dessert

Lemon Sunshine

Posted on by Ang Anderson

I have this lovely association of lemon bars with sunshine. It might have something to do with the fact that the recipe I have for lemon bars is titled “Sunburst Lemon Bars”. There is virtually no snow left here, save for a few sad-looking patches that are slowly meeting their demise. The warm air has given way to tremendous spring fever. All I can think about are the gorgeous days ahead, what I am going to plant in my garden, and how many great outdoor adventures we are going to have this year. The daydreams and sunlight inevitably brought me to these delightful treats, so I thought I’d take a moment to share some sunshine in the form of food.

These lemon bars are a favorite of mine. This was recently confirmed in a rather embarrassing manner. I have determined that these may, in fact, be my all-time favorite dessert bar. I know this because I may or may not have eaten a whole pan single-handedly (or is it single-mouthedly? *cringe*). If I were Superman, these would be my Kryptonite. I am happy to report that I did share some of the last batch with a dear friend and my husband ate one. (Yes, one. He loves me!) The rest I kept. All. To. Myself. I am not proud of this last maneuver. But I feel compelled to confess the possible danger these Sunburst Lemon Bars may create in the consumption zone. They are like little bites of sunshine. Truly. Lemon-filled sunshine. Drizzled with icing. They are good. You should make them. You should share them with friends, husbands, and even neighbors if you are feeling generous.

But, by all means, you should eat them.

You will cut a skinny sliver of a portion and tell yourself, “I’ll just have this skinny little sliver”. Then, a few minutes later, you will go back to the pan and tell yourself the same thing. You will repeat this process until there is nothing left in your pan but a faint hint of crumbs.

On second thought, it might be best to just invite me over to your house. I’ll bring my own fork and we can both eat straight out of the pan. We’ll throw proper manners right out the window. And we will be in lemon-filled, sunshine heaven. Bliss. Epic and wonderful bliss. All from a lemon bar! Oh the joy! It fills my heart (and belly) with gladness. I hope you enjoy these little delights as much as I do. Happy Lemon Sunshine!

Sunburst Lemon Bars

INGREDIENTS

Crust

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter, softened

Filling

4 eggs

2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

6 Tbsp lemon juice

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl with electric mixer, beat crust ingredients on low speed until crumbly. Press mixture evenly in bottom of ungreased 13×9-inch pan. Bake 20 minutes or until light golden brown.  Meanwhile, in large bowl with wire whisk, lightly beat eggs. Beat in remaining filling ingredients except lemon juice until well blended. Beat in 6 Tbsp lemon juice.  Remove partially baked crust from oven. Pour filling evenly over warm base.  Return to oven; bake 25 to 30 minutes longer or until top is light golden brown.Cool completely, about 1 hour. (The waiting is the hardest part!)In small bowl, mix 1 cup powdered sugar and enough lemon juice for desired spreading consistency until smooth. Spread glaze over cooled bars. Cut into bars. Devour. Daintily, of course.

Printable Version

Easy Pretzel Treats

Posted on by Ang Anderson

First, let me get your attention.  Three ingredients.  Ten minutes.  That’s it.

Second, I do not like one of the ingredients.  They are something I have to be “in the mood” for and I am rarely in the mood for these guys.  I am referring to pretzels, the crunchy little kind.  To me, they taste like the flavor I imagine cardboard to possess.  I avoid them at all costs.  I remove from Chex Mix and discard them in the trash.  Of course, there are good versions of pretzels that do exist.  For instance, the bread-like kind glazed with butter and giant pieces of salt that you might find at the mall.  That’s a pretzel.  (Please note that I have been diagnosed with a bread disorder.  For more details, please see recent post on Artisan Bread.)

While at my friend Gretchen‘s house in early December, she made these delightful little pretzel treats.  There was my usual objection as soon as I heard the word pretzel but Gretchen insisted.  She is pretty persuasive because I agreed to try them (although secretly I thought they could not possibly be any good).

You are about to find out exactly why I am able devour these pretzels with no qualms whatsoever.

Hershey’s Hugs.

and sweet, candy coated chocolate M&M’s.

(Notice how those last two items are sugar/chocolate items?  Those are the two very good reasons that I will fervently consume pretzels.)

Since we are in the season of L.O.V.E., I used Valentine M&M’s.  Back at Christmastime, we used the gorgeous holiday ones.  I snapped some photos and had the good intention of blogging about them back then but the holiday season got the best of me.  I decided that I could make them for any holiday using the appropriate M&M’s so I didn’t fret a whole bunch.

That is the fantastic thing about these treats.  You could make them anytime, using any variety of chocolate M&M’s.  Regular multi-colored ones. (Gorgeous!)  Easter. (How pretty!)  Fourth of July. (How patriotic!)  The list goes on and on.  The variety of M&M’s provides a colorful way to…(I can’t believe I am thinking this…eat pretzels!…but really)…to make these delightful treats for any occasion.  Thank you Gretchen!

So, if you are ready, here are the details.

First, pre-heat your oven to 170 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Spread out the pretzels.  Unwrap the Hugs and place one on each pretzel like so…

Next, pop them in the oven for about 4-5 minutes.  Watch them carefully.  You just want to melt the Hugs so they begin to flatten.  Mine got a little too melty this time but still worked out fine.  Remove from oven.  Insert an M&M into the center of each like so…

Then, if you live in the frozen tundra like I do (and it’s February) you can set the tray outside.  They just need to be chilled for about ten minutes.  You could also set the tray in your freezer or refrigerator, wherever you have the space.  The M&M will attach to the Hug and the Hug will harden, making a sweet little pretzel treat.  Enjoy!

Riesen Brownies

Posted on by Ang Anderson

I took one bite of these brownies and lost consciousness…

In the blackness, my eyes focus upon a dark mountain stacked with rocky chunks of chocolate.  A river of fudge syrup flows through fields of chocolate blossoms, extending as far as I can see.  There is nothing but the pounding of sweet, decadent chocolate coursing through my veins, beckoning me farther and deeper into an entire land filled with chocolate.  Ahhh…the adventures I could have here.  The aroma gives way to pure bliss.  Total relaxation.  Divine *tug*   Mmmm… *tug*     happiness *tug*

Unfortunately, the tugging of my two-year old forced me out of my chocolate stupor and back to my slightly-less- chocolate-filled-life.  I made these brownies last Saturday as a gift for my brother-in-law.  His birthday was this week and he loves Riesens.

So, I did a little research and found this absolutely delectable recipe which just happened to be graced with not one but two entire packages of Riesens.

The look of sheer pain on my husband’s face when I told him that these brownies were for his brother and that he couldn’t eat any was positively heart breaking.  Luckily, when I packaged them up on Sunday, there were a few left for us to taste (read devour) and I must say they were positively earth-shattering.

I urge you to try them as soon as humanly possible.  In the brownie world, I dare say, they are a game changer.

Riesen Brownie Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 box German or chocolate cake mix
  • 3/4 cup butter, melted
  • 2/3 cup evaporated milk, divided
  • 2 packages Riesen candies
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°, coat a 9×13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl combine cake mix, butter, and 1/3 cup evaporated milk, stir until dough sticks together, forming a ball. Press half the dough into the baking dish, bake for 6 minutes.In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, melt caramels with remaining 1/3 cup evaporated milk, stir frequently. Remove baking dish from oven. Sprinkle chocolate chips over warm dough. Spread melted Riesen mixture over the chips, then crumble remaining dough over the top. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool then refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting. (or I just let mine sit on the counter to cool.)