I don’t often make chocolate chip cookies. I love them, but I’m pretty picky. There’s the kind I grew up with, the recipe that came from the back of the chocolate chip bag. I’d help my mom sift the flour (sifting, now there’s a trait I haven’t carried to adulthood) and stir the batter by hand. My favorite part,of course, was adding in the chocolate chips–many which were stuffed inside my cheeks instead of into the mixing bowl. I’ve made vegan chocolate chip cookies, a fantastic oatmeal version, and I tried a recipe that was very similar to the one I grew up with. I’m also pretty enamoured with this maple version. But I wanted to try something new and Ashley over at Not without Salt had the answer.

Let me introduce you to the very best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever. Ever.

These don’t require extra egg yolks or a 36 hour unbearable wait in the fridge. No fussing about with special ingredients or complicated instructions. Ashley suggests using a good block of chocolate and then using a serrated knife to cut the chocolate (the very best you can afford) into chunks. I’m sure they’d be wonderful that way. But I went for ease and used very good chocolate chips. Traditional but no less wonderful. I also love nuts in my cookies, so I went ahead and used half a cup of sliced almonds (though chopped pecans or walnuts would be perfect too). And because I love a bit of salt to bring out the sweetness, half of the batch I sprinkled with some flakey salt. It was a good move. I recommend you do this too.

These aren’t quite like the cookies I remember as a kid. They’re better. A whole lot better. And I know my mom would approve, secret stashes of chocolate chips stuffed into cheeks and everything. Bake up a batch and send them to your mom.

elsewhere: Stop your boring meals – brighten them up with a sprinkling of za’atar. Don’t buy this condiment at the store, make it fresh and keep your meals exciting. Get the recipe over at Poppytalk.

the very best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever
(adapted from Not Without Salt)
1 c butter, room temperature
1/2 c white sugar
1 3/4 c light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
3 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 t baking soda
3/4 t salt
2 c semi sweet or bitter sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c sliced almonds (optional – if not using, replace with chocolate chips)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or fleur de sel (optional), for sprinkling

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time, blending well before adding in the second egg. Add in vanilla and mix until incorporated. Slowly add the flour mixture. Mix until just combined, taking care not to over mix. With a spatula fold in the chocolate and the almonds (if using).

Using a tablespoon, roll into balls and place onto a prepared cookie sheet (I always line mine with silpat or parchment paper). Slightly flatten out the tops. If desired, sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt or fleur de sel.

Bake at 360F for 12 minutes until lightly golden but still a bit gooey on the inside. Cool on wire racks.

Possibly related posts:

• c is for cookie: killer chocolate chip cookies
• short and sweet: chocolate chip & ginger cookies

I love trying to recreate some of my favorite things from local shops and restaurants. I first tried my hand at the UBC cake from the Uprising Bakery. I think I did pretty well and that recipe has been the most popular recipe on this site for years. I’ve done a play on the Najib’s Special cauliflower dish from Nuba. Again, a success. And then there’s the Union Market, a small and long-time running local haunt that puts out some seriously delicious baked goods for all the neighbourhood to enjoy. I tried to recreate their cinnamon buns and while mine were delicious, they just weren’t built the same as the ones from the Union. It’s okay, I’ll still visit the market for their sweet buns. And their flakey and amazing croissants.

But the Union Market has another treat that I really, really love – their coconut chocolate macaroon bars. They’re dense, buttery and rich and chock full of chocolate and coconut. For me, coconut and chocolate is a pairing for the ages. You just can’t go wrong and these bars capture all that is right. So when I spotted a similar sounding recipe on Pinterest, I was interested. Very interested. Lucky for me, the results were perfectly similar.

I think the key to success is to use ribbon coconut (I’ve noticed this lately mentioned on blogs as “coconut chips”). The wide ribbons of coconut really add chew and texture where the shredded stuff just can’t keep up. It’s key, I think in re-creating these bars. Good chocolate is also highly desirable. I like the bitter-sweet stuff, but semi-sweet works well too.

The Union Market drizzles their bars with chocolate, but for me, that’s overkill. Too much sweetness. I like the plain jane approach – but trust me, there’s nothing plain about these squares. Nothing. I urge you to bake up a batch as soon as you can. I’m sure you’ll find yourself making these often – I’m already planning my next batch.

elsewhere: If you’ve been following my blog for awhile, you know that I’ve got a cabbage problem. I love it and eat it all the time. So I had to share my latest cabbage slaw obsession over at Poppytalk: Sunshine Citrus Slaw. It’s delicious and I’ve been eating it all week long. Enjoy!

union market coconut chocolate macaroon copycat bars
(adapted from The Brown Eyed Baker)
1/2 c unsalted butter, melted
1 c brown sugar
1 large egg
1½ t vanilla extract
1 c all-purpose flour
1/4 t salt
1 c unsweetened ribbon coconut  (aka coconut chips)
1 c semi-sweet or bitter-sweet chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour an 8″ square baking pan. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the melted butter with the sugar, egg and vanilla. Slowly add in the flour and salt and mix until combined. Stir in the coconut and chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth out the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the top is golden. Don’t overbake. Cool and then slice into squares.

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Two Saturdays ago, we took off across the bridge and drove up into the mountains with some rented snowshoes and a couple of friends. There had been avalanche warnings that morning and I was a teensy bit nervous as we passed the red warning sign at the bottom of the mountain trail, but a few feet into the snow and trees and quiet, and I forgot all about the potential danger. I should point out that we were assured by the employees over at the ski hill that we would be totally fine as long as we stuck to the trails. And we did. Safe & sound!

We made it all the way up to the summit and despite it being an overcast day, it was gorgeous – like being stuck inside a snow globe. Quiet and still and despite all the snow, we were warm and sweaty. That’s what a steep climb in snowshoes will do. At the summit we were greeted by a couple of cute fluffy whiskey jacks and the biggest ravens I ever did see.

I should point out that cookies involved.

These sesame tahini cookies that I had baked up the night before helped to take us up to the summit and kept our energy and spirits up. Cornelius thought they tasted a bit like Christmas shortbread cookies and I know exactly what he means. The texture is delicate and tender and they tasted rich and buttery. Perfect for snacking with a cuppa and a great accompaniment on a snowy climb.

There’s no reason to doubt the awesomeness of tahini in cookies. Plus with the sesame seeds sprinkled throughout and the crunch of the raw sugar on top, these cookies are really easy to fall in love with. However, I should point out that Cornelius nor my friends couldn’t guess what they were made with. I thought the sesame taste was quite evident, but everyone was kind of clueless until I told them. Whateves, my friends clearly have inferior taste buds but they loved these cookies as much as I did.

I’m not one to drink milk with cookies, but I think these would make a fine candidate. Got egg issues? No problem because there are no eggs involved. Want to make these vegan? Sub out the honey with agave or maple syrup and use vegan margarine instead. No problemo!

elsewhere: Over at Poppytalk, I make a fantastic yam & red quinoa salad. Healthy and packed with nutrients, not only is it gorgeous, but it’s filling and really freakin’ delicious. Get the recipe!

sesame tahini cookies
(adapted from A Sweet Spoonful)
1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c well-stirred tahini
1 T honey
1 t pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup sesame seeds (I used toasted)
2 T raw sugar

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, combine the butter, sugar, tahini, honey and vanilla until well blended. Add the flour in 2 additions, mixing slowly but surely. Stir in the sesame seeds and when those look combined into the dough, dump the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper and flatten slightly. Wrap tightly and chill in the fridge for about an hour or so.

When the dough is chilled, preheat oven to 350F and move oven racks to the middle. Pour the raw sugar into a small dish and roll out a spoonful of dough, dip into the raw sugar and slightly flatten each ball before setting them onto a silpat or parchment-covered baking sheet. Fill 2 sheets with cookies (don’t worry, the cookies will not spread) and bake for 12-14 minutes until slightly golden and crackly. Cool cookies completely on sheets before transferring, as the cookies are very delicate out of the oven. Makes about 24-28 cookies.

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I’ve never encountered a jewel bar until I spent my first Christmas with Cornelius’ parents. A jewel bar seems innocent enough: a shortbread bottom topped with chocolate chips, salted mixed nuts….until you get to those blasted glacé cherries. You see, I’ve always viewed those candied cherries as an abomination upon the world of desserts. They always seem to appear when you least expect them, hiding in a hot cross bun or ruining a perfectly lovely shortbread cookie. So when I was offered a plate of baked goods from the people that would one day be my in-laws, I didn’t want to be rude. I picked up the jewel bar and once I bit into it, I was sold. Hideous cherries, be damned! I became smitten with these jewel bars that probably started their life as a recipe found on a package of chocolate chips.

These bars have that great sweet-salty thing going on because of the nuts and I think that’s why I love these so much! And now that I’m no longer giving glacé cherries the evil eye, I can appreciate how they certainly liven up the dish with their festive colour. Plus, they do add a flavour that really works here. Really! But the most perfect thing about these jewel bars is that they are one of the simplest desserts to make. They’re a cinch to whip up when company comes a-calling or for giving as a last-minute gift.

Thanks for visiting here during these busy times and I want to extend a warm and happy Christmas filled with peace & joy! Happy happy holidays!

holiday jewel bars
1 1/2 c flour
1 c brown sugar
1 c butter (cool, but not hard)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 c salted mixed nuts
1 1/2 c halved candied cherries
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, combine the flour with half of the brown sugar and mix well. Cut in the butter and use your fingers to work the butter into the flour mixture to form coarse crumbs. Press into a 9″x12″ pan and bake for 10 – 12 minutes.

In another bowl, beat the egg with the salt and the rest of the brown sugar. Stir in the nuts, cherries and chocolate chips until everything is well coated with the egg mixture. Spoon this evenly over the shortbread layer and bake for 10-15 minutes until golden. Cool and cut into 2″ squares.

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• neighbourhood loving: union market chocolate macaroon copycat bars
• holiday baking & gift ideas

This year I took the slow boat towards Christmas and only started really thinking about holiday baking and decorating this past weekend. Friday night we put up our shiny little tinsel tree, drank a few amaretto sours and basked in the glow and shimmer of pink lights and oodles of vintage ornaments. My favorite holiday movie, The Shop Around the Corner, has been watched and my cupboards and fridge is now full of flour, butter, sliced almonds and chocolate. Time to start the all important holiday baking!

A couple of years ago, I compiled a mighty list of great holiday baking ideas and gifts and figured I’d provide a compendium to my original list filled with great seasonal treats from 2010 + 2011. And because that older list also included a lovely little gift tag set to print off and use, I figured I’d add another one for the collection! All you need is a PDF reader and a printer. Just download the PDF, print onto card stock and cut out your cheery checked circles! Use them to top mason jars filled with treats, or use a hole punch and tie on some ribbon to tag your edible gift! The design matches the recipe cards in my etsy shop, you know, in case you were curious.

Now, onwards with the holiday baking, candy & kitchen book ideas!

Bars & Squares
Butterscotch confetti squares - a Canadian classic aka “marshamel”.
Butterscotch cashew bars - buttery & delicious.
Cranberry lemon squares - tart & festive.
Seriously intense cocoa nib brownies - for serious chocolate fanatics!

Cakes & Loafs
Walnut & cranberry zucchini bread - a favorite!
Banana espresso chocolate chip bread - a classic combo of flavours!
Coconut lime cake - tart & tropical.
Coffee & spice cupcakes - spicy and dark.

Candy & Nuts
Candy Cane Crisp Bark – white chocolate, rice crispies & crushed candy canes do Christmas up right!
Chocolate coconut almond bites – like little balls of Almond Joy!
Last-minute peanut brittle – Today I saw a small box of peanut brittle on sale for $14. It’s a snap to make, so make it yourself!
Salted caramel pretzel almond popcorn – what a tasty mouthful!
Salty sweet candied peanuts – what’s not to love?
Spiced caramel corn with pepitas, almonds & pecans - just a little spicy…

Cookies
Cranberry rum shortbread cookies – slice and bake & perfect for the holidays!
Chocolate puddle cookies - decadent!
Salted butterscotch oatmeal cookies - in 2011 I discovered a serious love of butterscotch!
Vegan-ish sandwich cookies - like oreos, but better!
Bittersweet chocolate cookies - holy moly.
Vegan garam masala cookies - like gingerbread, only more interesting.

Kitchen books
And because I’m an avid reader (you can follow me here on GoodReads – though be wary, I do read a lot of YA), here are just three great kitchen books that I read this past year:

Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef – Honest, open, no BS memoir. Loved it.
Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys – A gorgeous cookbook that I think is a must in anyone’s collection.
Boozehound: On the Trail of the Rare, the Obscure, and the Overrated in Spirits – This book will make you want to drink more (not necessarily a bad thing).

elsewhere: After all this sweetness, maybe you want to curl up with something a bit more healthy. And maybe you want a tutorial on how to shred cabbage. Well, you are in luck! Over at Poppytalk, I make a fantastic apple cabbage slaw and show you the proper way to shred cabbage (no finger loss!).

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Blackberry and peaches have a short life span. They appear in local markets and entangled in bushes wanting to be seen, heard and tasted and then just before you’ve had your fill, they seem to vanish. I have a tendency to hoard and my freezer space suffers because of it. But this year, I didn’t stash away buckets full of berries. Instead, I found joy in their freshness and honoured their fleeting nature. I ate them out of hand and I also made these tasty squares.

But first, I wanted to talk about summer. It is also fleeting. Summer didn’t really seem to start here until August and it doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon either. This summer I attended a horse race where I came out pretty much on par. You win some, you lose some and then you drink a cold one. I played croquet in suburban backyards and went on bike rides around the city. I discovered a beautiful new park close to my neighbourhood and I appeared on the radio. I even went to an afternoon baseball game!

I rode a wooden roller coaster, ate a corn dog and realized that I’m getting too old for those spinny rides at the fair. With friends in tow, I spent a few afternoons and evenings in a tiny island in the middle of the city, usually with a picnic and a beer in hand. We drove out to the semi-desert of this beautiful province and saw hoodoos and peered down at tiny prickly pear cactuses that grew underfoot. We camped by rivers and had campfires and ate ‘smores.

Summer, I’m glad we became fast friends. Luckily, blackberries and peaches make wonderful playmates. Sweet and tart and much less fussy than a pie, these bars make a lovely wrap up to the fading summer sun.

blackberry & peach shortbread bars
(adapted from Smitten Kitchen and this recipe)
3 c all-purpose flour
1 c white sugar
1 t baking powder
1/4 t cinnamon
1/8 t freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 t sea salt
1 c cold unsalted butter
1 large egg
1 t vanilla extract
2 peaches, pitted and thinly sliced
2 cups blackberries (if using frozen, no need to defrost)

Preheat oven to 375F. Butter a 9×13″ pan.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices. Add the butter and use your hands to crumble the dough into small pieces. Add in the egg and vanilla. Stir to combine. Press 3/4 of the dough into the prepped pan and set aside the remaining dough for the topping.

Add the sliced peaches over top and then scatter the blackberries. Crumble the remaining dough over top . Bake for 35 minutes or until the top and sides are golden. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting into bars. Makes 24 squares.

Possibly related posts:

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• raspberry/blackberry oat breakfast bars

Who would have thunk it that Cher from Clueless, who already had a pretty sweet life – like totally kissing on cutie Paul Rudd – could bake up a mighty mean cookie. Okay, so it’s the actress Alicia Silverstone who has this cookie in her vegan cookbook and it’s Oprah’s website that I have to thank for the recipe. This cookie not only has star power but it’s probably the best oatmeal cookie I’ve ever eaten in my life. Yup, I’m trumping it as The Best.

I wanted to satisfy a late-night cookie craving and these fit the bill. I was out of eggs, so a vegan recipe sounded perfect. The original recipe called for walnuts and dried plums (hmmm, does she mean prunes?), but I went with dried cranberries, coconut and pepitas which I think took this cookie over the top. Instead of using sugar, the recipe calls for maple syrup for the sweetness and I think this helps with the texture. The texture was perfect – crispy along the edges and chewy in the middle. Not only did they taste great, but they were easy to put together.

One quick tip. Instead of dropping the batter from a tablespoon, I found the dough was really easy to handle, so I just picked up a spoonfuls worth and rolled it between my hands into a ball. Each ball went on the cookie sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart from one another and I flattened each ball slightly with my fingers. I think this is why they look so pretty and are so evenly sized.

vegan oatmeal fruit & nut cookies
(recipe adapted from Alicia Silverstone)
1 c organic oats
3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/3 c brown sugar
1 t cream of tartar
1 t baking soda
1/2 t fine sea salt
1/3 c maple syrup
1/2 c canola oil
1 t vanilla extract
1 t cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1/4 c dried cranberries
1/4 c pepitas
1/4 c unsweetened coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl mix together the first 6 ingredients (the oats through to the salt). Stir in the maple syrup, oil, vanilla and spices. And then combine the cherries, pepitas and coconut. Use your hands to shape dough into tablespoon sized balls. Place balls onto a prepared cookie sheet, spaced 2″ apart and slightly flatten the balls with your hands. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until tops are slightly golden. Let cool on tray for 5 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 12 cookies.

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Warning: you are either going to love these or hate these. I mean, just look at that tin of fluffy pastel confectionary! It’s definitely a bit frightening but beautiful, in that retro kitchy way. I wish I could tell you that this recipe has long been in our family recipe box, but that would be a lie. I first came across these on Twitter via The Casual Baker and I was intrigued and a quick google search revealed a bunch of forums and online chatter of Canadian moms reminiscing about these squares from their prairie childhood. So when my in-laws were hosting a large family barbeque where most of the family comes from solid Manitoban stock, I knew these marshmallow treats would feel right at home.

The night before the barbeque as I got all the ingredients on the counter – mini fruity pastel marshmallows, processed peanut butter, butterscotch – I could feel the decades rolling back. The recipe was a cinch to prepare and I felt that Canadian prairie grandmas were along for the ride cheering me on! I even added a couple handfuls of rice krispies to the recipe sensing that the added crunch would be a nice surprise (it was). Sure, I felt a pinch of guilt when the documentary, King Corn, about the evils of corn syrup, was on tv while the squares were cooling, but all that changed when I took my first bite. These were good…really, really good. And I wasn’t simply charmed by their retro good looks or their Canadian prairie pedigree either. When I gave a slice to my husband, he remembered these squares from his childhood as he reached for seconds.

These are so much more than a retro throwback or a low brow guilty pleasure. Or maybe not. Make up a batch and give them a try. Just be sure to slice ‘em small because they are teeth-clatteringly sweet and share them with friends and family.

elsewhere: In the grips of summer? Give Mexican corn a try – lime, chili & salt. And whip up a Panzanella salad with beans – a salad that works as a meal.

butterscotch beauts (aka butterscotch confetti / marshamel / butterscotch delight)
(recipe adapted from Casual Baker + her mom’s Unifarm cookbook)
1 bag butterscotch chips
1/3 c butter
1/2 c peanut butter (not the natural kind) – crunchy is a good option
1/2 t salt
1 t vanilla
1/3 c shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 c rice krispies
2/3 of a package of Jet Puff mini coloured marshmallows

Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper & set aside.

In a medium sized saucepan, heat the butterscotch chips, butter, peanut butter, and salt over medium heat until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla, coconut and rice krispies. Carefully stir in the mini marshmallows and pour into prepared pan. Refrigerate until firm and then cut into tiny squares. Store in fridge.

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If you were to do a search on my blog for garam masala you’d find the usual suspects. A pot of lentils and apples might be involved. Maybe you’d stumble over chickpeas and tomatoes or tofu with squash. Cauliflower and coconut milk? Sure. Now, I can add cookies to the list. Perhaps the thought of adding curry to your cookies might scare you a little or maybe you’ll run to the kitchen and bake up a batch like I did. I hope you’re the latter, but if not, I think you can easily be convinced that garam masala doesn’t have to be served alongside brown rice.

Think gingersnap spice cookies. Spicy and redolent of cinnamon, cardamom, and a hint of black pepper. These are warm tasting cookies and perfect for a rainy Saturday downpour because apparently where there’s sun, a rainy string of days is sure to follow. So while I’d love the sun, I’ve got cookies and really tasty and wonderful ones at that. No complaints here.

These are vegan so they are perfect if you swing that way or are out of eggs like I was. I used a vegan margarine because I apparently do not grocery shop enough and was out of butter, but I’m sure these would turn out beautifully with butter too. The original recipe uses a garam masala spice powder, but I only had my standby Patak’s paste. And because the paste is oily and wet, I subbed out a teaspoon of the butter to compensate and it worked out just fine. However, please watch out when you bake them – these are spreaders, so I baked six to a pan without incident. In fact, they are pretty perfect looking cookies if I might be so bold.

I baked these for about 12 minutes which resulted in a crisp and crunchy cookie with a slightly chewy interior. If you want a chewier cookie, bake for 10 minutes and let them sit a bit in the pan to firm up before transferring them to a cooling rack.

elsewhere: So much good stuff is going on! Over at Poppytalk, I roast some frozen berries with vanilla which makes a wonderful sauce for yogurt or just about anything – get the recipe and thank me later! At ReadyMade, I make 2 wonderful summer drinks starring Aperol, a fantastic bitter orange liqueur. My husband’s hand makes a fine model so go check it out! And because we’ve got to ground ourselves with a bit of greens, I talk about ridding yourself of your salad rut. You need this.

vegan garam masala cookies
(adapted from peach and plum)
1/2 c vegan margarine
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c granulated sugar
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 t garam masala (paste or powder)*
1 c flour
1/4 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t cardamom

Preheat oven to 375F. Mix together the margarine and sugars together until fluffy. Add in the vanilla and garam masala paste and mix until incorporated.

Add in the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and cardamom and lightly stir until combined.

Drop about a tablespoon into your hands and roll into a ball. Flatten slightly and place on prepared cookie sheet (ie. covered with silpat or parchment paper). I added only 6 cookies to a sheet because these cookies do spread a lot. Bake for 10-13 minutes and let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely. Makes 12 cookies.

*If using paste, remove 1 teaspoon of margarine from the ingredient list.

Possibly related posts:

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Last week I wanted to bake something for my friend’s 40th birthday. I didn’t want to go the chocolate route since I knew she’d probably get a ton of chocolates as gifts. She, like me, loves the sour so I knew that these cranberry lemon squares were the way to go. Plus, they looked quite pretty packaged into the mint green vintage tin I had picked up from the thrift store!

I rarely make squares because I always think they’ve got too many steps – base + a filling and then put it together? I know, I’m a total wuss. The thing is, these squares are a cinch to prepare. The shortbread base is quite simple and made even more so using the food processor that my dad bought me for Christmas (yes, it’s my very first food processor – not counting the one Cornelius bought me for my birthday years ago and I made him return because I didn’t want the hassle). But don’t worry if your processor-less – it’s pretty easy to do without.

These are versatile squares too. If you don’t have cranberries, I think these would as good with frozen blueberries, raspberries or cherries. Chopped nectarines and peaches would also be wonderful come summertime. Orange zest would provide a different zing.

The sweetness in the filling can most certainly be upped – but I really liked the tart filling as it was. Even my husband who has more of a sweet tooth couldn’t get enough. In fact, once I had my friend’s tin packaged up, my husband happily ate the leftovers, saving me just one small square. Oh well, I can’t bemoan a loved square.

elsewhere: Looking for a wholesome pancake brunch? Check out my 10 grain pancakes over at Poppytalk. And remember those awesome biscuits I made a while back – I learn more about the mystery ingredient cream of tartar. Find out more at ReadyMade!

cranberry lemon squares
(adapted from Kitchen Culinaire)

Dough:
3 c flour
1 t baking powder
1 c white sugar
1/4 t kosher salt
zest of 1 large lemon
8 ounces cold butter, cubed
1 large egg
1 t vanilla
2 T – 1/4 c of cold water

Filling:
2 1/2 c frozen cranberries
1/2 c + 2 T white sugar
juice from 1 large lemon
2 T corn starch

Preheat oven to 375F. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and lemon zest. Add the butter and use your hands or a food processor to crumble the dough into small pieces. Move crumbles to a mixer and add in the egg and vanilla. Stir to combine, adding in water 1 tablespoon at a time – I only used 2 spoonfuls, but use up to 1/4 cup to help your dough come together. Press half of the dough into a buttered 9×13″ pan and set aside the remaining dough for the topping.

In a medium bowl, mix the filling ingredients until combined. Top with the cranberry filling and crumble the remaining dough over top . Bake for 35 minutes or until the top and sides are golden. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting into bars. Makes 20-24 bars.

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