Showing posts sorted by date for query brownies. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query brownies. Sort by relevance Show all posts
I am a huge fan of the blondie style of cookie bar. They are right up there with brownies in my estimation! Both have the moreish chewy texture that we all love, but blondies have a really delicious caramel/toffee flavor!
It is the brown sugar in blondies that give them that lovely chewy texture and caramel flavor, whereas in brownies, the flavor comes from the addition of melted chocolate or cocoa powder.
If you are a fan of coconut, then you will fall in love with these delicious bars. The coconut inside the blondie stays all lovely and chewy, almost macaroon-like.
The coconut which is sprinkled on top gets all nutty and toasty! A most wonderful combination of textures and flavors!
I adapted this Blondie recipe from one that I got in an e-mail the other day from Barefoot in the Kitchen. The original recipe made a 9 by 13-inch pan. My version makes an 8-inch square version.
If you are wanting the larger recipe, do check out Mary's page for the full list of ingredients. If you are like me and are a small family, this recipe is more than ample!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE COCONUT COOKIE BARS (SMALL BATCH)
Simple baking ingredients. These bars use things that we all have in our kitchens most of the time anyways!
- 1/2 cup (115g) butter, melted
- 1 cup (150g) soft light brown sugar
- 1 large free range egg
- 1/2 TBS vanilla
- 1 cup (140g) plain all purpose flour
- pinch salt
- 1 1/4 cups (95g) shredded sweetened coconut, divided
- scant cup (170g) dark, bittersweet, or semi-sweet chocolate chips
I just use regular salted butter and actually Mary didn't specify one way or another. There is also only a pinch of salt in the recipe. You do need a little bit as the salt helps to enhance the caramel like sweetness of the blondie.
You can use dark, bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips. I like to buy the best chocolate chips that I can afford. Usually I buy the Kirkland brand. I just think they are really good chocolate chips.
Shredded coconut is long strands of grated coconut. They are still a bit dry, but not as dry as desiccated coconut. I suppose you could use sweetened desiccated coconut for this if that is all you can find, but I really recommend you using coconut with longer strands.
In the UK you can get shredded coconut on Amazon. I found several different kinds. You can also find it at Morrisons.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN SWEETENED SHREDDED COCONUT
If you can't find sweetened shredded coconut you can absolutely use the unsweetened with a few additions. Unsweetened coconut is too dry for most sweet baked goods and its not sweet enough. Adding more sugar and honey to the recipe without actually sweetening the coconut itself just does not work.
For one cup (75g) of coconut, measure 4 TBS of water and 4 tsp of sugar into a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut. Leave to stand until the sugar syrup has been completely absorbed.
Presto! Once totally cold you have sweetened shredded coconut that you can use in any baking recipe requiring this specific ingredient!
HOW TO MAKE COCONUT COOKIE BARS (SMALL BATCH)
These are one of the easiest cookie bars to make. Everything just gets stirred together and spread in a baking tin! It is important to use the right size tin for perfect results.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter an 8-inch square baking tin and line with baking paper, leaving enough of an over-hang to lift the squares out with when cold.
Combine the melted butter and brown sugar in a bowl, beating well together. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the salt.
Add the flour slowly until all mixed in. Stir in 1 cup (75g) of the coconut and the chocolate chips.
Spread the dough into the prepared baking tin evenly, leveling it off. Sprinkle the remaining coconut over top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, (mine took an extra 5 minutes) or until the bars are golden brown around the edges and set in the center. Leave to cool in the tin before lifting out and cutting into bars.
These coconut cookie bars were incredibly moreish and delicious. Nice and chewy. A bit sweet, but that's why they go so well with milk!
They also freeze beautifully. I wrap each bar individually and then pop them into an airtight zip lock baggie. That way I can take one out whenever I am wanting a little bit of a treat!
Looking for more small batch baking recipes? Why not check out these!
SMALL BATCH CHOCOLATE CHIP BARS - Your favorite cookie in a bar. I bake these in a loaf tin lined with baking paper to remove the finished bars with ease. I cut them into triangles for interest, but they can also be cut into fingers. Crisp, buttery and deliciously loaded with chocolate chips!
SMALL BATCH BAKEWELL BLONDIES - These are my all time favorite cookie bars. With a brown sugar blondie base, studded with white chocolate chips and almond flavors, they are topped with sweet raspberry jam, flaked toasted almonds and a sweet almond glaze. Irresistible!
Yield: 8
Coconut Cookie Bars (small batch)
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min
Semi-sweet chocolate and toast coconut stuffed inside a chewy moreish blondie. These are fabulous with an ice cold glass of milk.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (115g) butter, melted
- 1 cup (150g) soft light brown sugar
- 1 large free range egg
- 1/2 TBS vanilla
- 1 cup (140g) plain all purpose flour
- pinch salt
- 1 1/4 cups (95g) shredded sweetened coconut, divided
- scant cup (170g) dark, bittersweet, or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter an 8-inch square baking tin and line with baking paper, leaving enough of an over-hang to lift the squares out with when cold.
- Combine the melted butter and brown sugar in a bowl, beating well together. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the salt.
- Add the flour slowly until all mixed in. Stir in 1 cup (75g) of the coconut and the chocolate chips.
- Spread the dough into the prepared baking tin evenly, leveling it off. Sprinkle the remaining coconut over top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, (mine took an extra 5 minutes) or until the bars are golden brown around the edges and set in the center. Leave to cool in the tin before lifting out and cutting into bars.
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Baked Funfetti Donuts. I have a confession to make here. I have never baked anything funfetti in my life. Not even one of those funfetti cake mixes. Yes, I am very late coming to the funfetti party. I'm not really sure why. It is what it is.
I am having family over today for supper and I wanted to make something different and fun for dessert. I was looking up a recipe for Lunch Lady Brownies and stumbled onto this recipe for Baked Funfetti Donuts on a page called Rumbly Tumbly, who in turn had adapted it from Sally's Baking Recipes.
In all truth there are probably a bazillion recipes out there for the same thing. There truly is nothing new under the sun, only new ways of doing things!
I put my hand up. I am not a huge fan of cake sprinkles. I know they make cakes and cookies and things like this look really pretty, but, I am not a fan of how they feel in my mouth. Somehow it feels like I am eating gravel.
It is a texture thing. I am extremely sensitive to different textures. Just as my family. I have been known to gag with just a piece of paper between my teeth. Not fun. Especially when you are at the Dentist. However I digress.
I do really like baked donuts. They aren't really donuts but small cakes baked in a donut shaped cake tin. More like donut shaped cupcakes. I can live with that.
And the sprinkles in these donuts kind of melt into the batter, leaving nothing but colored specks in the bake. The ones on the outside are a different matter, but I am sure my family won't mind a bit of crunch. I am the one with the texture problem, not them!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BAKED FUNFETTI DONUTS
Simple baking ingredients, with the exception of the sprinkles and you do need to be particular about the ones you choose to use.
For the Donuts:
- 1 cup (140g) plain all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- pinch ground nutmeg
- 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
- 1/4 cup (61g) Greek yogurt
- 1 large free range egg
- 2 TBS butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 TBS rainbow sprinkles
For the glaze:
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
- 2 cups (260g) icing sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- extra sprinkles for topping
You want to use a sprinkle that is long like the ones you see here. You don't want to be using non-pareils. I think these are called jimmies. Non-pareils are the small round balls and apparently they bleed too much.
I get my sprinkles from a company called Sweetpolita. I think they are the best and they have a beautiful assortment for any occasion.
I do believe you could use canola oil instead of melted butter with this batter. Make sure you use pure Vanilla. I only ever use pure Vanilla. I buy a big bottle of it and it lasts me a few years. You can even make your own if you are really keen. Pure vanilla is the best.
You could probably use sour cream instead of yogurt if that is what you have. The two are pretty interchangeable.
HOW TO MAKE BAKED FUNFETTI DONUTS
These are really as simple as making muffins. In fact the batter is really similar to a muffin batter. I really do recommend piping the dough into your donut tin. Its so much easier than trying to spoon it in, and gives you a much neater looking baked donut in the end.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Spray a baking donut pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, soda, sugar and nutmeg together in a bowl.
Whisk the milk, yogurt egg and vanilla together. Whisk in the melted butter to combine thoroughly.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together just to combine. The batter will be quite stiff. Fold in the sprinkles.
Put the batter into a piping bag or a zip lock baggie. Clip off the corner and pipe into the donut pan filling it no more than 3/4 of the way full.
Bake in the preheated oven for 9 to 10 minutes until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in one comes out clean.
Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
To make the glaze, combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan over low heat. Whisk together until smooth. Remove from the heat.
Dunk the donuts topside into the glaze and place onto a wire rack, glaze side up. When you have dunked them all if you have any glaze left you can dunk them again. Sprinkle with additional sprinkles to decorate.
Any leftovers may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.
HINTS AND TIPS
Do not overmix the batter. Doing so will toughen your donuts and they won't be as light and fluffy.
You can use either an 8 hole donut pan which makes regular sized donuts, or you can use a mini donut pan which makes 14 mini donuts.
Don't skip the nutmeg if you want an "authentic" donut flavor.
If you don't have a donut pan you can bake these in a muffin or cupcake tin. The recipe will give you approximately 8 to 10 muffins. When cooled, dip in the glaze as per the recipe instructions.
Do NOT use non-pareils sprinkles. They will bleed and ruin the color of your cakes.
These can be frozen, unglazed, in an airtight container for up to six months.
These are really quick and easy to make. I think they would be great additions to children's lunch boxes as well. Much better than popping in one of those packaged highly processed cakes.
They are also really delicious. I sacrificed one for the sake of trying them out so that I could write about them. The cake itself is nice and moist, probably due to the use of the yogurt.
You could leave the topping sprinkles off entirely and still have a delicious very pretty baked donut. Especially if you tinted the glaze a pretty color like pink or pale blue.
BAKED CHOCOLATE BUTTERMILK DONUTS - These remind me very much of the chocolate sour cream donuts that you get at the local coffee shops, no names mentioned. Dense and quite chocolatey . . . without the added faff of frying . . . not to mention extra calories. The buttermilk glaze is quite, quite scrummy . . . with just a hint of sweetness.
HOMEMADE APPLE CIDER BAKED DONUTS - These are gorgeous. Nice apple flavors and dipped in plenty of cinnamon sugar to give them a nice sparkle and finish. There is reduced apple cider in the batter to give you a beautiful authentic apple cider flavor!
Yield: 8
Baked Funfetti Donuts
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 25 Min
These tasty donuts are quick and easy to make and oh so tasty. With a fun glaze and sprinkle topping.
Ingredients
For the Donuts:
- 1 cup (140g) plain all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- pinch ground nutmeg
- 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
- 1/4 cup (61g) Greek yogurt
- 1 large free range egg
- 2 TBS butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 TBS rainbow sprinkles
For the glaze:
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
- 2 cups (260g) icing sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- extra sprinkles for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Spray a baking donut pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, soda, sugar and nutmeg together in a bowl.
- Whisk the milk, yogurt egg and vanilla together. Whisk in the melted butter to combine thoroughly.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together just to combine. The batter will be quite stiff. Fold in the sprinkles.
- Put the batter into a piping bag or a zip lock baggie. Clip off the corner and pipe into the donut pan filling it no more than 3/4 of the way full.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 9 to 10 minutes until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in one comes out clean.
- Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
- To make the glaze, combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan over low heat. Whisk together until smooth. Remove from the heat.
- Dunk the donuts topside into the glaze and place onto a wire rack, glaze side up. When you have dunked them all if you have any glaze left you can dunk them again. Sprinkle with additional sprinkles to decorate.
- Any leftovers may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.
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I am sharing another favorite Christmas cookie with you today. It just wouldn't be Christmas without some of these delicious Walnut Cherry Slices on the cookie tray!
Short, crisp, buttery and studded with plenty of red and green candied cherries and toasted walnuts. No, you are not going blind. There are no walnuts in my cookies.
I left them out this time because my family here in Nova Scotia are not overly fond of them! I added extra cherries in their place!
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These cookies are very much a holiday tradition here in the Maritimes, and something which I grew up with. They have a lovely texture very similar to a short bread cookie with lots of bits of sweet cherries in them.
I always try to use both red and green cherries, which really gives them a festive look! I would never ice these as it would make them far too sweet for my liking. I do, personally, like toasted walnuts in them, but . . . you know.
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You can also keep it wrapped in the refrigerator for a week or so, ready to slice and bake as and when you want them.
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They really make a beautiful show on the Christmas Cookie tray, especially if you use both red and green cherries. In terms of ease, these are quite simply one of my favorite cookies to bake.
But then I am a huge fan of the slice and bake cookie. My Washboard Cookies are a slice and bake cookie as are my Mom's Butterscotch Cookies.
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE WALNUT CHERRY SLICES
Very simple baking ingredients. You probably have everything but the glace cherries and those can easily be purchased at the shops.
- 1 cup (240g) butter, softened
- 1 cup (130g) sifted icing sugar
- 1 large free-range egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 (315g) cups plain all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (116g) chopped toasted walnuts (my family is not overly fond of walnuts, so I just add extra cherries)
- 2 cups (450g) chopped candied cherries
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Glace cherries (also known as candied cherries) are fresh cherries that have been simmered in a thick sugar syrup until they are "candied." Cherries have been preserved in this way since the 14th century.
They can be found in the grocery store along with any other candied fruit that might be used in making fruit cakes.
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If you are using walnuts (and I love them with walnuts myself), do toast them. You will find the flavor of the nuts is so much better when they are toasted.
You can either do this in a dry skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, or you can spread them out on a baking sheet and toast them in a moderate oven (350*F/180*C) for 5 to 10 minutes. Leave them to cool before using.
Keep a watch on them as they can go from perfect to burnt in seconds.
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As with any ingredients you are going to use in baking, it is better that they all be at room temperature. This ensures a much more even and reliable result. This goes for butter, eggs, milk, flour, etc.
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HOW TO MAKE WALNUT CHERRY SLICES
Nothing could be easier.
Cream the butter and icing sugar together in a bowl for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until well incorporated
Beat in the flour until well combined, and then fold in the chopped cherries and nuts (if using). Use a wooden spoon to stir these through the cookie dough and be gentle so as not to break them up too much.
Turn the dough out onto a sheet of non-stick baking or wax paper. Shape into a long log, about 18 inches in length. Roll the log in the paper, twisting the ends tightly. Wrap again in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for one hour if you are planning to bake on the day. You can refrigerate the cookie dough for 3-5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. (If frozen, remove dough from freezer and allow to sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes and continue with the following steps.)
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When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 325*F/165*C/ gas mark 3. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper and set it aside.
Unwrap the cookie log. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
Lay the slices onto the prepared baking sheet leaving an inch of space in between cookies. Bake for 12 minutes or until the bottom edge of the cookies has turned golden brown.
Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling. Store in an airtight container.
.JPG "Walnut Cherry Slices")
These really are one of my favorite Christmas cookies. Don't be tempted to use maraschino cherries to make these. They are not the same as glace cherries. In the US if you are having a problem finding them a very popular brand is Paradise, and these can be found online on Amazon.
Don't worry about using them up. I have lots of recipes on here where you will be able to use them, and they are not all Christmas recipes.
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Some of those recipes are:
ROCKY ROAD BROWNIES - Rocky Road Brownies are a glorious amalgamation of dense and fudgy, filled with toasted nuts, candied cherries and loads of chocolate flavor. Topped with a fudgy icing and mini marshmallows.
CHERRY AND VANILLA SCONES - Buttery and light and perfect split and filled with jam and cream. Delicious served with a nice hot cup of tea, herbal or otherwise.
Yield: 30 cookies
Walnut Cherry Slices
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 12 MinInactive time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 27 M
You can prepare the dough for these delicious Christmas cookies ahead of time and freeze. (Up to a month in advance.) When ready to bake, just slice and bake until done. It wouldn't be Christmas without these! Plan ahead as the dough for these needs to chill for at least an hour. (I prefer overnight, myself.)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240g) butter, softened
- 1 cup (130g) sifted icing sugar
- 1 large free-range egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 (315g) cups plain all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (116g) chopped toasted walnuts (my family is not overly fond of walnuts, so I just add extra cherries)
- 2 cups (450g) chopped candied cherries
Instructions
- Cream the butter and icing sugar together in a bowl for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until well incorporated
- Beat in the flour until well combined, and then fold in the chopped cherries and nuts (if using). Use a wooden spoon to stir these through the cookie dough and be gentle so as not to break them up too much.
- Turn the dough out onto a sheet of non-stick baking or wax paper. Shape into a long log, about 18 inches in length. Roll the log in the paper, twisting the ends tightly. Wrap again in plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate for one hour if you are planning to bake on the day. You can refrigerate the cookie dough for 3-5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. (If frozen, remove dough from freezer and allow to sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes and continue with the following steps.)
- When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 325*F/165*C/ gas mark 3. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Unwrap the cookie log. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
- Lay the slices onto the prepared baking sheet leaving an inch of space in between cookies. Bake for 12 minutes or until the bottom edge of the cookies has turned golden brown.
- Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Store in an airtight container.
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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