Oatmeal Fudge Bars

I made these and I can't stop eating them...chewy and sweet.  Highly recommend.  Got the recipe from Taste of Home, presented here without all the pictures and extraneous information.

Oatmeal Fudge Bars

350°F

Crust and topping

1 c (2 sticks) butter, softened

2 c brown sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups quick-cooking oats (can grind/chop rolled oats in a food processor)

2-1/2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

 

Filling

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

2 c chocolate chips (1 package)

2 T butter

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

 
Preheat oven.  Grease a jelly roll (10x15) well. 

Make dough: Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Mix all the dry ingredients and add slowly to the butter mixture.  Press 2/3 of the dough into the greased pan. 

Make filling:  Combine milk, butter, chocolate chips and salt and melt over low heat, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and add the vanilla and walnuts.  Pour over the bottom layer.

Top with remaining dough, dropping in small blobs all over the top.

Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Cool thoroughly and cut into squares.

 Cinnamon Maple Walnut Bar

A solid yum from Sam!  Definitely going to make this again!

The bar:

1 c butter

2 c brown sugar

2 eggs

2 t vanilla

2 2/3 c flour

2 t baking powder

1 t salt

1 cup chopped walnuts

3 T cinnamon sugar

The glaze:

1/2 c powdered sugar

3 T maple syrup

1/2 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease a 9x13" pan.  Chop the walnuts and coat with about 2 T of cinnamon sugar.  Cream the butter and brown sugar then add the eggs and beat until they're nice and fluffy.  Add remaining bar ingredients.  Top with remaining tablespoon of cinnamon sugar.   Bake approximately 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool.

Mix the glaze ingredients and drizzle it onto the cooled bars.  Keep covered.

I need to use up some cherries

I've been making fewer pies and tarts so the cherries I picked, pitted and froze are aging and I can't let that happen.  We had a pot luck at work so I tried a recipe from "Taste of Home".   They called them Cherry Chewbilees but I didn't find them to be chewy and so I'm renaming them Cherry Cheesecake Bars.  I made a couple of modifications though, which are reflected in the recipe.


Cherry Cheesecake Bars

CHERRIES:

4 cups frozen sour cherries

1 cup sugar

¼ cup corn starch

CRUST AND TOPPING:

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 cup chopped walnuts, divided

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 egg

CHEESECAKE FILLING:

2 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened

2/3 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Drain the juice from the cherries, keeping the juice and reducing it down to approximately half the original volume.  Mix the sugar and corn starch thoroughly.  Add the cherries and sugar mixture to the reduced cherry juice and bring back up to boiling and the mixture has thickened.

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 13x9-in. baking pan with foil, letting ends extend up sides; grease foil.

Combine flour and brown sugar in a food processor, then add butter until fine crumbs form. Stir in 1/2 cup nuts, egg, and coconut. Set aside 1/2 cup crumb mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture into prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned, 12-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, for filling, beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Spread over hot crust. Bake 15 minutes. Spread cherry filling on top. Combine remaining nuts and reserved crumbs; sprinkle over cherries. Bake 15 minutes more. Cool. Lifting with foil, remove mixture from pan. Cut into bars. 

Addictive Coconut Bars

I was heading over to some friends for a little hanging out and football and wanted to bring something with me.  While the traditional football treats tend to be salty and greasy, I figured that people wouldn't mind sweet and chewy instead.  These were very easy and people really liked them


Chewy Addictive Coconut Bars
350 F


Crust:
1/2 c butter, softened
1 c flour
1/2 c sugar

Mix together and press into a parchment lined 8"x8" pan.   Bake 10 minutes.


Filling:
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c brown sugar
2 T flour
1 c coconut
1 tsp vanilla

Mix the filling thoroughly.  Spread the filling over the warm crust.  Bake 20-25 minutes.

Cooking Day

There are days when I spend a lot of time in the kitchen and today is one of them.

First, I made a huge pot of marinara sauce to use up some of the onions from the share. They just don't last as long as the ones we get at the store.

Next, a modified version of the classic seven layer bar. I used craisins in place of butterscotch chips and mmmmm! It brightens up the flavor a bit.


Seven Layer Bars
350 F
25 min

1 stick butter, melted
2 c graham cracker crumbs (about 1.5 packs)
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 c chopped walnuts
1 c craisins
2 c chocolate chips
1 1/3 c sweetened coconut (I think unsweetened might be better here)

Mix melted butter and graham cracker crumbs. Press into 9" x 13" pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over the crumbs. Pile on the rest in the order given. Press everything gently down into the condensed milk. Bake, cool, and try not to eat too many.


Then I made some coleslaw using cabbage, apples, carrots, apple cider vinegar, and mayo. Had to use up the stuff from the share and everything except the mayo were share items.

Lastly, I decided to make Portuguese White Beans and Sausage after reading the recipe here. Time consuming so it's a good thing to make while doing other things in the kitchen. I had to use ordinary (no dry-cured smoked Spanish) chorizo because that's all I could find at the one store I checked.


Portuguese White Beans and Sausage
From the book The New Portuguese Table by David Leite

½ lb. thick-sliced slab bacon, cut crosswise into ½-inch pieces
¾ lb. chouriço, linguiça, or dry-cured smoked Spanish chorizo, cut into ¼-inch coins
~
Olive oil, if needed
2 large yellow onions, diced
1 Turkish bay leaf
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. sweet paprika
1 lb. dried Great Northern or navy beans, picked over, rinsed, and soaked overnight in water to cover by 3 inches
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
¼ cup double-concentrate tomato paste
~
Kosher salt
~
Freshly ground black pepper
~
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, for garnish

Steps

Heat a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring often, until the fat has rendered and the meaty bits are crisp, about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels.

Bump up the heat to medium, add the chouriço, and sear until lightly browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer the chouriço to paper towels.

Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of fat from the pot. Or, if the pot is dry, drizzle in some oil. Add the onions and bay leaf and cook, stirring frequently, until deeply golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes; adjust the heat as necessary to prevent the onions from burning.

Add the garlic and paprika and cook for 1 minute more. Drain the beans and dump them into the pot, along with the chouriço, red-pepper flakes, and 3½ cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and let burble gently, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender. Begin checking at 45 minutes, but it may take as long as 1½ hours, depending on your beans; add more water if needed.

Fish out and toss the bay leaf. Stir in the tomato paste and bacon and simmer for 10 minutes to thicken the cooking liquid. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the beans sit, uncovered, for 10 minutes to absorb any excess liquid.

Scoop the beans into a serving dish and shower with parsley.


It was good, not great although Sam ate it without complaint.

Chocolate Orange Cream Cheese Brownies

They aren't local, but they sure are good. Don't make these

Chocolate Orange Cream Cheese Brownies

325 F, about 30 min
Line 8x8” pan with foil

Brownie:

10 T butter
3/4 c plus 2 T cocoa
1 1/4 c sugar
1/4 t salt

Mix above ingredients in bowl and set in a skillet of barely simmering water until the butter is melted and it’s hot enough you wouldn’t want to keep your finger in it…

Remove from heat, cool to near room temp and add:

½ t vanilla
2 eggs one at a time
½ c flour
Beat 40 strokes

Cream cheese mix:

3 oz cream cheese room temp
2 T butter room temp

Beat until light then gradually add until light and fluffy:

¼ c sugar

Then add:

1 egg
1 tbsp flour
½ tsp vanilla
¼ tsp orange extract
zest of one large orange

Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the brownies and swirl if if you desire. It’ll mostly sit on the top of the brownies but I like it that way!

Bake, cool and try not to eat them all.