These are the sour cherry streusel bars I made on the Nordic Treats episode of Zoë Bakes on Magnolia Network! In this episode I pay tribute to my Nordic heritage by preparing Swedish cream and krumkake, a pressed cookie and visiting a ladies’ church group for a lesson in making the traditional Norwegian flatbread, lefse. I make these bars because you can’t go to a gathering in Minnesota without bringing something to share!
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These are the brownies I make for my son, Charlie, and his roommates in season 1, episode 6 of Zoë Bakes on Magnolia Network. The recipe is a crowd pleaser because you use a delicious brownie base, then you can customize with up to 4 different toppings, if you desire!
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These coconut macaroon brownies are a delicious collision of two of my absolute favorite treats. They are the brilliant marriage of chewy coconut macaroons and the fudgiest brownies you will ever eat and we have Jake Cohen’s new book, Jew-ish, to thank. I grew up eating coconut macaroons at Jewish holidays and they were typically out of a box, that felt like it had surpassed its “Best By” date some decades earlier. Don’t get me wrong, I still loved them, but they had very little in the way of flavor or texture, they were just sweet and as a hippie kid, that was enough. As I got older, they failed to excite me and I learned just how easy and delightful a homemade macaroon was. At about the same time, I started making Ina Garten’s outrageous brownie recipe and I realized, in a profound way, just how much I needed chocolate in my life. But, those two recipes never found themselves stacked together in a pan and baked as one. That is what Jake did and it is a stroke of genius.
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When my best friend delivered the most perfect raspberries, she just hand picked, along with homemade raspberry preserves to my front porch and the mail woman brought me Edd Kimber’s newest book, One Tin Bakes, that’s kismet. I opened the book to the page with the Raspberry Cheesecake Streusel Bars and that evening my family was devouring them. That’s the hidden secret of bars, they’re rustic in their beauty, but magnificent in flavor. and super simple to make. After eating way too many of them, my family declared they are just a little TOO GOOD! Seriously folks, this will become a favorite recipe. One you’ll bring to every school function, picnic, family gathering and the treat you snuggle on the couch with while binge watching the GBBO. There are so many simple and delicious looking recipes in Edd’s book, I’ll be baking from it a lot.
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My Granny Neal made a version of these Sticky Coconut Maple Bars every Christmas and I wrote a love letter to them and shared the recipe over at The Kitchn – Granny’s Christmas Bars! They’re really perfect for any occasion, but when I was a little kid they were a special treat reserved for Christmas morning. Enjoy!
There seem to be two schools of thought about Thanksgiving desserts. Those who must have pumpkin pie and those who avoid anything pumpkin, other than the spice mix. I am squarely in the pumpkin camp and so is my whole family, but if you or someone you love is not, these Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars are the perfect way to ease into using the Thanksgiving essential and give a loving gesture to those who adore pumpkin.
The base of these bars comes from Michelle Lopez’s new book Weeknight Baking
, which is made up of great recipes that are quick and easy enough to fit into everyone’s busy schedule, even at the holidays. I added the swirl of pumpkin, which is also super easy and fast, but makes them just right for this week. Michelle has lots of great ideas for jazzing up the cheesecake bars and once you see my technique for swirling, you can add your own flair. You can easily make these in time for the big Turkey Day and I suggest making a double batch, so you have leftovers to snack on and stick into school lunches.
Watch me make these cheesecake bars on my Instagram.
