Key Lime Bars with Vanilla Wafer Crust

These sweet-tart bars are a wonderful summer dessert. They transport well and are perfect for sharing.

This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Samantha Seneviratne. The dollop of lightly sweetened freshly whipped cream was essential.

Yield: 16 bars

For the Crust:

• 1 (11-ounce) box vanilla wafers
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 8 tablespoons/115 grams unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling:

• 1 ¾ cup/420 milliliters condensed milk (1 14-ounce can plus 1/2 cup)
• 5 large egg yolks
• ¾ cup/180 milliliters Key lime or conventional lime juice (from 5 to 6 conventional limes or 12 Key limes)
• 1 teaspoon lime zest

For the Topping:

• 1 cup/240 milliliters cold heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees, preferably on convection.
2. Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides.
3. In a food processor, combine vanilla wafers and sugar, and pulse until you have fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and process until evenly moistened.
4. Transfer mixture to prepared pan and press it down into an even layer. (I use the base of a dry measuring cup.)
5. Bake until fragrant and a shade darker, 14 to 17 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the filling: In a medium bowl, whisk together condensed milk, egg yolks, lime juice and lime zest.
7. Pour filling over crust (it’s okay if it’s still warm) and bake until the filling is set, about 15 minutes.
8. Transfer to a rack to cool completely, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
9. Use a sharp knife to release edges. Using the parchment overhang, carefully lift and transfer the bar to a cutting board.
10. Just before serving, whip heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar until soft peaks form. (I use a chilled bowl.)
11. Cut bars into 16 squares. Top each bar with a dollop of whipped cream to serve.

Meyer Lemon Bars with Lemon Shortbread Crust

I love Meyer lemons! I am even dreaming of having a Meyer lemon tree in my house. 🙂

This dessert recipe was adapted from ViewfromtheGreatIsland.com. They are made with an entire Meyer lemon- minus the seeds. The crust incorporates the zest from another entire lemon which made them packed with flavor. It was essential to eat them cold, after being chilled for four hours to overnight, so they must be made in advance.

Yield: about 12 servings (one 9×9-inch pan)

For the Crust:

• zest from one Meyer lemon
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces

For the Filling:

• 1 whole Meyer lemon, about 4-6 ounces
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 T cornstarch
• pinch of coarse salt

To Prepare:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, preferably on convection.
2. Grease and line a 9×9 inch pan with parchment paper.

To Make the Crust:

1. Using a sharp vegetable peeler, peel the zest from one Meyer lemon, taking only the yellow part, with little to none of the white part, which is bitter.
2. Put the zest and sugar into a food processor and process until the two are well combined and the zest has completely incorporated into the sugar. You will still see tiny specks of zest, but no big pieces. Keep processing until you get to that stage.
3. Add the flour, and cold butter to the bowl and pulse/process until the mixture is moist, crumbly, and almost comes together into a lump.
4. Sprinkle the crust mixture into your prepared baking pan and pat down firmly and evenly. You should have a layer of even thickenss.
5. Bake for about 17 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the filling.

To Make the Filling:

1. Thinly slice the second Meyer lemon and remove any seeds. Tip: do this over a bowl so you don’t lose any juice.
2. Put the lemon and accumulated juice into a high speed blender like Vitamix or a food processor.
3. Add the sugar to the lemon and puree until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the container, if necessary, to get a smooth puree.
4. Add the eggs, cornstarch, and salt, and purée briefly until well combined.
5. Pour the filling mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps or bubbles.
6. Pour the strained filling onto the hot crust immediately after it comes out of the oven.
7. Put the lemon bars back into the oven and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until firm and just starting to take on some golden color. Don’t over bake.
8. Let the bars cool completely on a rack, then put them in the refrigerator to chill for 4 hours or up to overnight.
9. When cold, remove the bars using the parchment paper “handles,” and slice into squares.
10. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

Fudge Brownies with Oreos

These classic brownies are absolutely perfect. We baked every variation! I have made them with and without adding Oreos- both perfect. I have also made them allowing the chocolate chips to melt and allowing the chocolate chips to stay partially intact (adding a little texural contrast). Both delicious. Yes, we’ve “suffered” through many batches. 😉

This recipe was adapted from King Arthur Flour.com. The website describes them as having the perfect balance between a fudgy and cakey brownie- I completely agree. They are incredibly moist, have a good rise, and have a lighter-colored and shiny top crust. Superb.

The recipe makes a large batch (which I recommend) but half the recipe can be made in an 8-inch square pan. In order to keep the chocolate chips intact, the batter must cool slightly before adding them. To melt the chocolate right into the brownie, the chips are stirred into the warm batter. My family didn’t agree on a favorite version but we all enjoyed each and every one of them. 🙂

Yield: 24 brownies

• 4 large eggs
• 106g (1 1/4 cups) Double-Dutch Dark Cocoa or Dutch-Process Cocoa (I used Trader Joe’s Cocoa), sifted
• 1 tsp coarse salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp espresso powder
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 227g (2 sticks, 1 cup) unsalted butter
• 447g (2 1/4 cups) granulated sugar
• 177g (1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 340g (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 12 Oreo cookies, quartered,  plus 2 crumbled Oreo cookies, for garnish, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, preferably on convection.
2. Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ pan or line with parchment paper and coat with cooking oil spray. (I used a pyrex baking dish.)
3. Crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them at medium speed with the sifted cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla for about 1 minute, or until smooth. (You can do this while you’re melting your butter (next step).)
4. In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Or simply combine the butter and sugar, and heat, stirring, until the butter is melted.
5. Continue to heat (or microwave) briefly, just until the mixture is hot (about 110°F to 120°F), but not bubbling; it’ll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating the mixture to this point will dissolve more of the sugar, which will help produce a shiny top crust on your brownies.
6. Add the hot butter/sugar mixture to the egg/cocoa mixture, stirring until smooth.
7. Add the flour and chips, stirring until smooth. Again, adding the chips helps produce a shiny top crust. (Note: Decision time: Do you want chocolate chips that show, and add a bit of chunkiness to your brownies? Or do you want the chips to simply melt into a rich smoothness, perfectly amalgamated within the brownie? **For chips that retain their shape and add chunkiness, let the batter cool for about 20 minutes before adding the chips, stirring occasionally to hasten the process. **For brownies where the chips melt right into the brownie, add them to the hot batter immediately, stirring to combine.
8. Incorporate the quartered Oreo cookies, if using. (Keeping the Oreos in larger pieces (quarters) made them visible in the finished brownies.)
9. Spoon the batter into the parchment paper-lined and lightly greased 9″ x 13″ pan. Sprinkle the crumbled Oreo cookies over the top, if using.
10. Bake the brownies for 27 to 32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked. (Note: When making half the recipe, bake in an 8″ x 8″ pan for 20 to 25 minutes.)
11. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack before cutting and serving.

S’mores Blondies

I first made this crowd-pleasing dessert for our last summer beach day and sunset before the start of school. I’ve already made them again! Insanely delicious.

The bars are not overly sweet and they have an amazing texture. I weighed the dry ingredients to ensure perfection. This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Erin Jeanne McDowell. I modified the method. Fabulous!!

Yield: 24 blondies

• nonstick cooking oil spray
• 9 whole graham crackers (about 135 grams), or store-bought graham cracker crumbs (about 1 cup)
• 1 ¼ cups/160 grams all-purpose flour
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup/225 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
• 1 packed cup/220 grams dark brown sugar
• ½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 8 ounces/225 grams bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into chunks (I used 78% cacao Lindt)
• 2 ½ cups/150 grams mini marshmallows

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees, preferably on convection, and arrange oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
2. Coat the inside of a 9-by-13-inch pan with nonstick spray and line it with parchment paper, leaving 2 inches of excess parchment on the long sides of the pan. (The excess will help you pull the blondies out later.)
3. If using whole graham crackers, add them to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they form a fine powder. Alternately, you could put the crackers in a large resealable plastic bag and crush them using a rolling pin, then add them to the bowl. If using store-bought crumbs, add them directly to the food processor.
4. Add the flour, baking powder and salt to the crumbs, and pulse a few times to combine.
5. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.
6. Add the eggs one at a time and mix on medium speed until well incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.
7. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
8. Turn the mixer to low and add the graham crumb mixture and mix just to combine.
9. Add about ¾ of the chocolate to the mixer and mix to incorporate.
10. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan. Use damp hands or a small offset spatula to press the dough into an even layer.
11. Bake on the lower rack until the bars are golden at the edges and the surface has a crackly appearance, 25 minutes on convection or about 30 minutes in a standard oven.
12. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the marshmallows evenly over the surface. Sprinkle the reserved chocolate on top of the marshmallows and return the pan to the top rack of the oven.
13. Bake until the marshmallows have softened and are lightly toasted and the chocolate is melted and gooey, 10 to 14 minutes.
14. Remove the pan from the oven. If any of the marshmallows have puffed up, use a toothpick or skewer to puncture them; they will deflate easily.
15. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool, 45 minutes.
16. Using a thin knife, slide the blade between the blondies and the pan on the short sides of the pan, then use the parchment sling to carefully remove the blondies.
17. Let cool another 10 minutes, then slice into 24 even pieces and serve.

Key Lime Bars

I have a few bar desserts to share. Great for a crowd, party or pot luck event. I have made all of these desserts on more than one occasion! Quite an endorsement. 🙂

These tart, tangy, and sweet bars were fabulous- the crust was absolute perfection. I made them off-season and used bottled Key lime juice. They are a must try with fresh Key lime juice! Fresh Key lime slices would also be a lovely garnish.

This recipe was adapted from the Key lime pie from Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami Beach, via Martha Stewart Living.

Yield: 16 bars

• 1 cup plus 2 1/2 tablespoons finely ground graham cracker crumbs (8 full cracker sheets)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 large egg yolks
• finely grated zest of 1 lime (about 1 1/2 tsp)
• 2/3 cup fresh or bottled Key lime juice (about 23 Key limes total)
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 ounces)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream, for garnish, optional
• 2 Key limes, thinly sliced into half-moons, for garnish, optional
• confectioner’s sugar, for garnish, optional

1. Make crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees, preferably on convection. Line a 8-inch square, or equivalent, baking dish with parchment paper, letting it hang over 2 sides.
2. Using a food processor, pulse graham crackers into fine crumbs.
3. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a small bowl. Press evenly onto bottom of the prepared baking dish. (I used the bottom of a dry measuring cup.)
4. Bake until dry and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. (Leave oven on.)
5. Make filling: Put egg yolks and lime zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on high speed until very thick, about 5 minutes.
6. Reduce speed to medium. Add condensed milk in a slow, steady stream, mixing constantly. Raise speed to high; mix until thick, about 3 minutes.
7. Reduce speed to low. Add lime juice; mix until just combined.
8. Spread filling evenly over crust using a spatula.
9. Bake, rotating dish halfway through, until filling is just set, about 10 minutes.
10. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or overnight).
11. Cut into 2-by-2-inch bars.
12. Put cream in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the clean whisk attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Garnish bars with confectioner’s sugar, whipped cream, and/or a slice of lime, as desired.

Note: The bars will keep, wrapped in plastic, in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Ina Garten’s Salted Caramel Brownies

My daughter has loved a book series about a girl named “Kylie Jean” since she starting reading them in first grade. In one of the books, Kylie Jean Fashion Queen, Kylie’s mom bakes caramel brownies. My daughter has been asking for them ever since. I’m not sure why it has taken me so long to comply! (She’s in 5th grade this year. )

The recipe for these super rich, moist and delicious brownies was adapted from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa Foolproof via Food Network.com. I used large eggs, espresso powder, salted caramel sauce, and omitted the sprinkling of sea salt. We ate them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Decadent. Thanks, Kylie Jean! 🙂

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 14 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate (I used 72% cacao dark chocolate)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 T instant espresso or 1½ T instant coffee granules, such as Nescafé
• 1 T pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 2 T sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 2 T all-purpose flour, divided
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 to 6 ounces good caramel sauce (I used Trader Joe’s Salted Caramel Sauce)
• 2 to 3 teaspoons flaked sea salt, such as Maldon (I omitted this because I used salted caramel sauce)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, preferably on convection. Butter and flour a 9 x 13 x 1½-inch baking pan.
2. Melt the butter, 8 ounces of the chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate together in a medium bowl set over simmering water. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee, vanilla, and sugar.
4. Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.
5. In a medium bowl, sift together ½ cup of the flour, the baking powder, and salt and add to the chocolate mixture.
6. Toss the remaining 6 ounces of chocolate chips and the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour in a medium bowl and add them to the chocolate mixture.
7. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.
8. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Don’t overbake!
9. As soon as the brownies are out of the oven, place the jar of caramel sauce without the lid in a microwave and heat just until it’s pourable. Stir until smooth. Drizzle the caramel evenly over the hot brownies and sprinkle with the sea salt.
10. Cool completely and cut into bars.

One Year Ago:

• Single-Crust Damson Plum & Apple Pie

Two Years Ago:

• Whole Wheat-Bartlett Pear Crumb Cake

Three Years Ago:

• Biscoff Blondies
• Salted Dulce de Leche Shortbread (Alfajores) Bars

Four Years Ago:

• Fancy S’more Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow Frosting
• Tutu’s Super-Crispy Sugar Cookies

Five Years Ago:

• Banana-Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins
• Back to School Blondies

Ina Garten’s Apple Pie Bars with Browned Butter Glaze

I have to interrupt my Thanksgiving side dish posts (I know you’re upset! 😉 ) to share this indulgent, crowd-pleasing dessert. (A request by my dear friend who plans to make it for her Christmas Eve feast.)

Recently, my kids and their friends performed in a holiday concert at our house. This was our third annual concert! Everyone brings an appetizer and we eat while the kids rehearse. This year, the concert was upgraded to incorporate a microphone and some stand-up comedy. The parents were asked to perform as well. Special and fun. 🙂

Along with the appetizers, I always feel the need to include a dessert (as I love any excuse to bake). These pie bars had caught my eye and were perfect to serve at a large gathering. The recipe was adapted from Cooking for Jeffrey by Ina Garten, via Barefoot Contessa.com. I baked them in a parchment-lined pyrex dish, used pecans instead of walnuts, (predominantly) Fuji apples instead of golden delicious, and topped it with a brown butter glaze inspired by Joy the Baker. Delicious!

Yield: Makes 18 to 24 bars

For the Crust:

• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Apple Filling:

• 3 pounds mixed apples, peeled, quartered, cored, and sliced 1/8 inch thick (I used predominantly Fuji apples with 1-2 Granny Smith and 1 Red Delicious)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

For the Browned Butter Glaze:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• milk, as necessary, to achieve desired consistency
• pinch of coarse salt

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, preferably on convection. Line a 9×13-inch pyrex baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Make the Crust: Place the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until light and creamy.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and salt together.
4. With the mixer on low, slowly add to the butter-sugar mixture, beating until combined.
5. Scatter two-thirds of the dough in clumps in the prepared pan and press it lightly with floured hands on the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides.
6. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
7. Par-Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the crust is golden brown, and set aside to cool. (While the crust is still warm, I use a spoon to gently push the edge of the crust back up the side.)
8. Meanwhile, Make the Topping: Put the mixing bowl with the remaining dough back on the mixer, add the nuts and cinnamon, and mix on low-speed to combine. Set aside.
9. Reduce the oven to 350 degrees, preferably on convection.
10. Make the Filling: Combine the apples and lemon juice in a very large bowl.
11. Add the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix well.
12. Melt the butter in a large (10-inch-diameter) pot, add the apples, and simmer over medium to medium-low heat, stirring often, for 12 to 15 minutes, until the apples are tender and the liquid has mostly evaporated.
13. Spread the apples evenly over the crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border.
14. Pinch medium pieces of the remaining dough with your fingers and drop them evenly on top of the apples (they will not be covered).
15. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the topping is browned. Cool completely.
16. Make the Glaze: In a small pot, melt butter. Continue to cook until browned and fragrant.
17. In a small bowl, whisk together browned butter, powdered sugar, a splash of milk, and a pinch of salt. Whisk until smooth. Add milk as needed until drizzling consistency is achieved.
18. Spoon into a ziplock bag and cut a tiny tip off one corner of the bag.
19. Drizzle glaze over cooled bars before slicing.
20. Cut into bars of desired size.
21. Store, wrapped individually or covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. (Without the glaze, the bars can be kept at room temperature.)

One Year Ago:

• Soft Baked Snickerdoodles

Two Years Ago:

• German Apple Cake
• Apple Dutch Baby
• Tate’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Three Years Ago:

• Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp
• Giant Apple Cinnamon Roll
• Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie

Four Years Ago:

• Apple Galette