Peach and Lime Cream Crumb Bars

Hey good lookin'. No I'm talking to you, not the crumbly bars. Yeah this sounds creepy. Yeah, it's been a while.. but I come bearing goods! Fine, they were made out of default because a certain someone (Bacon) purchased four limes for four beers not realizing that each beer doesn't need a whole lime. Oh and hotels do not provide knives.

It seemed pretty inappropriate for me to make myself a drink filled with fresh limes and sweet vodka on a Tuesday morning. Sitting there defeated, it hit me and I hit the butter. One of my favourite summer recipes came from my friend's Mum, a friend of a friend one could say, who took it from Fine Cooking. A few switch ups later, these were born.

Give into summer and let your house smell of juicy peaches.

Peach and Lime Cream Crumb Bars
Adapted from Fine Cooking

8 oz. (1 cup) salted butter, softened; more for the pan
13-1/2 oz. (3 cups) all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick oats)
1-1/3 cups packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 large egg, separated
14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
2 tsp. grated lime zest
3 cups room-temperature peaches, sliced into 1/4 inch wedges then sliced into 1/4 inch pieces, pat some of the juice away

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9x13-inch metal baking pan with foil, leaving a 1-inch overhang on the ends. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of the foil. In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Using your fingers, blend the butter completely into the flour mixture. Transfer 2 cups of crumb mixture to another bowl and reserve for the topping. Blend the egg white into the remaining crumbs and then press the mixture into the bottom of the pan to form a level crust. You can tamp it with the bottom of a measuring cup to even it out. Bake the crust until it starts to form a dry top, 10 to 12 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the condensed milk, lime juice, lime zest, and egg yolk. Let this mixture stand for 5 minutes; it will begin to thicken. Sprinkle the peaches evenly over the hot crust and then drop spoonfuls of the lemon mixture over the blueberries. Spread gently with a spatula to distribute a little more evenly, but take care not to crush the berries; it’s fine if the lemon mixture isn’t perfectly even. Bake until the lemon mixture just begins to form a shiny skin, 7 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle the reserved topping over the lemon-blueberry layer, pressing the streusel between your fingers into small lumps as you sprinkle. Bake until the filling is bubbling at the edges and the topping is brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let the bars cool in the pan on a rack until just warm, about an hour. Carefully lift them out of the pan using the foil overhang and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Remove the foil and cut into 24 bars when cool. The bars may be stored at room temperature for a few hours but otherwise should be kept in the refrigerator. Makes 24 bars.

Coconut Macaroons

These cookies were one of the first I ever made. One of my best friends, Lee, and I made these together probably seven years ago. Since then, I have made them several times because they are just so gosh darn good and easy. (Not sure when I decided to start talking like a little bumpkin.) Most my friends also seem to have a strong love for coconut. Therefore, these are great to give away to all of them.

When I made these I clearly used fat free sweetened condensed milk. But any sweetened condensed milk has worked before like regular and low fat. The only reason I used the low fat one was because when I recently went to Montana I stocked up on groceries from the States. They have so many more products! I love grocery shopping. The cart was loaded with Guittard milk chocolate chips, popcorn and other baking goods. And that's how I have a good time! ..I really need to get out more.

Coconut Macaroons

From the Big Cookie Book

1/3 cup flour

pinch of kosher salt

2 1/2 cups coconut*

2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350º and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or butter them. In a large-ish bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Add the coconut and stir till coconut is coated. Make a little well in the middle of the bowl and pour in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Mix until fully combined, it will be quite thick. Scoop up rounded tablespoons (or any size really) onto the lined cookie sheets. Bake in the oven, alternating sheets halfway through, for about 20 minutes/until they are a nice golden brown. 

* For the coconut I normally use sweetened medium flaked coconut. This time I used about 1 1/2 cups of this one and about 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut. Anything really goes. 

Dorie's Chocolate Oatmeal Almost Candy Bars

Dorie Greenspan's cookbook 'Baking: From My Home to Yours' is quite the rage. I mean there is an entire group of food bloggers dedicated to it. I am not part of this group but I have seen the weekly recipe on foodgawker all the time. Everyone was going on and on about this amazing cookbook and how great she is, and I just had to buy this book. Recently, I have been on a kick with buying new cookbooks so this was perfect timing. Mind you, I hadn't seen this book anywhere for months. But my luck changed when last week I came across it in the local bookstore.

 Let me tell you. I have read that puppy cover to cover. How could I not? I had to see if it was all it was hyped up to be. And was it? Well after trying this recipe, it clearly is. When it came time to decide the first recipe, I chose five and let my older brother choose. Pretty sure when he heard candy bars he actually paid attention. My God, these are good. I, too, can now say that you should buy her cookbook and start baking!

Dorie's Chocolate Oatmeal Almost Candy Bars

Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours

oatmeal layer
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed 
1 egg 
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2  cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
chocolate layer
half of a 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk 
1 cup milk chocolate chocolate chips
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup moist, plump raisins (The raisins made the bars amazing for me)
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp coarsely chopped peanuts, preferably salted

Center a rack in the oven, and preheat oven to 350º. Butter an 8 x 8 inch baking pan, and place the pan on a baking sheet. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a large bowl, beat the butter until it is soft and creamy. Add the brown sugar and beat until fluffy, then add the eggs, beating for a minute after the egg is added. Beat in the vanilla. The mixture should be light and fluffy. Slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear. Stir in the oats and chopped peanuts. Set aside a heaping 3/4 cup of the oatmeal mixture, then turn the remaining dough into the buttered pan. Gently and evenly press the dough over the bottom of the pan. Set aside while you prepare the next layer. Set a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Put the condensed milk, chocolate chips, butter, and salt in the bowl and stir occasionally until the milk is warm and the chocolate and butter are melted. Remove the bowl from the pan of water and stir in the vanilla, raisins, and peanuts. Pour the warm chocolate over the oatmeal crust, then scatter the remaining oatmeal mixture over the top. Don’t try to spread the oatmeal, and don’t worry about getting the topping even. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the chocolate layer is dull and starting to come away from the sides of the pan. Transfer the baking pan to a rack and cool for about 2 hours. Run a blunt knife between the edges of the cake and the pan, and carefully turn the cake out onto a rack. Turn right side up, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting. Cut into 16 squares. Store these in the fridge in an airtight container, or even the freezer. I had one at room temperature, refrigerated and from the freezer, and all were amazing but I prefer fridge the best!

Fudge Filled Toffee Cookies

I have not given up on these cookies. One thing I can not stand is an unsuccessful recipe. While this recipe was loved by my family, they didn't do anything for me. They had this marvelous name and they just didn't live up to it! The base was not sandy but not chewy. It really lacked in flavour. However, this name deserves a better recipe so never fear, I will come back with a better one. I'm going to try and redo these on the weekend and hopefully I succeed!


Fudge Filled Toffee Cookies

cookies
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup toffee chips, like skor
2/3 cup chopped pecans
2/3 cup flaked sweetened coconut
filling
1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate, melted - I used chips
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 to 3/4 cup pecan halves

Mix butter and sugars. Beat in oil, egg and extracts. Combine the flours, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar; slowly add to butter mix. Stir in toffee bits, pecans and coconut. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or till easy to handle. Shape dough into 1 inch balls, roll in sugar. Using wooden sugar handle to make indentation. In bowl melted chocolate, milk and vanilla till smooth. Spoon 1 teaspoon into the center of the cookies. Top with a pecan half. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or lightly browned.

Little Lemon Tarts

Lovely little lemon tarts, I love. This is not the recipe that I use frequently but this recipe is quicker. The crust is similar to pie crust but with cookie qualities and the filling is creamy but still tart from the lemon. Honestly, I was straight up eating the left over filling. I know, I know, the egg yolks are bad but come on. How could I not?Little Lemon Tarts

crust
2 cups flour
4 1/2 oz. unsalted butter, chopped
2 tsp caster sugar (superfine) sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
1 egg yolk
filling
4 1/2 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 oz. (1/2 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Preheat the oven to 350º. Spray mini muffins tins with cooking spray or you could butter them. Sift the flour and a pinch of salt together in a bowl and rub the butter in until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, zest, egg yolk and 2-3 tbsp iced water and use a pastry cutter, or knives, until a rough dough forms. Gently knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Cover in plastic and chill for 10 minutes.
For the filling, beat the cream cheese, sugar and egg yolks using electric beaters until smooth and thickened. Add the lemon juice and condensed milk and beat until well combined.
Roll out the chilled dough between two pieces of parchment paper until about 1/8 inch thick. Using a 7 cm fluted round cutter, or in my case a glass, cut rounds from the pastry. I kept a bowl of flour on hand so I could dip the glass in the flour before pressing therefore making an easy removal. Gently press the rounds into the muffin tins and lightly prick them with a fork three times. Bake for 10 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden. Remove from the oven and spoon 2 tsp, or until full, of filling into the little crusts. Return the tarts to the oven for another 5 minutes or until the filling is set. Cool slightly before removing from the tins. Enjoy!
Makes 24 tarts