A Life, Lived

Raspberry Frangipane Bars

Oh my.

These may just be the best thing I have baked in YEARS.

Those of you familiar with Bakewell Tarts will recognize the tastes immediately. If you're not, let me describe . . . a buttery shortbread crust, thin layer of raspberry jam, a layer of baked almond cream. MMMMM

When I was sprinkling the almonds on top I decided to add some crystalline sugar to further gild the lily.

 

Raspberry Frangipane Slice

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cups almond meal
1/2 cup sugar
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 tablespoon whole milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
pinch of salt
1/4 cup raspberry jam (or as desired)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan. Combine the flour, powdered sugar, and the first amount of butter. Pat dough into prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes.

<Meanwhile, make the frangipane topping. Beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the sugar and mix to incorporate. Add the almond flour and beat until thoroughly combined. Add the salt, almond extract (if using), and egg and mix until incorporated. Add the milk and beat until light and fluffy.

Spread raspberry jam (or any flavor that you like) on the warm crust. Pour the frangpiane mixture on top of the jam layer and spread evenly with an angled spatula, making sure to cover the jam completely.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Halfway through baking sprinkle sliced almonds on top of the frangipane if desired. Cool completely before cutting to serve.

Nanaimo Bars

Now that work has settled down a bit I've started to get on top of our Christmas prep. Given that it is December 21 and we're so far behind things are going to be  a bit restrained this year. Restrained being a relative term . . . it is me after all. LOL

Seriously though, we're doing about half of the baking we normally do. Because we have cut back I am only making the cookies and squares I love or I know other's who will receive the gift of baking love. One that made the cut is Nanaimo Bars.

These are a popular Canadian confection named after the west coast city of Nanaimo, British Columbia. They consist of 3 layers, a cracker crumb and chocolate base, a custard flavored filling and then they’re finished with a chocolate coating. I love how there is so much going on in these layered bars, but it all so perfectly blends together.

I ate plenty of these at Christmas when I was a kid - both my grandmothers and my mom would make a pan so there was always plenty to enjoy wherever I was.

The instructions may appear to be long and tedious but these tasty treats are surprisingly super simple to make. They are a no bake bar after all. The hardest part for you will be the wait while they are chilling:-)

Nanaimo Bars

Base:
1/2 cup salted butter
1/4 cup sugar
5 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

Filling:
1/2 cup butter
3 Tbsp heavy milk
2 Tbsp custard powder
2 cups icing sugar

Top Layer
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp salted butter

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat, add in sugar and cocoa powder and whisk until well combine. While whisking vigorously, slowly pour in beaten egg. Return mixture to heat and cook for 1 - 2 minutes until mixture has thickened. Remove from heat. Add in graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and nuts and toss until evenly coated. Press mixture into a buttered 8 by 8-inch or 9 by 9-inch baking dish.

In a mixing bowl, using and electric hand mixer set on medium speed, whip together butter, milk and custard powder until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Stir in powdered sugar and blend until mixture is smooth and creamy, about 1 minute Spread mixture into an even layer over graham cracker base. Chill.

Melt semi-sweet chocolate along with butter in a heat proof bowl, set over a pot of simmering water. Spread mixture into an even layer over filling layer, chill in refrigerator for 10 minutes until chocolate has set. Cut into squares, store in an airtight container.

Starbucks Oat Bars

One of Paul's favourite treats to get at Starbucks is the oat bars.

For those of you who haven’t tried the oat bars at Starbucks, allow me to explain. These boring-looking, unassuming little slabs are actually incredibly rich. The oats are glued together with copious amounts of butter and brown sugar, and are insanely dense and chewy as a result. These are perfect, sweet, buttery bricks of pure comfort.

This recipe is a pretty good version of the original . . .

Starbucks Oat Bars

½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup light corn syrup
¼ cup milk or almond milk
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3½ cups quick cooking oats

Preheat the oven to 325°F/162°C and grease and line a 9x9 inch pan with parchment paper.

In a food processor, grind 2 cups of the oats until it resembles a fine flour, about a minute on high speed. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the remaining 1½ cups of oats. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter, sugar, syrup, and salt together over medium heat until the butter is completely melted and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and whisk in the milk and vanilla extract.

Pour the butter mixture over the oats and stir until thoroughly combined. Scoop into your prepared pan and, wetting your fingers a little bit under the tap first, press the oats into the pan firmly and evenly.

Bake for 15-20 minutes (I found that 17 minutes was perfect), until the edges are slightly golden and the middle no longer looks wet.

Allow to cool on a rack before slicing into 8 bars. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Midnight Mint Squares

This is another recipe that we make every Christmas - it wouldn't be Christmas without a few of these on the cookie plate. My grandmother used to make them every year so I've likely been enjoying these fro more than 40 years - a festive tradition. I'm one of those folks who think chocolate and mint belong together so these are one of my favourites.

As a crazed adult trying to get everything ready for Christmas I appreciate the fact that they are ready fairly quickly! This is one of those recipes that you can pull together in less than 30 minutes allowing you to save time for more important tasks - like sipping wine with pals.

Midnight Mint Squares

1/2 C. butter
1/3 C. cocoa
1/4 C. sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 3/4 C. graham cracker crumbs (about 28 squares)
3/4 C. flaked coconut
1/2 C. finely chopped walnuts

Filling:
1/3 C. butter (no substitution), softened
2 C. confectioners' sugar
3 T. milk
1 t. peppermint extract
Green food coloring, optional

Topping:
2/3 C. semi sweet chocolate chips
2 T. butter (no substitutes)

In a heavy saucepan, heat the butter, cocoa, and sugar over low until sugar is dissolved, stirring often. Remove from heat. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into egg; return all to the pan. Cook and stir until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in cracker crumbs, coconut and walnuts. Press into a buttered 9-inch square pan; set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, beat the butter, confectioners' sugar, milk and extract until smooth. Tint with green food coloring, if desired. Spread evenly over bottom layer; set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips and butter over low heat until blended and smooth, stirring often. Cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes. Spread evenly over filling. Cover and refrigerate until set, about 1 hour. Cut into bars.

Neopolitan Squares

Years (YEARS!!!!!) ago when I was younger we'd often go and spend weeks in the summer with my grandparents. One of the treats that my grandmother would always buy was a carton of neopolitan ice cream - my sister and I would fight over who got to each which layer (with boring vanilla always being the last).

These squares are like that brick of ice cream from my childhood with three distinct layers - each with a different colour and flavour. This is an old recipe - everyone loves them - even those who hate coconut. Since they are rather sweet I cut the squares tiny (7x7) - this also means that there are more of them to enjoy.

the nice thing about this square recipe is that it is relatively simple with few ingredients - perfect for Christmas baking when time is at a premium!

Neopolitan Squares

 

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 C. butter, melted

1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 cups coconut

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cbutter, softened

2 cups icing sugar

2 T cream

1 tsp. almond flavouring

red or pink food coloring

Mix the graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar and flour together and press into the bottom of a buttered 9x9 inch pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Remove from oven.

Mix the coconut and sweetened condensed milk and carefullyspread on the baked crust. Bake for 40 minutes until lightly browned around the edges. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Beat the butter, powdered sugar, cream, almond flavour, and food coloring until light and fluffy. Add additional water if necessary to get a light and fluffy frosting. Spread on cooled squares.

Refrigerate until the frosting is set. This makes it easier tocut into nice squares. Run knife under water and wipe off with a paper towel in between cuts to make clean cuts.