May 4: Double Chocolate Raspberry Chipotle Bars

Double Chocolate Raspberry Bars

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (4 oz) unsalted butter
1 cup (4.5 oz) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup extra-dark chocolate chips
3/4 cup toasted and finely chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup raspberry preserves
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and place a rack in the center. Line an 8-inch square metal pan with nonstick foil, or line with regular foil and spray with flour-added baking spray.
2. Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat, then set aside to cool to room temperature. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, oats, sugars, salt and baking soda. Stir very well. Add the cooled melted butter and mix until crumbly. Stir in 2/3 cup of the chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of the nuts. Press about half of the oat mixture into the bottom of the pan.
3. Stir together the preserves and chipotle powder, then spread over the oat mixture. Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the top and gently press down. Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chips and nuts.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until set. Let cool completely, then chill for at least 1 hour. Cut into 16 bars.

Melted butter

Dry ingredients

Addition of butter

Addition of chocolate chips and walnuts (notice I didn't finely chop them)

Bottom layer

Jam and chipotle powder

Middle layer

Top layer

Before the oven...

And after the oven...basically the same picture!

Thoughts: I didn't have a 8x8 pan available so I used a 9x9. I baked it for 30 minutes to make up for the difference but I don't think it would have mattered. If I had to do it again, I would double the ingredients for the middle layer. I definitely didn't cover the middle layer as much as I would've liked to. I actually didn't like the taste of the bars and I only had one before throwing the rest out. It was kind of pastry tasting and you can definitely taste the kick of the chipotle powder. It's also very crumbly and half of the topping falls back into the pan when you go to cut a piece.

September 14: Red, White and Blue Bars

Red, White and Blue Bars

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (4 oz) unsalted butter
2 cups white chocolate chips
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (4.5 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup seedless raspberry preserves or pie filling
1/4 cup blueberry preserves or pie filling
1/4 cup sliced almonds

1. Preheat the oven to 325 and place a rack in the center. Line a 9-inch square metal pan with nonstick foil.
2. Melt the butter in a medium-size, microwave-safe bowl on high for 1 minute; stir. Add 1 cup of chips; let stand. Do not stir.
3. With a handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the eggs in a large mixer bowl until foamy. Add the sugar; beat until light and lemon colored, about 3 minutes. Stir in the white chip mixture and then stir in the flour, salt, and almond extract.
4. Spread about 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. Let cool slightly in the pan. Soften the preserves in separate small, microwave-safe bowls or cups at 50% power for 5-10 seconds, then spread over the baked crust, spreading half of the crust with raspberry and the other half with blueberry.
5. Stir the remaining white chips into the reserved batter and drop spoonfuls of batter over the jam, spreading gently to cover it. The jam will still show through a bit. Sprinkle the almonds over the top. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges are browned. Let cool completely in the pan, and then chill briefly (for about an hour) so that you can make a cleaner cut when slicing. Lift the bars from the pan and set on a cutting board. Carefully cut along the center seam where the berry toppings meet, then cut each half into 12 bars.

Addition of sugar

Addition of chocolate mix

Addition of flour

Meanwhile while it was baking...

....

Raspberry on left, blueberry on right

Before the oven

and after

Thoughts: So after the disaster of the chocolate truffle cookies, I tried these instead. Very straightforward recipe...nothing complicated. I baked them for 28 minutes. I'm not crazy about fruity-jam things but they were ok. I think I liked the blueberry side more. Patrick didn't get a chance to try them before I took them to work.