a little to the side.  So I had to prop it back up and add the dough, which did not cover the filling either before or after baking.

The flavor of the cookie was uninteresting to me.  Maybe the nuts I used are too old.  I don't know.  This recipe is going into the recycling bin, and the cookies are getting pitched.

This project is beginning to depress me.  I had hoped to find a bunch of real gems in the file.  Instead, I'm finding a lot of disappointment.

Jelly or Jam Streusel Bars

Here is another newspaper recipe, most likely from the Chicago Tribune in the 1960's. This is the first time I've made these bar cookies, and they are a snap to make! I used quick oats. Since I didn't have a full 12 ounces of one flavor of jam, I did a "half-and-half" spread of apricot on one side (show in the picture above) and seedless red raspberry on the other side (my two favorite flavors of jam). The brand was Smucker's Simply Fruit. I took 3/4 of a cup of each flavor, put the spreads in separate bowls, and stirred them up to make the fruit more spreadable. I decided to grind the pecans to a very fine consistency using an electric mini grinder. You, of course, may want to keep the nuts in more of a chopped consistency.

1-1/2 cups sifted flour

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 tsp. salt

3/4 cup butter

2 cups rolled oats

1-1/2 cups jelly, jam, or preserves

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Combine flour, brown sugar, and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Stir in oats. Save 1-1/2 cups of crumb mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture evenly over bottom of 13 x 9-inch pan. Spread the jam over the crumbs and top with pecans and remaining crumb mixture; press down lightly. Bake at 375 degrees F. until lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Cool. Cut into bars 3 inches long and 1 inch wide.

I cut the pan to yield 3 dozen bars, but if I had it to do over, I'd cut them smaller. The size recommended in the recipe is definitely too large. They were still slightly warm when I sampled them, so I'm not really sure about their flavor. They are not a sweet cookie, probably due to the fact that I used the unsweetened fruit spread rather than a sugary jam or preserve. At this point, I prefer the raspberry to the apricot. The oatmeal adds a chewiness that is typical of an oatmeal cookie. I will need to do another taste test when they are thoroughly cooled and a day old. I suspect their flavor will improve with age. If I were in a hurry, I might be tempted to grab one of these for breakfast as I went out the door.