Cookies & Bars

If you happen to be one of those people who need a break from chocolate once in a while or know someone who does, here’s the answer to a non-chocolate prayer.  These bars are rich, with crispy edges and a soft center.  They are literally bursting with tons of sweet, dried cherries and a generous amount of roasted almonds that are added to the dough and sprinkled on top, just to make sure you get a big old crunch out of every bite.  On top of all that, both vanilla and almond extracts have been added to pump up the flavor, and almost give them that homey, Christmas cookie taste I love.  Crispy, chewy, crunchy, and sweet, and I can eat them by the handful.

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With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I’m baking a batch or two of Double Chocolate & Pistachio Blondies for delivery to some special people in my life.  Here we have a dough that is very much chocolate chip cookie like, but instead of forming cookies, the whole works is scooped into a 13×9 inch baking pan. This special treat contains a full package of semi-sweet chocolate chips in the batter, along with a hefty amount of chopped pistachio nuts.  And then –  just to make the point of it all – a big handful of dark chocolate chips and additional nuts are patted into the top of the dough. The result is heavenly – crisp edges for those edge loving people on your list, and an almost gooey center for those of that persuasion.  My mother, Neeners, proclaimed “Do not waste your time making cookies anymore – just focus on these.  My gawwwd, they put cookies to shame.”  I’ll let you judge for yourself, but I tend to agree.

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Need a Holiday ‘Knock Your Socks Off’ Cookie?   Coconut Macaroons, busting at the seams with tender, sweet coconut, then drizzled on top with chocolate might do the trick.  The chocolate drizzle on top was my favorite way of putting these together…that was, until, during a fit of laziness, I discovered dipping the cookie rumps into a big vat of chocolate = new favorite.  …And then while cleaning out the kitchen cupboards one day, I found some half-used packages of butterscotch chips.  Being a huge fan of anything butterscotch, then figured, “Put it on a cookie why don’t you?”  So I did, and now can’t decide which I like best, so am eating them all without preference.  Rustic or fancy, these guys go anywhere, and come together in minutes.  Let me show you!

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Love Fall.  Love pumpkin. Not that crazy about pumpkin pie. No matter how hard I try, my pumpkin pie is usually a disappointment.  In fact, after nearly 35 years of fruitless attempts I have only received one compliment from Neeners.  It was several years ago on Thanksgiving Day, and time for dessert.  Neeners very reluctantly took a piece, tasted it, and said “Good pie this year…..Finally”.  Since I didn’t bother to write down the recipe I made up that day, replicating it is an impossibility.  So we will punt – how about some Pumpkin Streusel Bars?  Gingersnap cookie crust, rich and creamy pumpkin pie filling, and a buttery streusel topping with just a touch of cinnamon.  This recipe makes nearly the equivalent of two pumpkin pies, so feeding a crowd is a cinch. Perfect for a tailgate, potluck, or Thanksgiving dinner.

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It all started because I needed to come up with something fast for our first football tailgate gathering of the year.  Hmmm…thoughts circled around a bar cookie of sorts, but it had to be something I could tuck into a Ziplock bag for munching on during the game (you know, if it went on FOREVER).  I saw a recipe for Pecan Bars…close, but not exactly hitting the spot. Hey, wait a second!  Let’s capitalize on what’s right in our own back yard.  Did you know that Oregon is the largest producer of hazelnuts in the world?  All the more reason to give them a spin.  And so, the Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Bar was born.

A thin and rich crust that will remind you a little of shortbread.  But the star of this show is the hazelnuts, and there are a ton of them.  First lightly oiled, salted, and roasted, and then roughly chopped and stirred into a magical combination of, among other things, brown sugar and milk chocolate.  This will blow your mind and I’m not kidding.  To make it even easier, all of this can be made in one bowl.  No mixer.  No food processor.  Just you, a bowl and a spoon.  Have at it.

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Do you ever crave a cookie that’s just a little out of the ordinary?  Me too.  A trip to the pantry and a little lucky imagination yielded these guys.  Big cookies that are chewy and moist on the inside, brimming with oatmeal goodness and just a touch of coconut.  The winning difference here, though, is the cashews.  Cashew butter is in the dough to provide a subtle, nutty background flavor.  But then – we pile in two cups of double roasted and salted cashews, cut into good sized chunks to ensure you get a big burst of cashew flavor every time you take a bite.  The result is a little new, a little familiar, and a whole lot addictive.

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I’m blaming the creation of these Lemon Bars on my mother, Neeners, who is 87 but don’t tell her I told you.  I arrived at her house the one day to pick up a watch I needed to borrow.  She looked up and said “You’ve come empty handed.  Where is my treat?”  Since I often spied bakery lemon bars lurking in her kitchen, I hoped this would do the trick.  These Lemon Bars have a crisp shortbread crust and creamy, tart lemon topping.  She got a few.  I ate the rest.  Oh, I later found out she took some to a restaurant and used them to tip the waitress.  Luckily they are easy to make since she appears to be using them for currency. Here’s another recipe that can be made from start to finish in a food processor.  If you don’t have one, doing it the old fashioned way is nearly as easy….

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Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and that spells CHOCOLATE to me.  This cookie has it all..dark dutch cocoa, extra-dark chocolate chips, and home roasted almonds that have been sprinkled with sea salt to boost everything over the top.  Put them all together and they spell love, and that’s what Valentine’s Day is all about.  Love for our special someone, family, friends…and cookies.  Speaking of the love of cookies, I’d like to introduce you to my friend Milton.  Milton swims laps in the mornings when I’m doing the same, and we’ve developed a friendship across the water during breathing breaks.   Milton swims laps at least an hour a day, will celebrate his 80th birthday this year, is a cookie fanatic, and in fact has just baked his 200th batch in less than two years – I know this because  I’ve seen his spreadsheet…. Milton is a baker after my own heart, and goes full throttle with every cupboard and drawer in the kitchen wide open while his baking his creations.  Check out more on Milton at the bottom of this posting – then you can see some of what he’s been up to.  For now, let’s talk a little more about these Double Chocolate cookies…
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