Date and Cherry Granola Bars
December 03, 2007
Holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas make me think of my mom’s enchiladas and all the desserts I love to eat and make. While I am no Baking Fool, I have attempted some holiday treats for parties I will attend and host. Inspired by a cheesy VH1 special about Wavey Gravey and the Hog Farm Collective who claims to have "invented" granola at Woodstock, and also by a recent story on NPR with Nigella Lawson and her unsavory version of a breakfast granola bar, I give you the Date and Dried Sour Cherry Granola Bar, adapted from Alton Brown's recipe. You can add whatever fruit and nuts you fancy, but this combo seemed the best to me.
You will need:
- 2 c rolled oats (not instant)
- 2/3 c wheat germ (I used Bob's Red Mill all natural wheat germ, found in the heart of a wheat berry)
- 1 1/2 c walnuts, chopped
- 1/4 c packed brown sugar
- 1/2 c honey
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 c chopped dried dates (buy them cheaper whole, remove the stones, and chop them up yourself)
- 1/2 c chopped dried sour cherries (buy these in bulk)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees; grease a small 9X9 cake pan with butter.
Step One: toast the oats and wheat germ on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes, stirring them every five minutes. Toast the walnuts for 10 minutes, also stirring every five minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. Reduce oven heat to 300 degrees.
Step Two: In a stock pot, combine the butter, honey, sugar, salt, and vanilla over medium heat. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon so it does not boil or simmer until the ingredients are all incorporated and the sugar appears dissolved (about 8 minutes).
Step Three: Combine the oats and wheat germ in the pot, continuing to stir. After the dry ingredients are coated with the wet ingredients, remove the mixture from the stove and add in the dried fruit, stirring well.
Step Four: Pour the mixture into your greased cake pan, and with wet hand, press the mixture down. Bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Cut into squares and store in a ziplock bag or other air tight container in the refrigerator (remember it has butter). Eat for breakfast and stop starving yourself.
You will need:
- 2 c rolled oats (not instant)
- 2/3 c wheat germ (I used Bob's Red Mill all natural wheat germ, found in the heart of a wheat berry)
- 1 1/2 c walnuts, chopped
- 1/4 c packed brown sugar
- 1/2 c honey
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 c chopped dried dates (buy them cheaper whole, remove the stones, and chop them up yourself)
- 1/2 c chopped dried sour cherries (buy these in bulk)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees; grease a small 9X9 cake pan with butter.
Step One: toast the oats and wheat germ on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes, stirring them every five minutes. Toast the walnuts for 10 minutes, also stirring every five minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. Reduce oven heat to 300 degrees.
Step Two: In a stock pot, combine the butter, honey, sugar, salt, and vanilla over medium heat. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon so it does not boil or simmer until the ingredients are all incorporated and the sugar appears dissolved (about 8 minutes).
Step Three: Combine the oats and wheat germ in the pot, continuing to stir. After the dry ingredients are coated with the wet ingredients, remove the mixture from the stove and add in the dried fruit, stirring well.
Step Four: Pour the mixture into your greased cake pan, and with wet hand, press the mixture down. Bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Cut into squares and store in a ziplock bag or other air tight container in the refrigerator (remember it has butter). Eat for breakfast and stop starving yourself.
Best Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
April 17, 2007
Is there any felicity superior to chewy chocolate chip oatmeal cookies? I think not. The difficult thing is living in a place where nothing rises: breads, cakes, and your chocolate chip cookies (they just flatten out real ugly and turn crispy). Searching for the holy grail of cookies, I think I found what I was looking for once again in Once Upon a Tart's cookbook. The recipe is actually a modification of their chocolate chip cookies, but the principle remains the same for churning out chewy cookies: beat that butter and sugar like your shakin' your money maker! The "key" to making cookies that don't have the texture of cds is to cream the butter and sugar at least five minutes. With that, let's get to it.
You will need:
- 2 sticks of unsalted REAL butter, room temperature
- 1/2 c sugar
- 1 c packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 c flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 c rolled oats
- 1 1/2 c bitter sweet chocolate chips
- 1 c chopped walnuts
Heat oven to 350 degrees
Step One: In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and granulated sugar for 5 minutes on high speed. Add the brown sugar and beat another 4 minutes. On a lower speed, mix in one egg at a time and then vanilla.
Step Two: In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt together. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, add these ingredients into the wet ingredients, completely incorporating them. Add the oatmeal, chocolate chips and walnuts at the end.
Step Three: Using a 1/3 c scooper, plop the cookies on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the centers stop shining (the dough is cooked then). Remove promptly and cool. EAT THEM UP.
