Gluten-Free Apricot Tea Squares

I rarely bake with apricots but I saw a gluten-free recipe that sounded amazing and one I had to test out asap.  In fact, I think this is the one and only apricot recipe on Lemon Drop to date.

These Apricot Tea Squares are simple to make, use wholesome ingredients and get this - contain NO SUGAR or sugar substitutes!  The apricots and natural sweetness of coconut is all you need. That, my friends, is a winner in my book.

The other great thing about these squares is the easy preparation. Everything comes together in minutes with your food processor then you simply press the dough into a prepared pan.

Fresh Raspberry Crumb Bars

Fresh fruit bars in the middle of winter? You betcha ! You can always find fresh berries in your local grocery store. Opt for organic if you can. This recipe will work with blueberries, blackberries, even strawberries. Just use the same fruit flavored jam along with whatever fruit you choose. I went with raspberries because I had both the jam and some fresh berries on hand.

You can also switch up the batter itself. Why not try chops almonds instead of walnuts and add 1/4 tsp of pure almond extract to the batter? Or chopped pecans and a teaspoon of ground cinnamon...so many ideas !

Butterscotch Bars

Super sweet, super sticky, super delish ! This is another great recipe from Anna Olson's cookbook Sugar and it lets you play with bubbling sugar . Now don't let that scare you off. Boiling sugar doesn't need to be scary. Just take your time, keep stirring, don't stick your face into the pot to get a closer look and you will be fine!

This recipe reminds me of an old-fashioned bar I used to see at church bake sales when I was a kid. It has a soft, blondie-like crust and is loaded with creamy butterscotch, nuts, coconut and chocolate chips. What's not to like?

But as already warned, these are super sweet so a little square goes a long way. The great thing is that these can stay at room temperature covered in cling wrap for a couple of weeks so no rush to eat them all in one day (even though you may be tempted to do so).

As with most bars you bake the crust first then add the filling. Back in the oven for a final bake and you are done. So if you are ready, let's get bar-baking !

RECIPE:
*source recipe: Butterscotch Bars, Sugar by Anna Olson

WHAT YOU NEED

BASE

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

BUTTERSCOTCH

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup golden corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup walnut pieces
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
GREASE and line bottom of an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.
IN A BOWL, cream butter and sugars together.
ADD eggs and vanilla and beat until fluffy.
IN SEPARATE BOWL, combine flour, baking soda and salt.
ADD to butter mixture and stir until evenly blended.
SPREAD batter into a prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until an even golden brown. SET aside to cool.

IN MEDIUM SAUCEPAN, melt butter over medium heat.
STIR in sugars, corn syrup, water and salt and increase heat to medium-high.
WHEN MIXTURE BOILS, stir in walnut pieces and coconut.
SIMMER for 7 minutes, stirring often (mixture will become thick and darker in colour).
REMOVE from heat and stir in cream and vanilla (watch for steam).
POUR butterscotch over base and sprinkle chocolate chips.
BAKE for 13 to 16 minutes, until bubbling around the edges.
LET cool before cutting into squares or bars.
DO NOT refrigerate.

Butterscotch Bars will keep up to 3 weeks in an airtight container

Also seen here:

Lemon Lime Bars

Having half a dozen lemons and limes in the fridge drew me to this recipe. I didn't want to make a tart, a pie, or even a ice cream. I wanted something homey, traditional and pretty much what one could label as "comfort food". Lemon Bars are the epitome of comfort food so lemon lime bars sprinkled with icing sugar and topped with lime zest seemed like a pretty good idea.

This recipe makes thick, sweet and tangy lemon lime bars; a perfect citrus combination especially lovely this time of year. The crust is an amazing shortbread that works very well with the tangy fruit filling. For dessert, I highly recommended serving these alongside a dollop of whipped cream.

The original recipe hails from Better Homes and Gardens. I followed it to the letter but found the baking time, at least in my oven, was way off. I needed to add an extra 10 minutes to get it to set properly. So I recommend you start off with the original recipe time-frame and then check it from there until you can move the pan gently without the center giggling all over the place. Extra baking time will cause it to brown a bit more on top than usual but have no fear, it will soon be sprinkled liberally with powdered sugar and no one will be the wiser.

I also found that the source recipe didn't have enough lime added to it other than a measly teaspoon of lime zest. So instead of adding the full 1/2 cup of lemon juice to the filling I divided it into 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1/4 cup lime juice.

To begin you will need to line a 9" x 13" baking pan with heavy foil so it covers the bottom and sides with a slight overhang around all the edges. Next preheat that oven to 350F and get baking!

Baked and cooling at room temperature

This will need another 2 hours in the fridge before slicing

RECIPE:

* altered source recipe Lemon Lime Bars, Better Homes and Gardens

WHAT YOU NEED

CRUST

2/3 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
Zest of 1 large lemon

FILLING

6 large eggs
2 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup lime juice
zest of 1 large lemon
1 teaspoon lime zest
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
feel free to add a drop or two of yellow food dye to give it a rich yellow color!

TOPPING

powdered sugar
lime zest

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
LINE 9x13" pan with heavy foil

IN BOWL OF A STAND MIXER fitted with paddle blade, beat butter 1 minute MED speed
ADD brown sugar and cream until combined
ADD flour and lemon zest beating until mixture resembles coarse crumbs
PRESS into bottom and up the sides of prepared pan
BAKE 20 minutes (or until center is set)
REMOVE and let rest on cooling rack while you prepare the filling

IN BOWL OF A STAND MIXER fitted with paddle blade, combine all ingredients and MIX on MED 2-3 minutes scraping down sides when necessary
POUR into hot crust
RETURN to oven and bake an additional 20-25 minutes or until center is set. This too an extra 10 minutes in my oven so keep checking after 20 minutes and adjust baking time accordingly.

REMOVE from oven and let rest on baking rack 1 hour
COVER AND TRANSFER to fridge for 2 hours
SPRINKLE generously with powdered sugar and lime zest
LIFT bars out of pan gently by pulling up on foil edges
CUT with a knife dipped in hot water. Dip knife in hot water after each cut to ensure clean and smooth edges

ENJOY !

Also seen here:

Chocolate Dulce de Leche Crunch Bars

These little bars have a crunchy sweet oatmeal crust and are filled with dark chocolate, walnuts and Dulce de Leche. They are "super easy" to make and your family will love them.

Where did this idea come from? You can thank my fridge and pantry cupboards. I had a bottle of Dulce de Leche left over from a recent recipe. I also had some glorious dark chocolate chunks that were aching to be eaten. I cannot seem to walk by these in the grocery store without buying at least 2 bags at a time.

Lastly, I have had a new bag of oats staring at me in the cereal cupboard for weeks now. These are not quick-cook oats and please, don't use quick-cook in this recipe as it won't have the same desired texture.

I had originally intended to make date bars today but when I saw the possibilities with the ingredients above I just couldn't resist !

Now on with the show !!

You begin with a 9" X 13" baking pan lined with aluminum foil which must overlap the sides slightly. You will use the overlap as handles to remove the cooled bars for cutting.
Spray the lined pan with cooking spray before adding in the bottom crust.

You will need 3 key ingredients for the bar filler: chocolate, dulce de leche and walnuts.
A "threesome" made in heaven

Here is the baked crust awaiting its filling

Spread the Dulce de Leche on top of the crust and add 250g of chopped dark chocolate

Then add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts sprinkled on top

And finish it off with the remaining crust crumble.
These bars are now ready for the oven and the final baking process !

Baked, cut into bars and downright delicious !!

RECIPE:

WHAT YOU NEED

CRUST

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, cold, grated

FILLING

250g chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chunks
1 450g jar of Dulce de Leche
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
LINE 9"x13" with aluminum foil so it overlaps on all sides.
SPRAY sides and bottom with cooking spray
IN LARGE BOWL, combine all ingredients
BLEND with your hands until the crust starts to clump together
PAT 1/2 of crust mixture into pan
BAKE 20 minutes
ALLOW to cool on rack for 20 minutes

SPREAD Dulce de Leche over cooled crust
SPRINKLE chopped chocolate over Dulce de Leche
SPRINKLE chopped walnuts over chocolate
YES, THE LAST STEP!! COVER filling with remaining crust.
PRESS top crust down gently
BAKE 35 minutes
ALLOW to cool 1 hr before lifting out of pan by aluminum sides
CUT into bars

Serve warm with ice cream for a special dessert treat