MEYER LEMON BARS

Meyer Lemons

guess what this is?

you'll require a lot of lemon zest for this recipe

this is my new cookbook stand.   love it!

these meyer lemons were so full of juice that i only had to use 5 to get 1 cup of juice

my bad...i did not wait until the crust was cooled before i dumped the egg and lemon juice mixture in! you're supposed to wait 15-20 minutes but i only waited 10 minutes.

Oh I knew I was tempting fate!  I realized as soon as I dumped the filling onto the crust that it would soak right into the crust and not sit on the top like it should!  I don't think it helped that I used the gluten free flour blend either because that sucker just slurped up the filling almost immediately.  While I watched it in the oven, the filling just become one with the crust.  There would be no lemon curd layer.

freshly baked and hot out of the oven, the crust looks like one big shortbread cookie!  If I had the patience, I may have been rewarded with a layer of lemon curd, but alas this was not to be.

Despite the fact that I screwed up my Meyer Lemon Bars, they still tasted very good.  I think that if I had used regular flour and waited until the crust cooled, I may have achieved a nice layer of lemon curd on top of the crust.  I'll choose to see this little experiment as relatively successful because the kids loved it and so did I!  The flavour was still there and I really liked the texture.

still yummy.  tastes like a lemon shortbread cookie.  very tender and crumbly

the best parts are the edges, where the bar gets all crusty-caramelized.  not a flop!  let's call it a lemon cookie bar!

This recipe comes from The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, which I recently purchased at a hefty discount from Book Warehouse, which is closing its doors soon (c'est dommage!)

My family will miss the book store sorely and we used to frequent it quite often to buy our books. 

LEMON BARS [made GF]

from The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook by Allysa Torey and Jennifer Appel

CRUST

• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cups all-purpose flour [I used Cup4Cup gf flour blend]
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

TOPPING

• 2 cups sugar
• 6 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup lemon juice [I used 5 Meyer Lemons]
• 6 teaspoons grated lemon zest 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease a 12 x 18 inch jelly roll pan
3. To make the crust:  In a large bowl, on the low speed of an electric mixer, combine all the ingredients until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Form the dough into a ball.  Spread crust evenly into prepared pan.  Use a large piece of waxed paper to firmly and evenly press down crust.  Bake the crust for 18-20 minutes until lightly golden.  Remove from oven and let cool for 15-20 minutes before proceeding. [*warning: I did not do this and didn't get my lemon curd layer :-(  I'm sure if you allow it to cool,  and use regular all-purpose flour, yours will turn out different than mine! ]
4. While the crust is cooling, make the topping:  In a medium-size bowl, on the low speed of an electric mixer, beat the sugar, the eggs, the lemon juice, and the zest until well combined.  Pour over slightly warm crust.  Return to oven.  Bake 18-20 minutes until edges are golden brown.  Remove from one and let cool for about 20 minutes.  Dust with confectioners' sugar.
5. Allow to cool to room temperature, or overnight, before cutting and serving.

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CHOCOLATE CHIP RICE KRISPIES SQUARES

chocolate chip rice krispies squares!

                             

                                     butter your baking dish well and your life will be made a lot easier later on...

everything with be sticky, including your hands!
spray pam on your spatula to smoosh the rice krispies down into the dish

unlike me, you will wait an appropriate amount of time to cut your squares so that they come out with clean edges

 impatience is delicious nonetheless!

For a tried and true Rice Krispies Cereal Square recipe, try this classic one HERE if you don't like chocolate chips *horrors!*

What a perfect snack for the kids' lunch boxes!  When you add in some other healthy optional mix-ins (ground flaxseed is my favourite), you can alleviate the sugar-guilt by rationalizing that you've added something healthy in there!

Cakebrain's Chocolate Chip Rice Krispies Squares

makes a LOT of squares! This is a double-batch to fit my large rectangular pyrex baking dish.

• 1/2 cup margarine
• 8 cups marshmallows
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 12 cups rice krispies cereal (get the brown rice, gluten free cereal!)
• 1 cup dark mini chocolate chips
• optional: nuts, sprinkles, more mini marshmallows, chocolate-covered candies, other types of cereal  [evil mommy idea: mix in ground flax! i do it all the time!  ;p]

1. Melt margarine in a large microwave-safe container (I used a pyrex bowl) along with the marshmallows for 2 minutes.   Continue to heat for one minute intervals until you see the marshmallows start to puff up slightly.   Using a rubber spatula, test the marshmallows by stirring them.  Continue to heat in short spurts until the marshmallows are melted and can be stirred smooth.   Remove from microwave. Stir in vanilla.


2. In a large mixing bowl, add the cereal.  Stir in the melted marshmallow mixture, incorporating the cereal.  Continue stirring until coated well.  Toss in the mini chocolate chips.  If your marshmallow mixture is still hot, you will see some of your chocolate morsels melt.  It's okay...just carry on!  If you would like to add any other optional mix-ins, do it now!


3. Press into a large rectangular buttered baking pan (or sprayed with non-stick spray). Allow to cool; cut into squares.

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EASTER BROWNIE POPS

an Easter Bunny Brownie Pop

Everything tastes better when it's on a stick!

Corn dogs, fudgsicles, lollipops, candy apples, shish kebabs and the like have a good thing going. Who can resist food when you impale it?

It's fun. Kids love it. You can't be grumpy or sad holding stick food.

One of the few difficult words my 2 year old can say is "lollipop". Well, actually she calls them "yawyeeepops". She doesn't really get them very often at all but for some reason, she knows the word.

On a recent excursion to Michaels with my 40% coupon, I discovered Wilton Brownie Pop molds. The tray makes 8 pops and is made of silicone. I think that when another coupon comes along I'll have to get another tray because one tray isn't sufficient to bake a full brownie recipe. I had to wait until one tray baked and cooled to make the second batch. A full brownie recipe makes 16 big brownie pops. I suppose you could make more pops...you just make them smaller. Mine were pretty big though.

I used Alice Medrich's Best Cocoa Brownie recipe and since there was no leavening agent, there wasn't a problem with leaving the batter to sit on the counter waiting for the first tray to be done. The brownies held up well and didn't fall off the sticks...and they even dipped well for me: no crumbs in my white candy melts!

I used the Wilton melted white candy melts to make bunny ears. On parchment paper, I used a small rubber spatula to smear ear shapes...and allowed them to cool. I used a sharp pointed knife to make "ear-holes" at the top of the brownie pop so that I could insert the dried ears in carefully. They're delicate but it worked!

I even used the candy melts to help anchor the right-side up brownie pops onto a disc of unmelted white candy; creating a little pedestal. This kind of looks like a basket but I was too lazy to pipe basket handles from royal icing. Instead, I dipped the top of the basket in more melted white candy and sprinkled it with green sanding sugar to look like "grass"; then I plopped some candy-coated chocolate eggs on top. They kind of look like baskets. I know that green-tinted dessicated coconut would have made for better grass but I hate the texture of dessicated coconut in my food.

Easter Baskets of Eggs made using Brownie Pop molds

I love coconut flavour and coconut milk but don't want something stringy bothering my taste buds. Go figure. I'm complicated.

But I digress.

Get yourself some of those cool shaped sprinkles from the cake decorating section of Michaels...or whatever store you frequent and use 'em for eyes, feet, noses, beaks etc. The Wilton sprinkles worked fine for me. I used the little pink discs for rabbit noses and used a food-safe black "gourmet writer" to draw the lashes, eyes and mouth. The Gourmet Writer is cool. It works exactly like a felt-tip marker. I bought this at Michaels too.

In no way am I affiliated with Michaels, people. I just like to use 40% off coupons. I clip those coupons from my flyers (or get 'em online) and go every time I have one. I'm loathe to buy something there full price. Cheapie me. I know.

It's gettin' late and I'm heading to bed. My next post will include Medrich's brownie recipe along with my Brownie Birds on a stick...and I'll show you what my lolly stand and brownie pop tray look like too. update: click here for the recipe and a look at the chicks

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LOW-CARB BROWNIES THAT DON'T TASTE LOW-CARB!

Brownies: does this even look low-carb to you? no way!

I have certainly been eating well since going low-carb. No, I didn't eat the whole batch of brownies yet! I'm pacing myself. It's kind of easy to eat 3 or 4 though because they're very good. So, you're wise to stash them in the refrigerator out of sight and even wiser yet to cut them small. That being said, the recipe makes 48 brownies in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan and each brownie has a pretty low carb count. (Per brownie: Effective carbohydrates: 1.5 g; Carbohydrates: 2.1 g; Fiber: 0.6 g; Protein: 2.1 g; Fat: 9.7 g; Calories: 99 Made with Splenda only: Add 0.3 g carbohydrates)


Karen Barnaby outdid herself with this winner of a recipe. In place of white flour, the recipe calls for ground almonds and it incorporates quality unsweetened dark chocolate and cocoa powder. The moistness of the brownies has much to do with the cream cheese and unsalted butter in there. It makes a nice-sized batch for nibbling on when you crave chocolate or sweets (just cut them small!) and their richness helps alleviate hunger pangs. The ground almonds help with that too. That extra protein helps stave off further munchies.
Go buy her book for the recipe. She's already shared so many of her recipes from her book that it's only right that you buy her book The Low-Carb Gourmet for this one :P

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BACK TO SCHOOL TREATS

organic brown rice crispies squares with ground flaxseed

I know...I know. There's a ton of sugar in marshmallows and though Rice Crispies Squares seem pretty benign junk food-wise, they do have that ooey chewy marshmallow sugar-high factor that is oh so true to junk food.

Yes, the treats have cereal, but I personally don't think most of the cereals you find in the supermarket aisles are very healthy breakfast options because of the high sugar content. That being said, of course I feed cereal to my child occasionally. Perhaps once a week or once in two weeks, Bebe sometimes has Cheerioes multigrain cereal or her favourite cereal: Kellogg's Guardian All Bran cereal (primarily for the little heart shapes I think). Though these cereals have the fibre I so want to include in her diet, they also have a fair amount of sugar. Since she doesn't eat cereal everyday though, I don't think it's too much of a problem. In fact, I rarely police Bebe's intake of sugar and don't deprive her of a few jellybeans or M&M's if she wants them. You know I would never say "no" if she asked for cupcakes or dessert! She has pretty good self control and I've never seen her over-indulge in anything sweet. She's so not like mommy ;)

My mommified rice crispies treats have been doctored in as healthy a way as possible without compromising on the much-loved taste of the original recipe we all know. I used organic brown rice cereal, marshmallows, unsalted butter and freshly ground flaxseed in my rendition. Flax is so yucky on its own that I have to hide it somewhere and this is as good a place as any.

If you ate these treats, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the original recipe and the "healthy" one. The flax is not detectable. hm. Probably because of the marshmallow. Well, I tried. Doesn't that count?

So, if you want to feel less guilty about eating rice crispies squares, then by all means take the original recipe and add up to 1/4 cup freshly ground organic flaxseed and replace the regular rice crispies cereal with organic brown rice cereal. I don't think it's necessary to locate healthy marshmallows. I just used my favourite brand from the supermarket, but I suppose if you had the energy you could use homemade chocolate marshmallows as I have in the past. Homemade is always best and you can never go wrong by adding chocolate to stuff.

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WHITE CHOCOLATE BROWNIE WITH MATCHA CHEESECAKE SWIRL

I love matcha and this recipe from Nook and Pantry looked like it would fit the bill. I adapted the recipe and it was delicious.

This picture doesn't do the brownie justice as it was late at night and I didn't feel like composing.

The white chocolate brownie is delicious and complements the matcha cheesecake nicely. A nice combination.

WHITE CHOCOLATE BROWNIE WITH MATCHA CHEESECAKE SWIRL
Brownie base:
8 Tbsp butter (1 stick), cut into 1-in pieces
5 oz. white chocolate, chopped
2 eggs
5 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 C flour
1/8 t. baking powder
Cheesecake swirl:
8 oz bar of cream cheese, room temp
2 eggs
3 Tbsp sugar
3 tsp matcha powder
About 2 tsp of water, hot but not boiling

Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
SWIRL: Mix the green tea powder with a bit of hot water to form a paste. Mix the cream cheese, egg, and green tea paste until smooth. Taste a bit and see if it's strong enough.

BROWNIE: Melt the butter with the white chocolate. Mix in the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and flour and baking powder. Whisk until smooth but do not overmix.

Line a 8 x 8 square baking dish with a sheet of foil (with overhang for easy lifting) or grease and flour it. Pour in half of the white chocolate batter. Then drop half of the cream cheese mixture on top in spoonfuls. Top the batter with the rest of the white chocolate brownie batter, then finally add the remaining half of the cream cheese mixture on top. Use a knife and swirl the brownie and cream cheese together to create a marbled pattern.

Bake the brownies at 325ºF for 40 - 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs. The center should be almost set. You don't want the toothpick to come out clean because that would mean the brownies have overbaked. Cool in the pan for 5 then lift the brownies out and cool to room temperature. They're best served cold so chill them in the fridge for about 3 hours

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RICE KRISPIES SQUARES

1/4 cup margarine

4 cups marshmallows

1/2 t vanilla extract

6 cups rice krispies cereal

1. Melt margarine in a saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows; stir until melted and well blended. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla


2. Add cereal stirring until coated well


3. Press into 3 L pan sprayed with non-stick spray. Cool; cut into squares

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