LEMON BARS.

 
lemon squares v.jpg

when life gives you lemons, make lemon bars. this upcoming weekend i am going to a farewell party for a friend who i was told loves lemon meringue pie! so i decided to make lemon bars, as they are just as tasty (or better), but are much easier to snack on & serve. these lemon bars feature a shortbread cookie style crust with a sweet & tangy layer of lemon filling. the taste of these bring me back to making lemon meringue pie with my mom, where i would literally eat a bowl of the filling to myself:) the recipe has been adapted from smitten kitchen/barefoot contessa (so you know its good).

ingredients:  

for the crust

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

  • 1/2 cup raw sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 2 cups all purpose flour

  • pinch of salt

for the filling 

  • 4 large eggs

  • 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 1 heaping tablespoon lemon zest

  • 2/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

  • 2/3 cup flour

directions:

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees

  • staring with the filling, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

  • add the vanilla, flour and pinch of salt and mix until just combined.

  • in a greased 9 by 13 inch pan, flatten the dough into it with your hands, building a 1/2 inch crust along the edges.

  • bake for 15-20 minutes (while you prepare your lemon filling).

  • in a separate mixing bowl begin making the filling by whisking the eggs, sugar, vanilla, zest, juice, and flour together until well combined.

  • when the crust is ready, pour filling over it and immediately put in back in the oven for 25-30 minutes.

  • let cool to room temperature before slicing and serving!

S'MORE BAR

 

s'mores!!!  with the warm weather & [s'more season] camping season upon us, i thought this would be the perfect opportunity to make my year round s'more bars. i mean, why should indulging in a s'more be limited to just the summer months? this recipe is inspired by the s'more bar i had the first time i visited anna olsen's bakery in niagara on the lake. as a big fan of her food network series, i told my mom that if for some reason anna olsen was actually there, DO NOT embarrass me. what did she do the second anna olsen walked in? [embarrass me] told her what a big fan i was... yada yada yada. oh moms. anyways, back to the s'more bars. they are layers of milk chocolate chunks, graham crackers and marshmallows, all bound together with a graham cracker puree filling! i could eat this filling on its own, it is so good! these are a perfect grab and go snack and freeze well in a sealed container.

ingredients:

  • 15 sheets whole graham crackers
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 2/3 cup raw sugar
  • 1/2 cup almond milk (regular milk works too)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 300g milk chocolate chopped (additional 50g if you snack on it while baking like me)
  • 2 cups mini marshmallows

directions:

  1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. in a sauce pot on low heat melt butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla until dissolved.
  3. stir in graham cracker crumbs, and set aside.
  4. in a nine-inch square pan greased or lined with parchment paper begin to assemble the bars starting with: whole graham crackers, 1/3 filling, 100g milk chocolate, 2/3 cup marshmallows, and repeat.
  5. finish with chocolate chunks and marshmallows as the top layer.
  6. bake for 15-20 minutes, until marshmallows begin to bubble and brown.
  7. remove from oven and let cool completely before slicing. i find refrigerating it before cutting works best!

MAPLE OATMEAL MUFFINS

 

a few weeks ago, i went to the one of a kind show in toronto and went a little maple crazy! maybe it's the canadian in me, but i love maple syrup.. so when i saw maple mustard, maple butter, maple bbq sauce i had to have it all.  instead of simply using the syrup   and butter on pancakes, i wanted to incorporate it into my baking. maple oatmeal muffins drizzled with maple butter! it makes for the perfect snack or grab and go breakfast on busy weekday mornings. 

ingredients: 

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil 
  • 1/2 cup raw sugar 
  •  1 egg
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup 
  • 1 tsp vanilla 
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cup flour 
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 cup quick oats 
  • 1/2 cup almond milk
  • maple butter (for drizzle)

directions:

  1. preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  2. in the bowl of a stand mixer mix oil, raw sugar, maple syrup and egg until well combined.
  3. add vanilla and milk.
  4. sift in salt, flour, baking powder and quick oats until just combined. 
  5. fill greased muffin tins leaving a little bit of room at the top. bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
  6. let cool before drizzling with maple butter. note: if you do not have maple butter, you can make a glaze using maple syrup and icing sugar.