Rhubarb Custard Bars

     
       There are many things about summer that I love: warmer weather, jet skiing, swimming, being able to do things without a jacket, watermelon . . . But one of the things I really love, yet somehow forget to associate with summer is rhubarb. We only have it in warmer weather, yet because it's not as sweet as strawberries or as refreshing as popsicles,  I think it tends to get overlooked. In that sense I suppose I have a hypocritical love for the rhubarb, saying I overlook it, but I really don't! Overlook it, that is.  I just forget that it technically goes with summer, not fall.
       Anyway, the point is, I love rhubarb. I used to eat it in the back yard raw, dipping the stalk into a cup of sugar. My grandmas made the best rhubarb pies, strawberry-rhubarb jam, and amazing bars. I was too impatient to ask one of my grandmas for her bars recipe (I needed to make something the same day somebody gave me an entire bag full) so I went online to find some that were similar. These Rhubarb Custard Bars were what I came up with, and they were wonderful. Both of my grandmas happened to be in town at the same time and I made them both try them. I would just like to add the very important fact that these bars are double-grandma approved.


Rhubarb Custard Bars
Recipe from The Rhubarb Compendium

Ingredients
For the Crust
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature

For the Filling
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons flour
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
4-5 cups diced rhubarb (I used 5)


Directions
--Preheat oven to 350 degrees

For the Crust
--Whisk flour and sugar together, then cut in butter with a pastry blender until all your butter bits are pea-sized.

--Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan, then press the in the dough in an even layer.

--Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned.

For the Filling
--In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and flour, then add the eggs and vanilla. Blend together, then add the rhubarb and stir until everything is thoroughly covered.

--Pour the filling over the partially baked crust, then continue baking for 30-35 minutes.

--Serve it warm, and if you have leftovers enjoy it cold as well!




Happy Baking!
--H

 

Banana Cream Pie Rice Krispie Treats

       What can be more simple than Rice Krispie Bars? Melt butter and marshmallows, mix in rice krispies, put in pan, done. Plus, they're delicious. At least I think so. But one day I got to thinkin' that these bars could basically act like monster cookies or kitchen sink cookies in the sense that you can add whatever you like to 'em and voila! A delicious new bar. Well, I got to lookin' at what things I had lying around in the kitchen cupboards and I found some banana cream pie pudding mix, and I thought "hey what a great idea!". So I also found some extra mini marshmallows and I just so happened to have a box of graham crackers and ta-da! I've invented a new bar! Now I'm not so naive to think I'm the only one who has ever come up with these, but I don't care because they make my pride swell and mouth water. 

       These bars taste just like banana cream pie in a convenient "to-go" form. They're chewier than normal Rice Krispie Bars and that's because of the extra marshmallows as well as the added pudding mix. And heck, if you're a fan of key lime pie I'm sure you could even substitute key lime pie pudding mix and have a whole new bar again! I'm partial to the banana, though. ;)

Banana Cream Pie Rice Krispie Treats
recipe by me

Ingredients
3 (1/2) cups rice krispies
1/4 cup butter
1 10oz bag large marshmallows
1/2 of 10oz bag mini marshmallows (about 2 cups)
2 cups large graham cracker chunks
1 3.4oz box banana cream pie pudding mix


Directions
--In a large saucepan (I use a wide, 6 inch deep pot) over low heat melt together the butter and large bag of marshmallows. When the marshmallows are almost completely melted, sprinkle over the banana cream pie pudding mix. Stir thoroughly until completely mixed in and the marshmallows are melted.

--Remove from heat.

--Combine the rice krispies and graham cracker chunks with the marshmallow. Add the mini marshmallows last so they don't melt so bad.

--Spread it all into a 9x9 pan and let the bars completely cool before cutting in to them.




Happy Baking!
--H

Cashew Cookie Bars

       There are several reasons why I like these: one, they're 100% healthy, two, there's hardly 4 ingredients, three, they're ridiculously fast to make, four, they're tasty! To be honest, I was very skeptical at first when my sister had me make these for a road trip we took this summer. I thought I didn't like dates and, consequently, I wouldn't like these Cashew Cookie Bars. I thought wrong. They're sweet, they're nutty (in the way only cashews can provide), and they actually fill you up (or at least curb your appetite for quite a while). They taste as though they should be so bad for you, but they're so not bad at all. Complete health. And energy. And no more growling midday stomachs. A not-so-guilty guilty snack. If you don't think you like dates I say heck, give 'em a try anyway. This recipe only makes two small bars anyway (unless you double/triple/quadruple) so what could it hurt?



Cashew Cookie Bars
recipe from chocolatecoveredkatie.com

Yield: Two 2-ish inch long bars


Ingredients

• 1/4 cup cashews (if you use the salted, you probably won't need any additional salt)
• 2/3 cup dates
• tiny pinch of salt
• Optional: a drop or two of pure vanilla extract (about 1/8 teaspoon)

Directions
--Dump all the ingredients in a food processor and blend them all together.

*I like mine a tad bit coarser so they resemble fruit and nut bars, but you can keep processing until your desired texture.

--Form the mixture into squares, rectangles, or balls, then wrap them in plastic wrap for storage.

--Simple as that! Enjoy =)




Happy Baking!
--H

Eggnog Cheesecake Bars

     

      Two Christmases ago I tasted my first sample of eggnog. It was unique, creamy, and tasty. I can only drink it in small doses, though, because of its acute flavor and natural thickness. (I have only tasted it out of a carton, so I don't know if that makes a difference or not.) Today, eggnog is in one of my favorite holiday recipes: eggnog cheesecake bars. Since I was new to the eggnog world, I wanted to be certain to make something awesome with it. In my book, cheesecake is awesome by default. Plus, I have never made a cheesecake before this recipe and was dying to try it. So, naturally, I Googled recipes. Several came up, but because I'm a typical consumer who is influenced by popular and brand name products, I instantly click on the Martha Stewart website recipe. I felt badly for instantly going to something expected, so I clicked on a few other recipes to compare, just in case. My effort only left me feeling better in that I gave the lesser-known sites a chance--I still ended up with the Martha recipe. It just looked the tastiest. I actually made these bars twice. The first time they didn't set right because I didn't bake it long enough. Learning from my mistake I made them again--and they were awesome! LOVE LOVE LOVE. Even my Grandma (my dad's mom) loved them--and she hates eggnog! Needless to say, these bars are permanently in my Christmas recipe binder--forever.

       Due to the fact I made these twice in two weeks, I learned a few things. The first time I used pre-packaged graham cracker crumbs because I had some on hand. Those work great, but I like the texture of the crumbled-by-hand crackers. The crust's texture is more interesting this way and is also easier to cut since it doesn't pack as densely. Also, the recipe calls for a 3/4 cup of eggnog and a tablespoon plus a teaspoon of brandy. I did that the first time and it tasted fine. For me though, simply using a single cup of the "Holiday Nog" (eggnog with the brandy already in it (you can find it in the liquor store)) was much easier and more convenient. Finally, to check if the cheesecake is done, I learned to jiggle the pan it's in a little bit. If it jiggles a lot, then it's not done. If it moves stiffly like jello, then it's done. I've also been told that when the top of a cheesecake is cracked all over, then it is done. However, my second pan of bars didn't crack. The first batch did, though. Maybe it has to do with the Holiday Nog. I don't know. Ultimately, it doesn't matter which way you decide to make these bars (Holiday Nog or not), it just matters that you do!

Eggnog Cheesecake Bars

Barely adapted from marthastewart.com

Ingredients

•  12 graham crackers, finely ground (1 1/2 cups)
• 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 pound (16 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 cup Holiday Nog (eggnog that already has brandy in it)
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for dusting top of bars
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

--Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

--Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. (I used an 8x8 inch glass pan.)

For the crust

--Combine graham crackers, 3 tablespoons sugar, and the melted butter.

--Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan.

--Bake in the preheated oven until the crust is just brown around the edges, about 12-15 minutes. (This can be hard to see since graham crackers are already brown. As long as you don't burn the crust, you'll be okay.)

--Let the crust cool.

For the filling

--With the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese in a stand mixer on medium speed until it is nice and fluffy. Approximately 2 minutes.

--Then add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, eggs, yolk, eggnog, flour, vanilla, nutmeg, and salt. Beat until the mixture is smooth.

--Pour the filling over the cooled crust.

--Set the pan in a roasting pan and add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the baking pan. (I didn't have a roasting pan handy, so I just used an aluminum 9x13 inch cake pan. However, combined with my glass 8x8 pan, the cake pan turned black where the water was, after baking. This doesn't affect the cake pan other than cosmetically, but be warned. The black goes away after time, but it takes a long time.)

--Bake until just set. (If you jiggle the pan, it should seem stiff like jello.) Approximately 40-45 minutes.

--Once set, remove the baking pan from the water in the larger pan and set it on a wire rack.

--Let cool for about 30 minutes, then refrigerate the bars for at least 3 hours.

--Cut into equally sized bars.

--Lightly dust with freshly grated nutmeg. (Optional.)

--Enjoy!! (Not optional.)




Happy Baking!
--H

Butterscotch Blondies

       I've decided something. I would like Halloween a lot more if we could subtract the skulls, gore, and increasing number of scantily clad women. Personally, gore, skulls, demons, and the like disturb me. I can't even do scary movies. Now don't get me wrong, I love Halloween, but I prefer seeing cute pumpkins, happy witches, and Casper-like ghosts. Furthermore, why are all of the costumes available to females of all ages over thirteen hooker-esque? Costumes are meant for disguing, not revealing. Besides, it is my personal opinion that any young teenager should not be flaunting anything, even if there was the microscopic change she even had anything to flaunt. Anyway, what about all the modest, true disguise seeking costume lovers out there? Or what about the girls who feel insecure and can't even consider wearing the tight fitting pleather? Well, I think there are two options: one, make your own costumes, or two, eat these Butterscotch Blondies I made to make you feel better and then wear some ratty, torn up clothing used for outdoor work for your costume. Voila! A content bum. Or, pour red goop all over yourself (while wearing the ratty clothes), paint your face white or green with dark circles around your eyes, and commence moaning. Voila! A satisfied zombie. Satisfied because there is a "blondie" in the belly. (By the way, not all zombies are equal. Please don't be too gorey or scary (I don't care if you think that is the point of Halloween) because it will scare me. If you scare me, I won't share my blondies, so there.)
       Speaking of Butterscotch Blondies, these are really delicious. I was rummaging through my freezer and discovered multiple bags of butterscotch chips and multiple bags of white chocolate chips. Though I was seriously craving something chocolatey, I persuaded myself that spending more money--that I don't have--was silly and I should use up what I already had. I argued for a little while, but then I came across this recipe and realized I was fated to use my butterscotch and white chocolate chips to make these bars. Let me tell you why these turned out better than expected. First of all, the recipe only uses brown sugar (as opposed to granulated sugar, or both). Because of this, the butterscotch is toned down by the molasses and isn't overpowering. I was afraid of biting into a bar that was basically one large butterscotch chip--way too potent--but my fears were for naught. The white chocolate chips (which is why we can call these bars blondies) added a nice creaminess to the treat, and complemented the not-too-potent butterscotch remarkably.



Recipe from Cookies & Cups
Butterscotch Blondies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup (dark) brown sugar, packed (If you don't have the dark brown, don't sweat it.)
• 3/4 cup butterscotch chips, melted
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions

--Preheat your oven to 350°F.

--Line an 8x8 pan with foil or parchment paper. If using tin foil, spray lighlty over with cooking spray.

--In a medium bowl, combine baking soda, salt, and flour. Set aside.

--In your stand mixer, combine the brown sugar, egg, vanilla, and melted butter.

--On low speed, incorporate the melted butterscotch chips, stirring until smooth.

--Gradually add your flour mixture to the mixing bowl and stir until just combined.

--Add in the white chocolate chips, either by hand or by mixer. Incorporated evenly.

--Spread batter into the prepared pan, the texture will seem like cookie dough, and place in oven to bake for 20-25 minutes. Keep in mind ovens and pans varry, so you may even need to go longer than this, or shorter.

--Once golden brown and seemingly crispy, remove the bars from the oven and let cool for a little bit before cutting them into squares. If they happen to be underbaked (or intentionally doughy), cooling is especially important so the dough has time to set.

--Try to only eat one.


Happy Baking!
--H