Bready or Not Original: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
These Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are a delicious new twist on classic ingredients. They are incredibly thick, chewy, and indulgent, the kind of treat that makes a person want to continue nibbling away.
A big part of the deliciousness is the use of cookie butter. This is, essentially, pureed spice cookies with oil to form a peanut butter-like consistency, and they are indeed a perfect substitute for nut butters in most any recipe. The major brands are Biscoff Cookie Butter (carried at many major grocery chains in America) and Speculoos at Trader Joe’s.
Cookie butter enhances the inherent cookie dough flavor in any baked cookie/bar recipe. It’s also a delight to eat straight from the jar!
Add white chocolate chips and a generous amount of sugar and oats to that, and you really have a great combo.
These bars can be a little messy, but that’s okay. Every crumb is delicious!
Modified greatly from Bake from Scratch Magazine Sept/Oct 2018.
Bready or Not Original: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
- offset spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 cup creamy cookie butter
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 8 ounces white chocolate chips divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13×9 pan with a long piece of foil. Apple nonstick spray or grease with extra butter.
- In a big bowl, beat together butter and sugars until they are light and fluffy. Add the cookie butter followed by the eggs and vanilla, scraping the bowl a few times to make sure everything is incorporated.
- In another bowl, stir together the flour, 2 cups of the oats, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the butter mix. Using an offset spatula, spread half the batter into the prepared pan. Dough will be thick and somewhat sticky. Sprinkle half of the chocolate over the top. Dollop on the rest of the dough, spreading into an even later again. Sprinkle on the rest of the white chocolate chips along with the remaining 1/4 cup of oats.
- Bake for 27 to 35 minutes. The middle should be set, not jiggly, and pass the toothpick test. Cool completely at room temperature and then the fridge (the bars will be firmer and less messy to slice if they are chilled).
- Use the foil to lift contents onto a cutting board. Slice into pieces. Store in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Cinnamon Swirl Cookies
These Cinnamon Swirl Cookies look like cinnamon rolls and are oh so good.
Unlike soft, pillowy rolls, these cookies are chewy when fresh and then become crispier after the first day.
The filling here is pretty simple: flour, cinnamon, and maple syrup. This makes a sweet, spreadable paste that I’d love to try in other baked goods as well.
One of the nice things about this recipe is that these cookies can be prepared and formed into logs, then stashed in the fridge or freezer for later baking. That makes them extra convenient for when you need to bake under a time crunch.
Greatly modified from Holiday Cookies 2019 from Bake from Scratch.
Bready or Not Original: Cinnamon Swirl Cookies
Equipment
- parchment paper
- Rolling Pin
- uneven spatula
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Filling
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat butter until it is creamy. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla, beating a few more minutes until combined.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet until it roughly forms a ball. Divide in half.
- Lay out a piece of parchment and add a dusting of flour. Roll out a portion of dough to about an 11-inch square. Use parchment to move dough into fridge to chill. Repeat with other half of dough.
- While that is chilling, make the filling. In a small bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, and maple syrup to create a thin, spreadable paste.
- Pull out the dough one piece at a time. Use an uneven spatula to spread the filling to within 1/4 of the edges. Tightly roll up the dough to form a log. Wrap in parchment and set in fridge to chill at least two hours; it can also be encased in plastic wrap and frozen for later baking.
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a large baking sheet with fresh parchment.
- Use a sharp knife to slice dough into 1/4-inch pieces. Set slightly spaced out on parchment. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes.
- Cool cookies completely. Store in a sealed container at room temperature. Cookies will be chewier the first day, then crisp up more.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Crescent Rolls
Crescent Rolls are a classic yeast bread side. This recipe guides you through the steps to make these tear-apart hot bready bits of heaven.
As I grew up, the only fresh crescent rolls I got to have came out of a can, and they were a real treat. Those still have a major advantage in convenience.
Here’s the thing, though–from-scratch rolls do take a while to make, but this recipe makes a big batch (24) and they are fantastic to freeze. That means if you dedicate a day to bread-making, you can portion out your rolls and freeze a bunch to last for weeks.
That also involves some measure of self-control, because these Crescent Rolls are AMAZING.
These things are enriched, meaning they include both milk and butter. That gives them a soft, tender texture inside. They are also brushed with butter before and after baking, because butter makes everything better.
There’s nothing quite like unspooling a hot, steamy Crescent Roll, the dough flaking apart between your fingertips.
Recipe modified from Bake from Scratch November-December 2018.
Bready or Not: Crescent Rolls
Equipment
- kitchen scale
- two large baking sheets
- parchment paper
- pizza cutter
- pastry brush
Ingredients
- 4 1/4 cups bread flour
- 1 Tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter half stick, melted
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer with a dough hook attached, combine the flour, yeast, and salt.
- Use a microwave or stove top to warm the milk, butter, sugar and honey to about 120-degrees (if it gets above that, give it a few minutes to drop down). Add the warm milk mixture to the flour until just combined, scraping the bowl as needed. Follow up with the egg and egg yolk, and continue to beat for about 6 more minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic.
- Add nonstick spray to a large bowl. Drop in the dough, flipping it to grease the surface all over. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until it is doubled, about 45 minutes.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Punch down the dough in the bowl. Lightly flour a work surface. Use a food scale to weigh the dough; divide it in half. Keep one of the halves covered while the other is rolled out to a foot-wide circle. Use a pizza cutter or knife to slice it into twelve triangles, like a pizza.
- To form a crescent roll, start at the wide end of a dough piece and roll it up, tucking and pressing the pointed tip underneath. Set spaced-out on a prepared pan. Repeat to form more rolls. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap to rise another 45 minutes to an hour.
- Near the end of the rise, preheat the oven at 375-degrees. Melt the half stick of butter and brush about half over the rolls.
- Place both sheets on racks inside oven and bake for 7 minutes. Switch placement of baking sheets on the racks. Bake for another 5 to 8 minutes, until they are a nice golden brown. Brush on the rest of the butter.
- Eat immediately, while warmed, or at room temperature. Crescent rolls will keep in a sealed bag for at least 2 days, and can also be frozen for later enjoyment.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Irish Coffee Coffee Cake
Irish Coffee Coffee Cake! Yes, the word “Coffee” is intentionally in this recipe’s name twice. That’s because it’s a coffee cake that includes coffee, and also a nip of whiskey, because why not?
I can tell you why the whiskey should be there–because it adds a fresh zip of flavor to an already delicious cake.
This is a recipe that take some effort. It dirties a lot of dishes. However, it’s also a special cake that looks and tastes like it required that extra effort.
Really, this is a cake to make to impress guests or for a brunch or a birthday or holiday event. I’m posting it over a week in advance of St. Patrick’s Day so that some folks can perhaps throw it together this weekend! Note that this cake freezes very well, too.
When I do recipes that include alcohol, I inevitably get asked: what did you use? Also, I don’t drink, can I omit the alcohol? To the first question, I used Green Spot whiskey, which is my personal favorite. As to the second, I haven’t tried the recipe without whiskey, but I imagine it would be just fine, especially if you like a strong coffee flavor.
Baking the cake as described below, the result is a lofty, spongy cake with a zing of whiskey and a deep coffee flavor. The moist crumb is a lovely contrast to the crumble layers through the middle and on top.
Modified from Bake from Scratch Jan/Feb 2019 issue.
Bready or Not: Irish Coffee Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 9-inch square pan
- food processor
- offset spatula
Ingredients
Irish Whiskey Streusel
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons espresso powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter cubed
- 1 Tablespoon Irish whiskey
Coffee Cake
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 cube, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2/3 cup whole buttermilk or soured milk, see note
- 1/3 cup Irish whiskey
- 2 Tablespoons espresso powder
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse together the flour, brown sugar, espresso powder, and salt. Drop in the butter and whiskey, and pulse again until it forms pea-sized crumbs. Chill mix in fridge. Note that the streusel can be made a day ahead of the rest of the cake.
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9-inch square pan with foil to extend up all four sides. Apply nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and white sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time.
- In another bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a different bowl, combine the buttermilk/soured milk, whiskey, espresso powder, and vanilla, stirring gently until the espresso powder is dissolved and not clumpy.
- Gradually mix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients into the butter and sugar, alternating back and forth, until everything is combined.
- Spoon about half the batter into the prepared pan; batter will be thick, and an offset spatula will make it easier to even out. Sprinkle half the streusel mix over the batter. Dollop on the remaining batter and even out again. Crumble the rest of the streusel over the top.
- Bake about 40 to 45 minutes, until the middle of the cake passes the toothpick test. Cool completely in pan. Use the foil to lift it onto a cutting board to slice.
- Cake pieces keep well in sealed container at room temperature for at least 3 days. Pieces can also be wrapped up and frozen for later enjoyment.
OM NOM NOM!
Notes
Bready or Not: Irish Apple Cake
I’ve posted many different recipes for apple cake. This Irish Apple Cake uses a 9-inch round cake pan with layers of cake, apple, and streusel.
This isn’t a light, airy cake. It’s dense and moist. It’s a cake that is ideally paired with tea, coffee, or hot cider.
It’s not heavily sweet, either, but the sweetness that is there arises from the apple and that wonderful crumble topping.
The big thing that sets this cake apart from other recipes is that you do experience the textural variations between the layers. It really reminds me of my family favorite Caramel Apple Pie in that regard.
This cake is best eaten fresh, but fear not! If you freeze it when it’s fresh, it will be wonderfully preserved for later on. Just eat it right after it’s thawed.
Modified from a Gemma Stafford recipe in Food Network Magazine, March 2021.
Bready or Not: Irish Apple Cake
Equipment
- 9-inch cake pan
Ingredients
Streusel
- 6 Tablespoons cold butter
- 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- pinch salt
Cake
- 1/2 cup salted butter 1 stick
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch salt
- 3 Tablespoons milk
- 3 medium baking apples such as Fuji or Granny Smith, peeled and thinly sliced
- confectioners' sugar for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9-inch cake pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
- Make the streusel first. Dice up the butter in a medium bowl. Add the flour, oats, sugar, and salt. Using fingers, compress and break apart the butter into small crumbs distributed throughout the dry mix. Set the bowl in fridge to chill while assembling the cake.
- Cream the butter and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet along with the milk. Once everything is just mixed, pour it into the prepared pan. Place the apple slices one at a time to form an even layer. Sprinkle the streusel on top and even it out.
- Bake the cake until the top is golden, about 60 to 70 minutes. The middle should pass the toothpick test. Let cool at room temperature, eventually placing in fridge to speed the process, if desired.
- Cut into 1/8ths. Top pieces with sprinkled confectioners’ sugar to make it even more pretty. The cake is best eaten fresh, but pieces can also be individually frozen the day of baking for a delicious treat later.
