#bars_brownies

Spritz Bars are a faster way to make Spritz cookies all dressed up with Swedish Pearl Sugar and drizzled in chocolate.  With October being cookie month, I wanted to bring you a cookie that’s not in my new book, Craving Cookies.  Because I wanted the Spritz Bars to hold their shape, they require a bit more flour.   Other than that, they are the same. Swedish Pearl Sugar I love using Swedish Pearl sugar for its pure white pebbles that don’t melt under heat.  They add a wonderful crunch to cookies.  They can be found online.  I use Lars, but there are other brands available.  Don’t confuse the Swedish Pearl Sugar with the Belgium Pearl Sugar as those sugar crystals are much larger. These Spritz Bars will make a great addition to your Christmas Cookies. Ingredients BACK ROW: Cake Flour, Swedish pearl sugar MIDDLE ROW: Egg Yolks, almond extract, granulated sugar FRONT ROW: European Butter Recipe Ingredients 1 cup unsalted European butter, softened (225 grams, 8 ounces or 2 sticks) 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams or 3 1/2 ounces) 1 tablespoon almond extract 2 egg yolks 3 cups cake flour (375 grams or 13 1/8 ounces) Swedish Pearl sugar (about 225 grams or 8 ounces) 2 to 3 ounces semisweet chocolate (85 grams) Instructions Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C.  Line several baking pans with parchment paper and set aside. Step 2. Place the butter, sugar, and almond extract in a mixing bowl. Cream until combined. Step 3. Add the egg yolks and beat until light.  Step 4. Add the flour gradually and beat until everything is well blended. The dough will be a bit sticky. That is how it should be. Step 5. Cut off two pieces of wax paper or foil large enough to overhang the pan by a couple of inches on both sides.  Roll the dough between wax paper to 18”x13”.  It will be about 1/8” thick.  Place it in a half sheet pan. Alternatively, divide the dough in half and roll each piece into a 9x13” rectangle.   Whichever you decide, cover the dough with the pearl sugar and press in firmly. Step 6. Cover the dough completely with pearl sugar, pressing it into the dough slightly. Place in the freezer until partially, but not completely frozen. It should be firm. Step 7. Cut the dough into 2 1/2 x 1 1/4 inch rectangles.  I used the cookie dough cutter that I talked about in the Oreo Taco post.  I love it for it’s ease of cutting identical size bars. Cut lengthwise into 1 1/4” strips. Adjust the size to 2 1/2” and cut crosswise.  Done!  The bars can also be cut with a ruler and knife.   In either case, the dough must be cold and firm.   Step 8. When ready to bake, run a spatula under the cookies to free them from the paper. Step 9. Most likely, they will come off about 2 to 4 at a time.  Break them along the cutting lines and place them 4 wide x 4 down on half sheet pans. Freeze the Spritz Bars until hard. When ready to bake, run a spatula under the cookies to free them from the paper.Most likely, they will come off about 2 to 4 at a time.  Break them along the cutting lines and place them 4 wide x 4 down on half sheet pans. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until just browning on the edges.  Do not overbake. Step 10. Cool the baked bars in the pans. To Finish Step 1. Melt the semisweet chocolate at half power in the microwave or over simmering water.  Drizzle it over the cookies.  Allow the chocolate to set up before storing them. Yield: Approximately 48 Spritz Bars Storage:  Let the chocolate set up completely.  Stack with paper between them in a closed tin where they will last for weeks. Note:  These Spritz Bars are actually better if they are stored for a few days in the tin. The size of the bars can be made larger or smaller as you choose.  When you break them apart, some of the Swedish Pearl sugar will fall off.  Sav

Spritz Bars are a faster way to make Spritz cookies all dressed up with Swedish Pearl Sugar and drizzled in chocolate.  With October being cookie month, I wanted to bring you a cookie that’s not in my new book, Craving Cookies.  Because I wanted the Spritz Bars to hold their shape, they require a bit more flour.   Other than that, they are the same. Swedish Pearl Sugar I love using Swedish Pearl sugar for its pure white pebbles that don’t melt under heat.  They add a wonderful crunch to cookies.  They can be found online.  I use Lars, but there are other brands available.  Don’t confuse the Swedish Pearl Sugar with the Belgium Pearl Sugar as those sugar crystals are much larger. These Spritz Bars will make a great addition to your Christmas Cookies. Ingredients BACK ROW: Cake Flour, Swedish pearl sugar MIDDLE ROW: Egg Yolks, almond extract, granulated sugar FRONT ROW: European Butter Recipe Ingredients 1 cup unsalted European butter, softened (225 grams, 8 ounces or 2 sticks) 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams or 3 1/2 ounces) 1 tablespoon almond extract 2 egg yolks 3 cups cake flour (375 grams or 13 1/8 ounces) Swedish Pearl sugar (about 225 grams or 8 ounces) 2 to 3 ounces semisweet chocolate (85 grams) Instructions Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C.  Line several baking pans with parchment paper and set aside. Step 2. Place the butter, sugar, and almond extract in a mixing bowl. Cream until combined. Step 3. Add the egg yolks and beat until light.  Step 4. Add the flour gradually and beat until everything is well blended. The dough will be a bit sticky. That is how it should be. Step 5. Cut off two pieces of wax paper or foil large enough to overhang the pan by a couple of inches on both sides.  Roll the dough between wax paper to 18”x13”.  It will be about 1/8” thick.  Place it in a half sheet pan. Alternatively, divide the dough in half and roll each piece into a 9x13” rectangle.   Whichever you decide, cover the dough with the pearl sugar and press in firmly. Step 6. Cover the dough completely with pearl sugar, pressing it into the dough slightly. Place in the freezer until partially, but not completely frozen. It should be firm. Step 7. Cut the dough into 2 1/2 x 1 1/4 inch rectangles.  I used the cookie dough cutter that I talked about in the Oreo Tacos post.  I love it for it’s ease of cutting identical size bars. Cut lengthwise into 1 1/4” strips. Adjust the size to 2 1/2” and cut crosswise.  Done!  The bars can also be cut with a ruler and knife.   In either case, the dough must be cold and firm.   Step 8. When ready to bake, run a spatula under the cookies to free them from the paper. Step 9. Most likely, they will come off about 2 to 4 at a time.  Break them along the cutting lines and place them 4 wide x 4 down on half sheet pans. Freeze the Spritz Bars until hard. When ready to bake, run a spatula under the cookies to free them from the paper.Most likely, they will come off about 2 to 4 at a time.  Break them along the cutting lines and place them 4 wide x 4 down on half sheet pans. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until just browning on the edges.  Do not overbake. Step 10. Cool the baked bars in the pans. To Finish Step 1. Melt the semisweet chocolate at half power in the microwave or over simmering water.  Drizzle it over the cookies.  Allow the chocolate to set up before storing them. Yield: Approximately 48 Spritz Bars Storage:  Let the chocolate set up completely.  Stack with paper between them in a closed tin where they will last for weeks. Note:  These Spritz Bars are actually better if they are stored for a few days in the tin. The size of the bars can be made larger or smaller as you choose.  When you break them apart, some of the Swedish Pearl sugar will fall off.  Save this as it can b

You will love this concept because it is a no bake cookie bar and the layering adds a sophistication not often seen in this type of cookie. But the real surprise is that it is not too sweet but intensely flavored.   Bajadera (Bah-ya-deh-ra) has been in existence since the early 1900’s having been a specialty of the Kraš Confectionary Company in Zagreb Croatia. It was named after an oriental dancer, and its shape and the unique layering make Bajadera one of the most popular sweet treats in Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, and Macedonia, all of whom claim it today.  Ingredients All ingredients are listed left to right. Top Row: Petit Beurre Cookies, granulated sugar, water. Bottom Row: unsalted butter, semisweet chocolate, toasted hazelnuts. Petit Beurre Cookies - can be the ones in last week's blog or they can be purchased online as well as some specialty food shops featuring European items. Unsalted butter is used for clarity of taste. Hazelnuts are toasted to intensify the flavor. Semisweet Chocolate - I use Callebaut Callets professionally and at home. They look like chocolate chips but aren't. I don't recommend using chocolate chips. Chocolate Glaze Left to right: shortening (such as Crisco) and semisweet chocolate. See recipe card for quantities of ingredients. Instruction Step 1. Hazelnuts ready to be toasted. For a quick and easy way to remove the skins, see Hazelnut Gianduja Cake. Cool the nuts completely before processing Step 2. Line an 8x8 inch square pan with a piece of parchment paper 8x16 inches letting the excess hang over the sides. Step 3. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water or at half power in the microwave. Set aside. Step 4. Place half the nuts and half the cookies in a processor bowl. Step 5. Process the cookies and nuts as finely as possible being careful not to turn them to a paste. Step 6. Transfer them to a mixer bowl. Repeat with the second half of the cookies and nuts. Set aside. Step 7. Place the water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Stir to combine. Step 8. Bring the syrup to a boil. Step 9. Wash down the sides of the pan with a brush dipped in cold water. Alternatively, a tight fitting lid can be placed on top for 3 minutes. Step 10. Bring the syrup to 238°F on a thermometer. Remove from the heat and add the butter to stop the cooking. Step 11. Pour the syrup over the cookie and nut mixture in the mixing bowl. Beat on low to combine completely. It may be soft at this point, but will firm up as it cools. Step 12. Divide the dough in half - about 410 grams or 14 1/3 ounces each piece. Remove 1/2 cup, 100 grams or 3 1/2 ounces from one piece and add it to the other piece. Step 13. Add the melted chocolate to the bowl with less plain dough in it. Step 13. Divide the chocolate dough in half - about 215 grams or 7 1/2 ounces. Step 14. Press half the chocolate dough firmly in the bottom of the prepared pan. If it is at all soft, freeze for 5 minutes to keep the layers from dipping into each other. Step 15. After the plain layer is divided in half, 230 grams or 8 ounces, one half is placed on the chocolate base layer. Step 16. Press the plain dough firmly over the chocolate base. Freeze for five minutes if it is at all soft. Repeat with the chocolate and plain layer as above. Do not freeze the plain layer after it is pressed onto the top. Chocolate Glaze Step 17. Place the chocolate and shortening in a bowl to be melted. Step 18. Melt the chocolate and shortening over simmering water or at half power in the microwave and stir together. Step 19. Pour the glaze over the top layer of the bars. Step 20. Tilt the pan from side to side and up and down to distribute the glaze evenly, making sure to get into the corners. Refriger