Bready or Not: Brown Sugar Pie Bars
If you have a major sweet tooth (like me), these indulgent Brown Sugar Pie Bars may blow your mind with their deliciousness. Seriously, these things are unique and they are amazing.
The base is similar to shortbread, nice and simple. The topping is like the filling for Pecan Pie without the pecans–or corn syrup, which is usually the sweetness and glue for such pies.
There’s no need to boil the filling or doing anything fussy. During the baking process, the top will essentially boil and caramelize. That creates a kind of crust that adds to the textural delight of every layer of these bars.
Modified from Better Homes & Gardens Christmas Cookies 2021.
Bready or Not: Brown Sugar Pie Bars
Equipment
- 13×9 pan
- aluminum foil
- nonstick cooking spray
- food processor
Ingredients
Crust
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Filling
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 3 1/3 cups light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted (1 stick)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line a 13×9 pan with aluminum foil. Apply a coating of nonstick cooking spray. Dice up the butter into chunks.
- In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, and salt. Drop in the butter and pulse until the mix looks crumbly. It will not be cohesive. Pour everything into the prepared pan. Use the heel of a hand to press it into an even layer across the bottom.
- Bake the crust for 15 to 18 minutes, until it is lightly brown. While that is cooking, make the filling.
- In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Mix in the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, melted butter, and both extracts. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is combined. Pour the filling over the hot crust.
- Bake for 35 to 38 minutes, until the middle has only a slight jiggle. The filling may form large bubbles near the end of baking but they do not need to be popped. Let the pan cool to room temperature.
- Use the foil to lift the contents onto a cutting board. To make neat bars, use a knife to slice off the very edges, reserving these especially-candied portions for later enjoyment. Slice the rest into small squares. The bars can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Spiced Apple Scones
These Spiced Apple Scones make for a delicious breakfast. They are great fresh, but they can also be frozen for a convenient meal on the go later in the week.
These are not super sweet. There is enough sugar inside to elevate them above what Americans regard as a biscuit; the glaze not only adds some sweetness, but a texture for contrast. If you want these plainer, just omit the glaze!
If you don’t have pie spice, just use cinnamon with perhaps a sprinkle of nutmeg.
Greatly modified from Bake from Scratch Magazine September/October 2023.
Bready or Not: Spiced Apple Scones
Equipment
- baking sheet with parchment or scone pan
- knife or bench knife
Ingredients
Scones
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for surface
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons pie spice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter cut into cubes and cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup half & half or milk, plus more for tops if desired
- 1 medium baking apple (about 120 grams) peeled and diced
Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar plus more if needed
- sprinkle pie spice
- 1 Tablespoon half & half plus more if needed
- 1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 375-degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or pull out a scone pan.
- In a big bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, pie spice, salt, and baking soda. Cut in the butter, mashing it until it resembles coarse crumbs. Pour in the vanilla and half & half, stirring until just combined. Fold in the diced apple.
- If using a baking sheet to bake, flour a work space. Flour hands and fold and pat the dough into a thick disc. Use a knife or bench knife to slice it into 8 wedges. Move wedges, spaced out, onto baking pan. Alternatively, press dough into scone pan to evenly fill each hole. Whichever method is used, chill scones for about 15 minutes.
- If softer scones are desired, measure out a tablespoon of milk and brush that atop the scones. If crisper tops are wanted, leave the scones be.
- Bake scones until tops are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool for about 20 minutes.
- Make the glaze. Whisk together confectioners’ sugar, a sprinkle of pie spice, half & half, and clear vanilla until they achieve a thick but oozy texture. Drizzle over scones.
- Enjoy scones right away, or store at room temperature in a sealed container for up to 2 days. They can also be frozen and thawed for later enjoyment.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Gooey Butter Bars [Cake Mix Variation]
A few months ago, I shared a time-consuming yeast-based recipe for making St. Louis Butter Cake. I continue to explore different takes on this Missouri classic, and this time around, the Gooey Butter Bars use convenient cake mix! (If you’re more interested in cookies than cake, I can also point you towards a Bready or Not guest post from Dan Koboldt back in 2018 where he shared Gooey Butter Cake Cookies that also use cake mix.)
![Bready or Not: Gooey Butter Bars [Cake Mix Variation]](https://www.bethcato.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Gooey-Cake-with-cake-mix2_sm.jpg)
To maximize the cheapness and convenience of this recipe, I used entirely Aldi ingredients. Their cake mix is as good as the name brands.
![Bready or Not: Gooey Butter Bars [Cake Mix Variation]](https://www.bethcato.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Gooey-Cake-with-cake-mix5_sm.jpg)
When it comes down to taste, I far prefer the yeast version. It is sweet and delicate with nuance–but it also takes a long time to make. This version is easy, but the sweetness could come across as cloyingly strong. So, keep that in mind in regards to your audience’s tastes.
![Bready or Not: Gooey Butter Bars [Cake Mix Variation]](https://www.bethcato.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Gooey-Cake-with-cake-mix4_sm.jpg)
Modified from Centennial Kitchen Fall Baking 2021 Magazine.
Bready or Not: Gooey Butter Bars [Cake Mix Variation]
Equipment
- 15x10x1 pan
- aluminum foil
- nonstick spray
Ingredients
Cake base
- 15.25- ounce yellow cake mix or white cake mix
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 large egg
Top layer
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 large eggs
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 15x10x1 inch pan (also called a jelly roll pan) with foil; apply nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, stir together cake mix, butter, and egg, until they are crumbly. Pat the entire dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. It will be very thin and fiddly to work with.
- In the same bowl, beat together the cream cheese and eggs until they are fairly smooth; a few clumps are okay. Gradually mix in the confectioners’ sugar to make a cohesive mix. Spread on top of the crust.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the middle is set and golden brown. Cool at room temperature, and chill in fridge to completely set.
- A reminder that this is called ‘Gooey Butter Cake.’ Cut pieces finger-sized. Some in the middle may be particularly gooey. If not serving immediately, move pieces to a lidded container and use waxed paper between the stacked layers. They will stay firmer and less-gooey if they are kept chilled.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Coffee Cookie Bars
These Coffee Cookie Bars are infused with coffee flavor inside and out, the perfect complement to the chewy sweetness of the bars.
If the caffeine doesn’t give you a boost, the sugar will. These bars are not only sweet, but tend to caramelize along the edges and bottom. That means you need to be careful that the foil doesn’t adhere!
These bars are great for a breakfast, snack, or dessert.
Modified from Better Homes & Gardens Christmas Cookies 2021.
Bready or Not: Coffee Cookie Bars
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
- aluminum foil
- nonstick spray
- pastry brush
Ingredients
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1 Tablespoon espresso powder plus 2 teaspoons
- 1 Tablespoon milk or almond milk
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) melted
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9×13 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
- In a small bowl, mix together the sweetened condensed milk and 1 Tablespoon espresso powder. Set aside 1/4 cup of this mixture.
- In a big bowl, mix together the milk and the remaining 2 teaspoons espresso powder. Add the melted butter, eggs, both sugars, and vanilla, mixing well. Follow up with the flour, baking soda, and salt, scraping the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is combined. Set aside 1 cup of the dough.
- Place the bulk of the dough in the bottom of the prepared pan and even out with hands. Pour the larger amount of the sweetened condensed milk mixture over the top and spread out evenly. Crumble the reserved 1 cup of dough over the top.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until set. Immediately brush the reserved 1/4 cup of sweetened condensed milk/espresso powder over the top. Cool completely.
- Lift onto cutting board to slice into bars. Be wary that caramelization may make the base quite sticky, so make sure no foil adheres to the bars. Store in a sealed container at room temperature.
