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| Photo: relativetaste.net |
Hello September ... the baking season begins. Feast your eyes on these delicious cookie bars! Less effort than jam cakes, but resulting in a buttery, moist texture, plus a bit of filling fiber. A bit healthier than my Christmas Czechoslovakian cookies, but every bit as delicious:
Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients:
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter
1/2 cup of applesauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flaked oatmeal, ground in a blender
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flaked oatmeal, ground in a blender
1 cup walnuts, ground in a blender
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3) Press half the batter into the bottom of a well-buttered 8” by 8” square baking pan.
4) Next, spread the preservatives on top of the crumbly batter.
5) Finally, sprinkle the remaining mixture on top of the preservatives.
6) Bake in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 40 minutes. Look for it to begin to get brown. When the dough is nearly done, you can smell it!
7) Remove from the oven and scrape the sides with a knife. Let cool to at least room temperature before cutting into squares. If not cool enough, instead of getting bars, the pastry falls apart. Another trick to getting clean bars instead of crumbs is not overdoing the preserves. Too great a quantity of preserves won’t let the batter bake crispy. It remains soggy and won’t cut into bars.
These strawberry Oatmeal Bars are lovely to have with afternoon tea or coffee. Simple ingredients that really hit the spot! We like these bars because they’re sweet but not overly sweet. When we have guests, we’ll dust the tops with confectionery sugar (snow:) to pretty them up.
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1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup of strawberry (or raspberry) preserves [It works with jam, but not fruit spread, which isn’t thick enough.]
Optional: Often I press about 1/4 cup of walnut halves into the top of the batter once pressed into the baking pan. I like the balance of sweet with nuts.
Directions:
1) Melt the butter and toss in the applesauce in a mixing bowl.
2/3 cup of strawberry (or raspberry) preserves [It works with jam, but not fruit spread, which isn’t thick enough.]
Optional: Often I press about 1/4 cup of walnut halves into the top of the batter once pressed into the baking pan. I like the balance of sweet with nuts.
Directions:
1) Melt the butter and toss in the applesauce in a mixing bowl.
2) In a blender, grind the oatmeal, followed by the walnuts. Add these to the mixing bowl and stir together. Add the 2 eggs and mix.
2) Into the mixing bowl, add the all-purpose flour, baking soda, dark brown sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt. Incorporate uniformly with the butter and applesauce mixture. You can also add drops of water or apple juice to the dough if dry to get the flours blended.
2) Into the mixing bowl, add the all-purpose flour, baking soda, dark brown sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt. Incorporate uniformly with the butter and applesauce mixture. You can also add drops of water or apple juice to the dough if dry to get the flours blended.
3) Press half the batter into the bottom of a well-buttered 8” by 8” square baking pan.
4) Next, spread the preservatives on top of the crumbly batter.
5) Finally, sprinkle the remaining mixture on top of the preservatives.
6) Bake in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 40 minutes. Look for it to begin to get brown. When the dough is nearly done, you can smell it!
7) Remove from the oven and scrape the sides with a knife. Let cool to at least room temperature before cutting into squares. If not cool enough, instead of getting bars, the pastry falls apart. Another trick to getting clean bars instead of crumbs is not overdoing the preserves. Too great a quantity of preserves won’t let the batter bake crispy. It remains soggy and won’t cut into bars.
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| My experimental batch. Excellent taste and texture of the cookie, but I learned to reduce the amount of preserves to improve the appearance of the cut cookies. |
You may also enjoy:
Let's Plan A Wine Party
Let The Barbecues Begin
Did Your Grandma Wear An Apron?
9 Ways To Save Money At the Supermarket
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