Page 112 in the old book / page 150 in the new book
Now we're talking! These cookies have an obscene amount of butter in them, but there were just wonderful... thick, gooey, moist, ... delicious!
A crumbly oatmeal mixture, which is used for both the base and the crumb topping, is interrupted by a sweet, jam-like date layer with a lovely lemon finish. While size-wise these bars don't at first appear intimidating (24 bars from a 9-inch pan), by weight they are massive. After sampling one, I packed the box with the remaining bars, lifted the box to move it, and was shocked at it's weight. For fun I put it on the scale - 3 1/2 pounds!!!
I love these cookies just as they are, but am very tempted to try cutting back on the butter. The recipe currently calls for 2 sticks (8 ounces) of butter and I'm willing to bet that you could leave out half a stick of butter and it wouldn't be missed. The filling for these cookies was fantastic - one of those things where you can't stop licking the spoon. The addition of lemon rind is a surprising (and delicious) twist.
Everyone enjoyed these - even one coworker who dislikes walnuts and is not fond of dates - and the panel was no exception...
Suzanne: "Delicious! The date filling made this bar moist and the filling almost tasted like chocolate to me. This was a great combination of oatmeal, walnuts, and date filling. Rating - 4.9"
Denny: "Excellent, just sweet enough and crunchy. If they had chocolate I'd give them a 5. So, only a 4.5. Rating - 4.5"
Laura: "Yummy, crunchy, nutty, chewy - Fabulous! Rating - 4.0"
Phil: "Bet you can't have just one. While a substantial cookie, the combination of ingredients punctuated by date filling really worked for this taster. Rating - 4.7"
Overall rating by the panel - 4.5
Next week - Honey Date-Nut Bars
Nutrition Facts
10 comments:
Wow, these really do sound fantastic! I admit they didn't grab me when I first read the book, but after this description...!
I'll keep in mind your tip about the butter.
(Incidentally, I agree with you about bar cookies being similar to Aussie slices. The article where the comment appeared said bar cookies were mainly brownies, but we all know that's not true!)
Hi Niki - they were really good - well worth a try! Do you think there's any distinction between the two (slices and bars)? I just assumed it was just a different choice of words - like cookies and biscuits.
I meant to comment on these the other day, Cathy, but they really sounds outstanding. I agree with you that you could cut back on the butter a bit without losing anything from the recipe, though. I've found that you can usually cut back a bit in almost any recipe.
By the way, slices and bar cookies are pretty much the same thing, just different terms. Slices tend to be a little less obviously cookie-like (like Vanilla Slices, which are custard filled, layered things) than bar cookies, so perhaps the term extends a tiny bit further.
Well, well, I was thinking about learning to weave, but there is a hig probability I'll keep cooking... Your blog is very interesting!
Hi Nic - they were awful good. I liked the filling so much, I'm tempted to dream up another way to use it. Thanks for the info on bars vs. slices!
Hi Fleur - thanks! I'm not fluent in French, but from the pictures alone, I'd say your blog is pretty interesting too!! I'd love to learn to spin some day...
Hi Tin - you are welcome to link to me - thanks, and thanks for stopping by!
Now that's a good way to eat your whole grains :) those cookies look sooo good!
Hi Nupur! haha - that's a good way to rationalize having another! :-)
Wow, those look amazing. Any chance of getting the recipe. This is one cookbook I actually don't have... ;)
Hello my name is Sheila Smith
I have a question
When I weave tea towels they do not absorb well and are very rough, could you tell me how to change this.
Thank you very much.
E-mail is. Sheila.smith.j5@gmail.com
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