Nanaimo Bars

I had my first Nanaimo Bar back in 2008 while I worked in the bakery at The Fresh Market. There these Canadian treats were called Dream Bars and I quickly learned how delightful they were. These were one of the first desserts I made on my own, inspired by the ones I so often enjoyed at the bakery. I made them again this past Sunday and was quickly reminded of how delicious these little bars can be.

These take a little time to throw together, due to the preparation of three different layers. No actual baking is involved, however, and these would be a great dessert to make when you don't feel like heating up the house. These certainly aren't difficult to make and would be a perfect project for a new baker.

While I was combining the ingredients for the bottom layer, I noticed the mixture was a lot more greasy than I would have expected (or remember it being from years ago when I first made these bars). I actually blotted the top of the bottom layer with a paper towel after pressing it into my pan. I'm not sure what caused the excessive greasiness at the time, but the bars set up great and tasted fabulous.

In my opinion, the real star of these bar is the second, creamy layer. I've been trying to get my hands on custard powder for ages as I really wonder if the taste of the bars would dramatically improve with using custard powder. Unfortunately I still couldn't find any around town, so I make these with your basic vanilla pudding powder. They are absolutely divine custard powder or not!

I followed Jaime's advice to use a hot knife to slice through the bars. This made cutting them a breeze, but I did notice that little streaks of melted chocolate would mar the pale yellow custard layer. The bars are still pretty, imperfections and all. I find bars like this, with distinct layers, very visual appealing.

These bars keep fabulously when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. At the bakery we would get these in frozen, thaw and cut them. I'm sure the homemade version would freezer just as beautifully. These are great chilled, just from the fridge, but I prefer them after they've had a chance to warm up a bit so the layers get soft and creamy. Absolutely divine!


Nanaimo Bars
via My Baking Addiction, originally from here
Bottom Layer
½ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup sugar
5 tbsp. cocoa
1 egg beaten
1 ¼ cups graham wafer crumbs
½ c. blanced almonds
1 cup coconut (I use sweetened coconut)
Melt first 3 ingredients in top of double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, coconut, and nuts. (I ground my graham crackers in a food processor then processed the almonds and coconut with the crumbs until the almonds were finely chopped). Press firmly into a parchment-lined 8″ x 8″ pan. Refrigerate while making second layer.
Second Layer
½ cup unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. and 2 Tsp. cream
2 Tbsp. vanilla custard powder (such as Bird’s Custard Powder; I used vanilla pudding powder)
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and powdered sugar together well. Beat until light. Spread over bottom layer. Refrigerate while making third layer.
Third Layer
4 oz. bar semi-sweet chocolate
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Melt chocolate and butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, but still liquid, pour over second layer and chill in refrigerator. Slice with a warm knife when ready to serve.

Orange Creamsicle Cookies

A dear friend of mine came over today for lunch and cookbook browsing. She brought a delicious cauliflower chowder and I made Garlic Knots for dipping in the soup and these Orange Creamsicle Cookies. The food was delicious and we had a fabulous time!

These Orange Creamsicle Cookies were inspired by the Strawberry Cream Cheese Cookies I found at Espresso and Cream and made just before Valentine's Day. The strawberry version of these cookies were to die for and I immediately wanted to try an orange version. I imagined the cream cheese frosting when paired with an orange cookie would taste just like a creamsicle!

These cookies were almost as good as I imagined. I used Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Orange Supreme Cake Mix as the base for these cookies. The resulting cookie was a little more tart than I was imagining, but still really yummy! I think I preferred the strawberry version of these cookies a bit more than the orange but they were still delicious and I'm curious to try more variations. These are a easy treat to throw together and look super cute when decorated with sprinkles, colorful sugar, or edible pearls. With so many cake mix flavors available, the combinations for these cookies are pretty limitless.

Orange Creamsicle Cookies
inspired by and adapted from Espresso and Cream
makes ~2 dozen cookies

For the cookies:
1 box of Duncan Hines Orange Supreme Cake Mix
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat.

Sift the cake mix into a large bowl. Add the lightly beaten egg, oil and water; stir by hand until the ingredients are evenly combined. Using a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the dough and roll between your hands to make a smooth ball. Set on a baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Lightly flatten the tops of the cookies.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until slightly cracked and very lightly golden around the edges. Be careful not to over bake. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for a minute or two, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting:
8 oz. package cream cheese, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon orange bakery emulsion (optional)
sprinkles for decorating (optional)

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat until well combined. Add vanilla extract, orange bakery emulsion, if using, and milk. Beat until fully incorporated and frosting is smooth.

Using an offset spatula or a knife, spread frosting on top of cooled cookies. Immediately garnish with sprinkles. Frosting will be very soft at first, but will set up slightly (enough so that cookies may be lightly stacked) in a few hours. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for a few days.

Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Sometimes a song or an idea gets stuck in your head and lingers for weeks on end. In my case, I've been obsessed with malt flavored desserts since I made Chocolate Malt Cupcakes a few months back. I have quite a few malted treats on my to-bake list and among them was the idea for some strawberry malt cupcakes inspired by strawberry malt balls I found while shopping for some regular Whoppers. I didn't have any luck finding an existing strawberry malt cupcake recipe online, so my plan was to adapt a plain strawberry cupcake recipe to give it a hint of malt flavor.

Since I had never made any strawberry cupcakes before, I decided to start out by finding a plain strawberry cupcake I liked that I thought would work well with the addition of malted milk powder. The Sprinkles Strawberry Cupcake was my first strawberry cupcake to try. I chose to top mine with a strawberry version of my favorite basic cream cheese frosting. Unfortunately overall the hubby and I weren't totally in love with this cupcake. Despite only baking my cupcakes for 15 minutes they were on the dry side and lacked strawberry flavor. The frosting was okay, but oddly enough the cake masked the tangy flavor of the cream cheese that we love so much about this particular frosting recipe.

Despite receiving mixed reviews, I wanted so much to love these cupcakes. I thought the batter itself tasted divine and the cupcakes baked up so pretty--pale pink with perfect little domes. Honestly, I would be curious to try this recipe again in the future. I'd probably pull the cupcakes out of the oven before they were even fully set to hopefully keep them from drying out, and I'd likely try them as mini cupcakes to see if the smaller bite and larger cake to frosting ratio would aid in them not tasting so dry. I've been curious about using simple syrups to add flavor and moistness to cakes and if I could concoct a strawberry syrup for these cupcakes it could be the perfect thing to add a bit more flavor and much needed moisture.

All said, I don't think these cupcakes are exactly what I'm looking for to adapt into the strawberry malt cupcakes of my dreams. Perhaps with a little tweaking these could become the perfect strawberry cupcakes. I'll include the recipe below as I made the cupcakes, for those who are interested in giving them a try. I certainly can't compare them to any other strawberry cupcake recipes as they are the first I've baked (and really some of the only strawberry cupcakes I've ever tried). I do think they're quite cute, and as mini cupcakes could make a darling addition to a bridal or baby shower dessert spread.

Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
cake from Martha Stewart, frosting inspired by Milk and Honey Cafe
makes ~1 dozen

For the cupcakes

2/3 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

2 large egg whites, room temperature

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Sprinkles' Strawberry Cupcakes - Martha Stewart Recipes

1/3 cup strawberry puree
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
2 large egg whites, room temperature

To make strawberry puree, start with approximately 2 cups fresh or frozen, thawed strawberries (I used frozen). Heat berries and a tablespoon or two of sugar in a small saucepan over low heat, mashing them with a potato masher or the back of a spoon. Cook the berries until they are very soft. Remove from heat and let cool. Blend the strawberries until smooth and strain to remove any large pieces.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and 1/3 cup of the strawberry puree; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.

With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.

Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes (mine only took about 15 minutes). Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup strawberry puree

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter until completely smooth. Add vanilla extract and beat until combined. Sift in 3 cups of powdered sugar until well incorporated and fluffy. Add strawberry puree and beat to combine. Taste frosting and check for consistency, if a sweeter flavor or thicker texture is desired, sift in an additional cup or more of powdered sugar, to taste.

Frost cooled cupcakes and store in the refrigerator until 15 minutes or so before serving.*

*Once my frosting had came together, it was still a bit runny to hold up well to piping. I chilled my frosting in the mixing bowl for about an hour, then beat it again briefly before frosting. If you aren't going to pipe your frosting, you could skip this extra chill without any problem.

I used an Ateco 869 French star tip to frost these cupcakes.