Food Network Lemon Squares

Sometimes, even though it is 90 degrees outside and 80 inside, a girl has to turn on her oven. When I saw the recipe for Lemon Squares (they call them Lemon Bars) in Food Network's March issue I knew I was going to have to make them.



I've been making the same lemon squares recipe for years and years, but I'm always up for trying something new! Ultimately, my old recipe is still my favorite. These squares came out with more of a custardy texture and I like my lemon squares a bit lighter. But, if you were to walk into a bakery and buy a lemon square you would get something more like this new recipe. These are definitely more gourmet and less bake sale. :)

You will need:

For the crust:
1 1/2 sticks cold, diced butter (Smart Balance)
2 cups flour (calls for all-purpose, but I used white whole wheat)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar (you'll need more for dusting later)
1/4 tsp salt
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For the filling:
4 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp lemon zest
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 8 lemons)





Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x13 pan with foil. Grease with vegetable oil, butter, or cooking spray. Food Network suggests veg oil, but I used cooking spray.


Pulse the butter, flour, sugars, and salt in a food processor or use to knives to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until mixture comes together.



Press mixture into the bottom of your greased, foil-lined pan.



Bake for 25 minutes or until the crust is golden.



Meanwhile, the filling! Whisk together the whole eggs and yolks, sugar, and flour in a large bowl.



Then add the lemon juice and zest and whisk until frothy, about one minute.



When the crust is done, remove from oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees. Pour the filling onto the hot crust and return to oven.



Bake for 30-35 minutes and the filling is set.



Let the bars cool in the pan on a wire rack and then refrigerate them until they are firm. When they are firm, lift them out of the pan using the foil. Dust with powdered sugar.



Then cut into squares.



Now feast!!



You are going to want at least two more. :) These won't last long!! Thick, rich, with an amazing blend of sweet and lemon. YUM!



Enjoy!!

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

I grew up in Virginia, but my family came down to Florida every year, in February, to visit my grandparents. Some years it was chilly, but usually it was hot and my grandparents refused to turn on the air conditioning because, "it's only February!" Even when it was 92. We used to poke fun of them for suffering through the heat, but then my husband, girls, and I moved to Florida. And now I flat out refuse to turn on the air conditioning until May. :) This past Saturday it was 88 outside, 86 in our house, but we all agreed it was still too early in the year for the air conditioning. (We ended up going to the beach to cool off, so I can't really complain.) Anyway, the season of heat is upon us and the very last thing I want to do is turn on the oven. But baking is what I do! It's my stress reliever! Luckily, there are many, many yummy desserts that can be made without using the oven at all. This No Bake Chocolate PB Bars recipe is one of my favorites. I'll be posting lots of slow cooker and stove top recipes for the next few months.

You will need:

2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup butter (2 Smart Balance sticks)
2 3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips*



*One note on the chocolate--you definitely want to use the semi-sweet or dark and not milk. The bars are very sweet and milk chocolate would be overkill.

I make my own graham cracker crumbs, but you can buy them already smashed up in the baking section of any supermarket. I put two packages in a plastic bag, seal it up, and then use a rolling pin to crush the crackers. If you do it this way you'll have about a half cup of crumbs leftover, so 3 cups total from two packages of crackers.





Stir together the cracker crumbs, PB, and butter.



Add the sifted powdered sugar and combine thoroughly.





Press the mixture into a 9x13 pan, no need to grease it.



Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler. I just use a metal bowl on top of a small saucepan with one inch of water in the bottom. Turn the burner onto low heat and stir often.




After they have melted stir them a few times--the more you stir the shinier the chocolate will become. Then spread over the top of your PB crust.



Chill for about 10 minutes or until the chocolate sets. Then cut the bars into squares, any size you please. Don't let the chocolate get hard or it will crack when you try to cut it. 10-15 minutes tops.





Sooooo good. Sweet, chocolaty, and they don't heat up the house. They don't last long! Great to take to bake sales and pot lucks, too.



You can store these in the fridge, but let them sit out for a few minutes before eating.

Enjoy!!

This week we are having Mandarin Chicken Salad and Margarita Chicken on the grill.

Key Lime Pie

One of the best parts of living in Florida, besides the sunshine, is the availability of true Key Lime Pie. And by true I mean YELLOW. Key Lime Pie is never green; it's never fluffy or whipped. To make this pie you will need actual key lime juice, not regular lime juice. There is a huge difference. Yes, I'm a Key Lime Pie snob, but I live in Florida and it is sort of encouraged. :)

You will need:

1/2 cup key lime juice
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 can condensed milk
3 egg yolks
1 graham cracker crust



If you can't find true key lime juice in your local store (or even better, key limes), you can order it online. Nellie and Joe's Key Lime Juice is the best.



Key Lime juice is darker and thicker than regular lime juice and it has a tarter, stronger flavor.



Mix all of your ingredients, except the crust, and whisk for two minutes on medium speed. Then pour into your pie crust.



Bake at 350 degrees for just 15 minutes. You do not want your pie to brown at all. It comes out looking not much different than when it went into the oven.



Cool to room temperature and then chill in the fridge until you are ready to eat it. Top with real whipped cream. Please don't desecrate the beauty of true Key Lime Pie with Chemical Whip.




Simple, quick, the perfect summer dessert. Enjoy!

Whoopie Pies

Have you heard? The whoopie pie is the new cupcake. Whether or not that is true, whoopie pies are making a comeback. The story of their origin depends largely on the storyteller's heritage. Was it the Pennsylvania Dutch who carried the little pies in their lunchboxes while working the fields and would "whoop" with delight at the treat? Or did they originate in the South where cooks would make them to keep children out of the kitchen, like hush puppies created to keep dogs quiet? Anyone familiar with my blog knows which side I back. :) I scoured the internet for a cream filling that did not include shortening and found this one.



Personally, I'll take a whoopie pie over a cupcake any day and this recipe is the best I have found. In fact, it is so perfect that I will stop trying out other recipes and use it exclusively. When Tinker Bell took a bite she said, "there are no words for how good this is." I agree!! Then she said, "you're pretty good at this baking stuff." Aw, shucks.

But the best part of this recipe is that the little pies are even better the next day. They should be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the fridge, but allow them to come to room temperature before eating.

For the cakes:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (it has a stronger, deeper flavor than regular cocoa)
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt (I used less, about 1/2 tsp)
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 stick butter, softened (I used Smart Balance 50/50)
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg



For the filling:
1 stick butter (again, I used Smart Balance)
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup Marshmallow Fluff
1 tsp vanilla



Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside. Combine buttermilk and vanilla in another, small bowl and set that aside. Beat the butter and sugar together in mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined.



With mixer on low, alternate adding the flour mix and buttermilk mix, beating after each addition. Begin and end with the flour mixture. Grease or line with parchment at least two cookie sheets. I used two large and one small and greased them with cooking spray--I was out of parchment paper. The original recipe calls for using a 1/4 measuring cup, but I just used a large soup spoon and got 24 cookies total, which makes a dozen whoopie pies. Using a 1/4 cup with give you 9 pies total.



They are not exactly round and perfect, are they? It won't matter when you eat them!

Bake at 325 for 13 minutes, let set on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool.



While they are cooling (and they do need to be completely cool before frosting), beat together the butter, sugar, marshmallow, and vanilla on medium speed until smooth. About 3 minutes or so.



I turned over 12 of the 24 cookies and evenly distributed the unbelievably delicious filling amongst them, then topped them with the remaining cookies.





We couldn't wait until the next day and ate, well, most of the pies right after they were made. I stacked the leftovers on a plate, covered them in plastic wrap and put them in the fridge. The next day...oh, wow. Perfection.

Apple Muffins

I found this recipe online when I was looking for a decent homemade apple fritter recipe. Then I realized that I did not have enough oil to fry the fritters and started looking for a baked apple doughnut. These are absolutely amazing, but definitely more muffin than doughnut. I am dedicating this post to my father-in-law, who for 16 years has been trying to get me to eat apple pie. There is something about the apple/cinnamon combo that just doesn't do it for me, but I'm trying. If I love these muffins, I know he will, too!



I changed just a couple of minor things, so here's my version:

1 1/2 cup flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup half and half (or any milk)
1 1/2 cup finely diced apples (I used Fuji)
************
1/3 cup butter
cinnamon sugar

Mix first three ingredients and cut in shortening. Add egg and milk, mix, then add apples.



Stir just until combined and fill 12 paper-lined muffin cups about 3/4 full.




Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. While baking, melt the butter and get out your cinnamon sugar. I keep mine in a cute little shaker. Makes cinnamon toast easy peasy.



When the muffins are done they will be lightly brown.



Brush with melted butter...



then top with cinnamon sugar.



These are best eaten warm. They are so moist that they do not need any butter.