Bar Cookie

Oatmeal Lemon Creme Bars

Lemon Creme Bar with oatmeal based crumble top and bottom layers

There are two camps in the world of desserts. Those of us who love lemon…the tangier the better, and those who don’t.

Where I live in a world where I can not imagine the zesty bite of citrus in my desserts, there are many (my children included) who are content to have lemons in their water, zested over pan-seared broccoli, but not in their sweets.

Since I am of Team Lemon Everything, this dessert was made for me. A recipe from the Hungry Fan’s Game Day Cookbook, by Dana Falk (my cookbook book club pick of the month), this was one of those desserts I took a small square of and then thought about all week. The thoughts I was thinking sounded like this…why didn’t I take a bigger piece?

Lemon Creme Bar Filling lemon, egg, cornstarch and zest

Problem solved the following weekend, when I made a batch for myself. Now, disclaimer. I always use more zest than the recipe requires so this recipe has my zest measurement. I also packaged up 3/4ths of the final product so I could share immediately and not eat it all. (Here is where being my friend is a bonus).

I actually zested and squeezed the lemons the night before (I used at least four) and got those ingredients prepped and in the fridge – so this recipe came together fairly quickly and easily.

The crumbly layer forms both the bottom and top of the bar. The creme layer is mixed in one bowl and poured over the pre cooked layer, and then covered in more crumble and popped back in the oven.

If you find yourself embracing the lemons in life, instead of making lemonade…I highly suggest making these bars. They are superb. Find a few friends on Team Lemon and share them. Then you make someone else’s day brighter too.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always…thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

Click on link below for a printable recipe.

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Oatmeal Lemon Creme Bars

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Crumbly lemon creme bars with a delicious oat mixture top and bottom. Zesty lemon creme filling meets the need for sweet and tangy. Everything a lemon dessert should deliver!

  • Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com (original recipe from Daina Falk’s Hungry Fan’s Game Day Cookbook)

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/3 Cup Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
  • 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Zest
  • 1 (14 ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • 2 Large Egg Yolks
  • 1 Teaspoon Corn Starch
  • 1 1/4 Cups AP Flour
  • 1 1/4 Cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Salt (recipe calls for sea salt- I used iodized)
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 12 Tablespoons Butter, melted (recipe calls for unsalted I used salted)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350* Prepare an 8×8 pan with butter.
  2. Whisk together oats, flour, salt, baking soda, white and brown sugars. Mix until no clumps remain.
  3. Stir vanilla extract into melted butter. 
  4. Pour butter mixture into dry ingredients, stir until the mixture is moistened crumbs.
  5. Sprinkle half of crumble mixture into prepared pan and press into an even layer.
  6. Bake bottom layer for fifteen minutes. Remove and set aside.
  7. Whisk together sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and corn starch until combined.
  8. Pour lemon filling over bottom layer and smooth into an even layer.
  9. Sprinkle remaining crumble mixture on top of the lemon layer.
  10. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.
  11. Once cool, cover and refrigerate for at least another hour, cut into squares, and serve.

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Brown Sugar Frosted Pumpkin Bars

Brown Sugar Frosted Pumpkin Bars

I wanted to write about this recipe long before now- because it seems pumpkin has a life of between late august and late November. Once Pumpkin Pie has taken center stage at Thanksgiving, it get pushed back into the back of the pantry and recipe lists. I love a bar cookie, and this fits the bill. Its a dense pumpkin cake bar with a brown sugar frosting, read: LOVE. It isn’t too sweet, and the pumpkin flavor is accented with all of the great spices that go with it, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. The bars are easy to assemble, mixing in one bowl, and the frosting is also relatively easy. You could actually make the bars without the frosting and they resemble a less spicy gingerbread with pumpkin shining through.

These were made for a fall party and they were a hit. I also liked that it was another excuse to cook with pumpkin and feature it NOT in a pie.

The original recipe is from www.handletheheat.com and I tinkered with the recipe to use all of the pumpkin I had in my container. I purchased organic pumpkin, and there was enough left over that I increased the amounts. If you wanted to try to make this gluten free, I don’t think it would impact the end result of the pumpkin bars. I used regular flour, but the density would remain the same.

On the side of frosting, I did follow the recipe exactly, and felt it could have used more confectioner’s sugar to be a thicker, lighter more frosting-er frosting. However, when you make a frosting with two types of sugar, the last thing you want to add is more sugar, especially when the bars themselves are healthy(er than usual recipes you see here).

These held their shape when packing into lunches, and stayed moist for almost a week in a sealed container, which is pretty amazing when it comes to dessert!

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

Click below for a printable recipe!

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Brown Sugar Frosted Pumpkin Bars

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Pumpkin bars frosted with a brown sugar frosting! Recipe adapted from Handle the Heat’s Pumpkin Bars with Brown Sugar Frosting.

  • Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

Pumpkin Bars:

  • 1 3/4 Cup Pumpkin Puree
  • 2 1/4 Cup Flour
  • 14 Tablespoons (I stick and 6 Tablespoons) Butter, melted
  • 2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 3/4 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
  • 3/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  • 3/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1 Cup Packed Dark Brown Sugar
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract

Brown Sugar Frosting:

  • 1 Stick (8 Tablespoons) Butter
  • 1/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1/8 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1 1/2 Cups Confectioner’s Sugar
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1 + Tablespoon of Milk (more if needed)

Instructions

  1. Line a 9×13 Pan with parchment paper.
  2. Preheat oven to 350*
  3. Combine Flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Whisk to combine.
  4. In a mixer, combined butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, and pumpkin puree.
  5. Gently add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture.
  6. Pour batter into prepared pan.
  7. Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes or until tester comes out clean from center of pan.
  8. Cool

To make frosting:

  1. In a mixer, combine butter and sugar until light and creamy.
  2. Add cinnamon, salt and gradually add confectioner’s sugar.
  3. When all of the ingredients are combined, add milk and vanilla, until frosting is the right consistency.
  4. Frost pumpkin bars with frosting. Cut into squares or bars.

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Sorry Not Sorry Bars

Blondies with crushed Oreos and M&M Candies

Blondies with crushed Oreos and M&M Candies

Sorry Not Sorry Bars

I have fallen in love with the game of Field Hockey.

Mostly because my daughter has fallen in love with the game of Field Hockey.

I’ve gotten to be a sideline watcher mom, an almost coach mom, a real coach mom (who assisted with the ice packs and hydration and drills- not any real hard core stuff) and now, I am back to watching…and cutting ribbons, supporting boosters, and PACKING THE SNACK BOX.

My inner mom waged war with this idea. A post game snack should be rich in vitamins and nutrients. I KNOW those young bodies need not Oreos and M&Ms. I do. They wear small sizes and burn a lot of calories and CAN eat this treat, but SHOULD they? No.

Crushed Oreos

Crushed Oreos

Peer pressure can be cruel. I fell into the trap to be the cool mom who made the treats that fall on the less than healthy scale. I ply myself with ideas like, they ate these after the game and it was late, and they were bonding over sugar. They ran hard, won the game, and the calories won’t affect them like they would my old self.

Oh well. Sorry, not sorry.

These are a basic blondie with a whole lot of extra thrown in. Crushed Oreos and M&M’s made my cut, only because I couldn’t find a chocolate covered pretzel I liked and I didn’t want to over kill this recipe- but really, you can throw the kitchen sink in here. Whatever floats your boat. I used regular M&M’s but the last time I checked there were at least ten different flavors (Hello Caramel?? Can’t have within reach of my arms) so you could really have at it.

It is NOT a healthy snack. It isn’t even close. So if you make it, go all in. I saw this original recipe on www.averiecooks.com, and made the batch larger to feed my team. The Snack Box is a serious endeavor. I wanted extra. We don’t skimp at our house when it comes to servings. It’s an Italian thing. Or, maybe it’s a foodie thing.

Sorry Not Sorry Bars

This batter mixes up quickly, and bakes quickly as well. There isn’t baking soda or powder in the recipe, and it makes up two rectangular pans, making twenty four good sized squares. Perfect for a team or for a dessert tray at a function.

In any event, the team determined it was a great snack, and the box came back empty, so I consider that a good sign. I’ll take it. I may not be shouting instructions from the sidelines, but I can get my love in through the baked goods I supply. We all have our strengths.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Click below for a printable recipe!

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Sorry Not Sorry Bars

Blondies with crushed Oreos and M&M Candies
Print Recipe

Rich buttery blondie bar filled with Oreos and M&M’s Recipe originally found on www.averiecooks.com

This batch will fill two large rectangular pans- yielding 24 good sized bars. Perfect for the team!

  • Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 and 1/2 C Melted Butter (Three Sticks)
  • 3 Cups packed Dark Brown Sugar
  • 3 Eggs
  • 3 Tablespoons Vanilla
  • 1 Package Oreos of Choice – crushed into bite size pieces
  • 1 Share Size Bag (2 Cups) M&M’s of Choice…so many to choose!
  • 3 Cups Flour

You can add any assortment of add-ins at this point. Think Go-Big-Or-Go-Home

 

Instructions

  1. Pre-Heat oven to 350*
  2. Line and spray/grease two 9×11 Pans with parchment paper.
  3. Melt Butter and combine in a mixer with Dark Brown Sugar until smooth and incorporated.
  4. Add Vanilla, Eggs, and combine.
  5. Add flour slowly to incorporate.
  6. Fold in all the other goodies (M&M’s, Oreos, Chocolate covered Pretzels, etc)
  7. Divide batter between two pans, smoothing out to edges gently.
  8. Bake for 20-25 minutes. These cook up quickly so keep an eye on them!
  9. Allow to cool completely before cutting.

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