Pecan Pie for Beginners

Here I am again (see sisters!) Unlike Rebecca, I really like pecan pie, but I have a bit of a pie phobia because it always seems so complicated. Especially pecan pie, with all of its boiling corn syrup and other such things. So I was thrilled when I found this recipe by googling "easy pecan bars" and then reading reviews until I found something that seemed to be as good as the real thing. While I acknowledge that it is a lazy man's (or woman's) recipe, I thought that they tasted as good as regular pecan pie, but with way less work. If you're a purist, you can make your own crust (any sugar cookie recipe will do) but the mix worked as well-- I've made them twice, one time each way, and been happy both times.

One warning-- this are SUPER rich and sweet, so cut small and enjoy! And if you're going to save them for later, they keep best in the fridge. Give them a try; you'll be glad you did. You can find the recipe here.

Fudging It

As a baking sister, one of my jobs is frequently bringing dessert to my friends' birthday celebrations. This week, it was my friend Marci's turn, and when I asked her what she liked, she said, "Chocolate. And peanut butter, but really chocolate." So chocolate it was.

Marci had planned a picnic in the park, so a cake didn't seem realistic, and there were going to be a lot of people there, so I wasn't sure cupcakes would work. Therefore, I turned my attention to bars, which I find are often versatile and used for large numbers of people fairly easily. I ended up making two things. One was peanut butter rice krispie treats, which you have read about previously, replacing the semisweet chocolate with milk chocolate. Just let me say, awesome.

However, I decided it was also time to try something new, and a series of events lead me to a recipe for rocky road fudge.

This dessert is intense-- a layer of graham cracker, marshmallow and pecans, topped with chocolate. The picture shows them both upside down and right side up to give you a sense of the affect. I recommend cutting the pieces pretty small, because it's hard to eat more than a little at a time. But eaten they were, first at the picnic and then at my office, and so we say: success! You can find the recipe here.

For a Good Cause, Part 3: Raspberry Crumble Bars

I have to say, by the time Wednesday night rolled around and I needed to make these raspberry crumble bars from Kosher By Design: Short on Time, I was not interested in baking anymore. (It was my tenth batch of baked goods in four days.) However, AJWS bake sale week prevails, so bake I did. Due to my mood, I was not efficient in the kitchen, so these ended up taking a very long time. The dough was too dry, so I added more milk, but then it was too wet and I couldn't get it to spread thinly enough to cover the pan, so I had to make another half batch of dough. I love jam, though, so I was hoping that the final product would be worth the trouble.

It was! Although these were not the most beautiful things I've ever made, they were delicious. And they sold out-- making them a success all around. See the recipe below, and click here to support the bake sale week efforts!



UPDATE: Bake Sale week was a success! Over the course of the week, my fellow classmates bought (or donated) $170 worth of baked goods. Thanks to everyone for your support!

Raspberry Crumble Bars

Bars:
1 ½ cups flour
½ cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ cup butter or margarine, melted
1 large egg
3 tablespoons light cream or soy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 (11-14 oz) jar good quality preserves

Crumble:
¾ cup flour
½ light brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup margarine or butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper.

Mix all of the wet ingredients and the sugar. Blend. Add the dry ingredients and mix. The dough will be slightly crumbly.

Put the dough at the bottom of the baking pan. (It will be a thin layer.) Spread the jam evenly over the dough.

Mix the crumble toping together and sprinkle evenly over the jam.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until the crumble turns medium brown. Allow bars to cool completely, and then cut and serve.