Raspberry Pecan Bars

While many of you are probably dreading the end of summer, I can hardly wait for the arrival of fall. The anticipation of my favorite season has me downright giddy with excitement. With Labor Day Weekend just around the corner, there may be no better way to welcome in the fall season than with these Raspberry Pecan Bars. These buttery, nutty, fruity bites of deliciousness would be a perfect hostess gift, dessert at a gathering, snacks for a hike, and/or an afternoon indulgence. Quite possibly you could even justify eating them for breakfast. Paired with or without a cup of coffee or tea, they are divinely delectable. And I am now obsessed with them.

Forgive me for this next bit of redundancy. If there was ever a moment to be reminded of the transformational ability of simple ingredients to create extraordinary foods, this would be one of them. 

Unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, Kosher salt, toasted pecans, sugar, an egg, and raspberry preserves are the seven ingredients needed to make the dreamiest Raspberry Pecan Bars. Eight, if you decide to dust them with some confectionary sugar. Trust me when I gently tell you that toasting the pecans is non-negotiable. Toasted pecans add more than a discernible level of flavor in these bars. So before you begin measuring out all of your ingredients and assembling your batter, toast your nuts!

The batter comes together in a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a bowl using a hand mixer. To create a bar having even top and bottom layers the dough is divided. After removing two cups (or 400g) of the dough, the remaining dough is pressed into the bottom of an 8" square metal pan. Using a scale makes it easier to divide the dough. Sitting in between the luscious buttery layers of the pecan studded dough are the raspberry preserves. 

To create a bar with the kind of heft only an extraordinary Raspberry Pecan Bar should have, I highly recommend using an 8" metal baking pan. This sized pan creates a bakery-like bar. A wow-factor kind you not only want to devour, but give as a gift or bring to a gathering. So, if there were ever a time when the size of the pan matters, this would be one of them. In all seriousness, think of an 8" metal baking pan as more of a baking necessity than a luxury.  

In a preheated 350 degree (F) oven, baking time for the Raspberry Pecan Bars ranges from 45-55 minutes (my baking time was closer to the 55 minute mark). The gorgeous, golden bars need to cool completely before they cut into bars. Dusting the cut bars with confectionary sugar is optional. Honestly, I can't decide whether I like them more plan or dusted. 

Storing the cut bars covered and in the refrigerator keeps them fresh and crisp, especially when there is a substantial amount of humidity in the air. 

If you are looking to baking something to satisfy a sweet tooth this weekend, make these incredibly scrumptious Raspberry Pecan Bars. I wouldn't be at all surprised if you put them on repeat in the months ahead. Because they are really that good. 

 

Recipe

Raspberry Pecan Bars

Makes 16 Bars

Ingredients

1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature (European style recommended)

1 cup (200g) granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 1/4 cups (293g) all-purpose flour

1/4 heaping teaspoon Kosher salt

1 cup (102g) pecan halves, toasted and chopped (and divided)

3/4 cup (245g) raspberry preserves

Optional: Confectionary sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Line an 8" x 8" metal baking pan with parchment paper. Butter and set aside.

2. In the bowl of a standing mixer, add in butter. Beat until creamy. About 1-2 minutes. Scrape down side of bowl.

3. Add in sugar. Beat until well blended (about 1-2 minutes).

4. Beat in the egg, just until incorporated.

5. Add in the flour and Kosher salt. Beat just until blended.

6. Turn mixer to low and add in all but 2 Tablespoons of the toasted, chopped pecans 

7. Remove two cups of the dough from the bowl. About 400g)

8. Press remaining dough into the prepared pan.

9. Spread the raspberry preserves evenly over the dough to within 1/2" of the edge.

10. Break the dough into pieces, flattening slightly with you thumb and fingers. Drop evenly over the layer of the preserves. 

11. Sprinkle the remaining 2 Tablespoons of the pecans over the top.

12. Place the pan on a baking sheet and insert into the oven. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown. Start checking for doneness at the 45 minute mark. Note: My baking time was closer to the 55 minute mark. 

13. Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan. Dust with confectionary sugar before cutting into bars. Dusting with confectionary sugar is optional.

14. Serve or store bars covered in the refrigerator. Note: Keeping them chilled will keep them crisp, especially in hot, humid weather.

Notes: (1) Toast your pecans before you begin assembling the dough as they need some time to cool before they are chopped and added in. To toast, preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Place pecan halves on a baking sheet. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Remove from the pan to allow to cool before chopping.

Brown Butter Biscoff Blondies

 

The dog days of summer have arrived in the midwest this week. High temperatures compounded with high humidity should be enough to deter anyone from either running outdoors or baking. Yet, for a variety of reasons I didn't want to be just anyone. So I did both. One because of peer pressure (if you are a runner you know), the other for purely therapeutic reasons (if you love to bake you know). I would have to put the satisfaction of tasting these decadent, sinfully delicious, mouthwatering Brown Butter Biscoff Blondies on the same level of experiencing a runner's high (and if you know, you know). In other words, they were definitely worth turning the oven on for. 

While brownies and blondies have some things in common, they have some significant differences between them. Color is the most obvious difference. Brownies get their deep, rich flavor from either cocoa or chocolate, while blondies rely more on brown sugar to create their chewy, luscious flavor. Blondies have the advantage of being able to use both browned butter and white chocolate to amplify their flavor. Either one of those two ingredients can be game changers, but when both are used, let's suffice to say they become even more crave worthy than a chocolate brownie! So what would happen if a blondie was made not only with brown butter, brown sugar and white chocolate, but with Biscoff Spread and Biscoff Cookies as well? They go from extraordinary to epic!

There is nothing quite like the taste of Lotus Biscoff Spread or a Lotus Biscoff Cookie. Their complex flavor comes from the combination of the warm spices (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg) and buttery sweetness. Which means there is nothing quite like the addictive flavor of a Brown Butter Biscoff Blondie. 

The recipe for these Brown Butter Biscoff Blondies uses many of the ingredients you might usually have in your cupboard or refrigerator. The only ingredients you may not always have on hand are the Lotus Biscoff Spread, the Lotus Biscoff Cookies and malted milk powder. The good news is you can easily find all of these ingredients in the grocery store. Look for the malted milk powder (not chocolate) near the ice cream cones and sauces. 

Browning the butter gives it a nuttier, bolder flavor. To achieve that, butter is gently cooked in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. It will take anywhere from 5 to 8 minutes for the butter to turn brown, for the foam to subside, and for the brown bits to form. Such a small amount of time for such a big impact. 

Once the butter is browned, the saucepan is removed from the heat and the 1 1/4 cups of white chocolate chips are mixed in and whisked until smooth. Always begin making the Brown Butter Biscoff Blondies by starting with the brown butter-white chocolate mixture. It needs a slight amount of time to cool before it's added to the blondie batter. Using a whisk attachment on a standing mixer and giving it an almost 8 minute whisking time is what will help to create the very thick blondie batter. 

The broken pieces of the biscoff cookies and the additional white chocolate chips are mixed in to the assembed batter with a spatula. After the batter is poured into a prepared pan and leveled with an offset spatula, the back of a spoon is used to create wells in the top of the batter. Dollops of the Lotus Biscoff Spread are then dropped into the wells. A butter knife is all you need to create the swirls.

Baking time for the blondies will range between 45-55 minutes. To ensure you don't under or over bake them, a digital thermometer is highly recommended. The internal temperature of the golden brown blondies should be 210 degrees F. Note: I used this kind of thermometer.

Allow the blondies to cool to room temperature. If you cut them too soon, they will most likely be too gooey and difficult to cut. Note: If the cooled blondies are chilled in the refrigerator, they will be much easier to cut.

As much as you might love chocolate brownies, these Brown Butter Biscoff Blondies are a refreshing way to satisfy your sweet tooth. If you happen to love the flavor of biscoff you are going to be absolutely smitten with these chewy, rich, decadent blondies. You can wait for cooler temperatures to arrive before you turn on your oven and bake up a batch. But these blondies are seriously so good, you might not want to wait that long.

Recipe

Brown Butter Biscoff Blondies

Cut into 16 good sized blondies or into 24 nice sized blondies

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups (325g) all-purpose unbleached flour, sifted

1 cup (226g) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (200g) white chocolate chips

2 cups (400g) light brown sugar

1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (58g) malted milk powder

1 3/4 teaspoons Diamond Kosher Salt (or 1 teaspoon Morton's Kosher salt)

6 large eggs

1 Tablespoon vanilla

2/3 cup (156g) Lotus Biscoff Spread

12 Biscoff Cookies, broken up into pieces

2/3 cup (115g) white chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Line a metal 9" x 12" or 9" x 13" pan with two pieces of overlapping aluminum foil or parchment paper. Lightly butter and flour. Set aside.

2. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Continue cooking until the butter is golden in color and there are brown bits on the bottom of the pan (stir gently and often). Remove from the heat and stir in the 1 1/4 cups of white chocolate chips. Mix until smooth.

3. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, Kosher salt, eggs, and vanilla. Whip on medium speed until the mixture is thick and fluffy (about 7-8 minutes).

4. Add in the browned butter/white chocolate mixture and mix on low speed. Mix just until incorporated.

5. Add in the flour. Mix on low speed until incorporated. Do not overmix.

6. Remove the mixing bowl from the stand and add in the 4 ounces of white chocolate chips and broken biscoff cookies. Mix with a spatula.

7. Pour the thick batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with an offset spatula.

8. Using the back of a spoon, make 14-16 shallow wells in the batter. Fill each with a dollop of the Biscoff spread. Use a table knife to gently swirl into the batter. 

9. Bake for approximately 40-50 minutes. The blondies are done when they are beautifully golden and slightly firm. Note: The best way to check for doneness is to insert a thermometer into the blondies. When the blondies reach a temperature of 210 degrees (F), they are done. 

10.  Remove from the oven and allow the blondies to cool for at least 1 hour. When they are room temperature, lift out of the pan.  Cut into either 16 or 24 pieces. These blondies are very rich, so would recommend cutting them into 24 pieces. Note: Chill the pan of blondies in the refrigerator for about an hour or two to make cutting easier.

11. Serve and enjoy! Store any leftover blondies in an airtight container. If stacking the blondies on top of each other, place a sheet of wax paper between layers. Note: To keep fresh, can store in the refrigerator. Eat chilled or let them come to room temperature.