Tag Archives: cherry

You Choose Layered Bar Cookie

you choose layered bar cookie

you choose layered bar cookie

Warmer weather means more social gatherings, and social gatherings mean you may be called upon to bring food for a small crowd. An easy to prepare and even easier to serve treat is a bar cookie. You load ingredients in a layer, then bake them in the pan you will be serving them in. Easy. Besides, these layered cookies will be a hit, making you a baking hero.

The concept of these bars is to choose a flavor combination that suits your mood, what’s in your pantry, and any dietary needs you follow. If the proportions remain the same, then this treat is basically foolproof. The combo for my bars was a riff on chocolate covered cherries, with crunchy pistachios to top them off. And, yes, I was a hero.

Until next time, happy baking!

Note: See Holiday Layered Magic Bars for Sweetened Condensed Milk recipe.

you choose layered bar cookie
Print Recipe

You Choose Layered Bar Cookie

Warmer weather means more social gatherings, and social gatherings mean you may be called upon to bring food for a small crowd. An easy to prepare and even easier to serve treat is a bar cookie. You load ingredients in a layer, then bake them in the pan you will be serving them in. Easy. Besides, these layered cookies will be a hit, making you a baking hero.
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Vegan
Keyword: Baking, Bar Cookies, Chocolate, Cookie Crumb, dried fruit, Nuts, Recipe, Sweetened condensed milk
Author: The Decadent Vegan Baker

Equipment

  • 9 x 13-inch pan

Ingredients

  • ½ cup non-dairy butter melted
  • 1 (11 to 12-ounce) can non-dairy sweetened condensed milk, or make your own (see note)
  • 2 cups cookie crumbs such as graham cracker, vanilla wafer, or chocolate wafer
  • 2 cups baking chips such as chocolate chips or peanut butter chips OR no-nut M&Ms
  • 1 ½ cups dried fruit such as raisins, apricots, or cherries, chopped into small pieces if needed
  • 1 cup chopped nuts such as walnuts, pistachios, or peanuts

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack set in the middle of the oven. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with greased foil or parchment paper.
  • Stir together the melted butter and cookie crumbs in a medium bowl. Spread this into the prepared baking pan then press it down with a spatula.
  • Evenly sprinkle the chips or M&Ms over the cookie base. Sprinkle the dried fruit over top.
  • Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over everything. Sprinkle the nuts over top. (I do this last to keep the nuts crunchy.)
  • Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until you see liquid bubbling at the edges. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool the bars thoroughly. Cut when cool, although these are even better hours later when they have fully firmed up.
  • Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Notes

See Holiday Layered Magic Bars for Sweetened Condensed Milk recipe.

Brown Butter Blondies with Cherries and Chocolate Chips

brown butter blondies with cherries

brown butter blondies with cherries and chocolate chips

Vegan butter has come a long way over the years. In the past the only option was run-of-the-mill margarine, but now some butter versions will actually brown. This may not sound like a big deal, but the act of browning changes not just the color but the flavor as well. As the butter turns amber in color, the flavor deepens. And if you are browning butter together with sugar, then you will be treated to a rich, butterscotch scent and taste.

Butter is often melted before adding to bar cookies, so I thought I’d start there but go one step further (as usual) and use browned butter to achieve a deeper flavor. After finding a vegan blondie recipe that called for melted butter, I then went one more step further by adding fresh and dried cherries to the batter.

All of my extras paid off! I achieved a rich dessert with my flavorful blondie. I also had a kitchen that smelled like a bit of heaven.

Until next time, happy baking!

brown butter blondies with cherries
Print Recipe

Brown Butter Blondies with Cherries and Chocolate Chips

Vegan butter has come a long way over the years. In the past the only option was run-of-the-mill margarine, but now some butter versions will actually brown. This may not sound like a big deal, but the act of browning changes not just the color but the flavor as well. As the butter turns amber in color, the flavor deepens. And if you are browning butter together with sugar, then you will be treated to a rich, butterscotch scent and taste.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Vegan
Keyword: Bar Cookies, Blondies, Cherry, Chocolate, Recipe
Servings: 12 servings
Author: The Decadent Vegan Baker

Equipment

  • 8 x 8-inch baking pan
  • heavy bottomed saucepan

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup dried cherries chopped
  • 1/2 cup vegan butter a brand than browns
  • 1 cup firmly packed organic light brown sugar
  • 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup + 2 teaspoons nondairy milk
  • 1.5 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/4 cup fresh cherries pitted and chopped
  • 1/2 cup vegan mini chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8 x 8-inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper. Set aside. Place the dried cherries in a small bowl and soak them in water (or complementary-flavored juice). Set aside.
  • Place the vegan butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan set over low to medium heat. Just before the butter is fully melted, add all the brown sugar at once and stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar is uniformly wet. Increase the heat to medium. Stir occasionally until the mixture looks like molten lava instead of wet sand, 3 to 5 minutes. Make sure to stir the entire bottom of the pot, and watch closely to see when the mixture changes.
  • Take the now molten lava mixture off the heat. Add the vanilla and stir well to incorporate. Add the milk, stir it in thoroughly, and set the mixture aside to cool to room temperature.
  • Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a medium bowl. Add the cooled browned butter mixture to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Strain the soaked cherries and add them to the bowl along with the fresh cherries and chocolate chips. Fold the cherries and chips gently into the batter.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and shake the pan to smooth the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack and cool the blondies completely before cutting.
  • Store in an airtight container in the fridge or on the counter for up to 3 days.

Notes

Based on Chocolate Chunk Blondies by Robin Robertson

 

Gluten-Free Blueberry and Cherry Bars

gluten free blueberry and cherry bars
gluten free blueberry and cherry bars

On a hot summer day, it’s nice to have an easy dessert recipe. Turning on the oven can take all of your energy, so slaving over a complicated treat is not welcome. Sometimes scooping out individual servings or cookies can be just too tiring. That’s when bar cookies come to the rescue. Mix, pour into a pan, bake, cool, and cut.

The bar cookie recipe I found was fruity (yay!), and I decided to make it gluten-free to share with friends (yay, again!). It was already vegan, and high altitude wasn’t much of an issue, so I subbed gluten-free ingredients, mixed up the fruit choices, and added a decadent icing. Now I had a dessert that was not only easy, but bursting with flavor and allergy-friendly goodness.

Gluten-Free Blueberry and Cherry Bars adapted from Blueberry Crumble Bars

1.75 cups gluten-free flour blend
1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1/2 cup + 1/4 cup organic sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup vegan margarine, room temperature and cut into slices
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup + 4 teaspoons nondairy milk, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup frozen cherries, chopped into quarters
1/4 cup organic sugar
2 tablespoons potato starch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup organic confectioner’s sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8 x 8-inch pan. Line the pan with parchment paper, including an overhang of a few inches on two opposite sides.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, oats, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt to combine. In a medium bowl, combine the margarine, oil, 1/4 cup milk, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until mixed but with a few small clumps.

dry ingredients for blueberry cherry bars
dry ingredients for blueberry cherry bars

In a small bowl, gently combine the blueberries, cherries, 1/4 cup sugar, potato starch, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

Using your hands, press three-quarters of the dough mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the coated fruit evenly on top of the dough. Sprinkle the remaining dough over the fruit layer. Bake for 50 minutes, until the top is crisp and bubbly. Place pan on a wire rack to let cool completely.

Meanwhile, make an icing by whisking the confectioner’s sugar over a bowl. Stir in the 4 teaspoons milk until well combined. When the bars have cooled, drizzle the icing over the bars. Then use the parchment paper overhand to lift the bars out of the pan and place on a cutting board. Cut into squares, and store in an airtight container.

Until next time, happy baking!

Custom Muffins with Glazes

custom muffins with custom glazes
custom muffins with custom glazes

I ran across a recipe for a customizable muffin and it intrigued me. The concept was to have a “base” that you can vary any way you like. Berries could be stirred in, or nuts, or chocolate chips, or candies … you get the idea. It seemed like a fantastic way to make multiple flavors at one time without baking dozens of muffins at once. You could make a variety pack for yourself, or have several flavors to give as treats. I wanted to so something special for my neighbors, so I decided that four different muffins might put smiles on their faces. And, since I can’t leave well enough alone, I opted to make a different flavored glaze for each muffin flavor.

To veganize the recipe, I curdled cashew milk as a stand-in for buttermilk. In place of regular unsalted butter, I used Flora unsalted plant butter. Lastly, aquafaba was my egg substitute. To account for high altitude, I reduced the amount of baking powder and the oven temperature. Despite all of these changes to the original recipe, the muffins turned out tall and beautiful. My neighbors said they were great, and I enjoyed the diversity of the ones I saved for me.

Custom Muffins with Glazes adapted from Ultimate Muffins

4 TBS unsalted vegan butter (like Flora plant butter)
1 cup + 1 tsp non-dairy milk
1 TBS apple cider vinegar
2 cups all purpose flour
2.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 cup vegan sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3 TBS aquafaba
1 tsp vanilla extract
Custom mix-ins:
blueberries, fresh or frozen, drained if needed; 4 – 6 per muffin
chopped berries, fresh or frozen, drained if needed; 4 – 6 pieces per muffin
chocolate chips, regular or minis; 2-3 TBS
Custom glazes:
3 TBS powdered sugar, sifted
up to 1 tsp non-dairy milk
flavored extracts (such as vanilla, coffee, chocolate, lemon, orange)

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper cups and spray the cups with nonstick cooking spray. Melt vegan butter in a small saucepan and set aside to cool. Place non-dairy milk in a jar and add the apple cider vinegar. Place the lid on the jar and shake gently to combine. Let sit for 15 minutes to curdle.

Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the sugars and whisk to combine. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, curdled milk, aquafaba, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until combined. Remove 1/2 cup of batter to a bowl. Scoop the remaining batter into separate bowls, one per flavor. (I made 4 flavors, 3 muffins each, so I scooped 1/4 of the remaining batter each into its own bowl). Add the mix-ins, one flavor per bowl, and fold in gently. (I added 18 small blueberries to one bowl of batter, 12 bits of chopped cherries to one bowl, 15 bits of chopped raspberries to one bowl, and 2 TBS of mini chocolate chips to the last bowl).

Divide the 1/2 cup of reserved plain batter between the 12 muffin cups, as a layer on the bottom of the muffin cup. (This keeps the mix-ins from sinking to the bottom of the muffin). Next, fill the muffin cups 2/3 full with the flavored batters, one flavor per muffin cup. Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the muffin tin halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs. Move the tin to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Once cooled slightly, tip the muffins out onto the rack to finish cooling.

baked custom muffins, 4 flavors
baked custom muffins, 4 flavors

While the muffins cool, make the glazes. Add the powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp nondairy milk to a bowl. Add more milk, one drop at a time, as needed to dissolve the powdered sugar without making it too runny. Divide the glaze base into individual bowls to make separate flavors. I added vanilla and coffee extracts to put on my chocolate chip muffins, vanilla extract only for the raspberry muffins, chocolate and vanilla extracts for the cherry muffins, and lemon extract with a sprinkle of lemon zest for the blueberry muffins). When the muffins have cooled, drizzle the glazes over the tops of the muffins.

Until next time, happy baking!