These Peach-Almond Bars are peachy-keen, if you ask me! They aren’t super sweet and they really let the flavors of the fruit shine through.
I don’t do a lot with peaches because I live in Arizona and the peaches available here are not the best. There are a lot of things I miss about Central California, and the fresh fruit is a big one. (Oh, don’t start my yearning for strawberries…)
The good news is, you don’t need ripe or especially sweet peaches for this recipe because you add a touch of sugar and cook down the fruit. Lyle’s Golden Syrup is a British ingredient that can be found in the import section of a lot of grocery stores; there is no exact American substitute, but a mix of half light corn syrup and half honey is one I have seen in recipes more than once.
These bars are a pleasant mix of softness, crispness, peachiness, and crunchy almonds. Not only would they make for a good dessert or snack, but a fine breakfast as well.
These bars bring out the best in peaches without being hardcore sweet.
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Keyword: almond, bars, peaches
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
9×13 pan
aluminum foil
nonstick spray
Ingredients
Peaches
6small peaches about 4 cups, peeled and chopped
1/4cupwater
1/4cupLyle’s Golden Syrup
1Tablespooncorn starch
Bars
2cupsall-purpose flour
1cupalmond flour sifted to remove lumps
1cupconfectioners’ sugar
1teaspoonbaking powder
1/2teaspoonsalt
2sticks unsalted butter (1 cup) room temperature
2Tablespoonssliced almonds
Instructions
Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9×13 pan with foil and apply baking spray
In a medium saucepan, cook the peaches, water, and golden syrup about 15 minutes at a simmer, until peaches are soft. Add corn starch and stir well to bring the liquid together. Let set a few minutes to gel.
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, almond flour, confectioners’ sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat in the butter until it forms a lumpy dough.
Press about 2/3 of dough into the prepared pan. Use a piece of waxed paper and a heavy glass to really compress it. Spread the peach mixture on top. Add clumps of the remaining dough to sporadically cover. Sprinkle almonds on top.
Bake for about 40 minutes, until middle is set, not jiggly, with a golden brown crust across the top. Cool completely, speeding the process in the fridge if desired. Use foil to lift contents onto a cutting board to slice up. Store in a covered container, with waxed paper between the layers or with bars individually wrapped.
Posted by Beth on Aug 15, 2022 in Blog, public speaking | Comments Off on CoKoCon 2022 Schedule
I’m attending my first in-person convention in about three years this Labor Day weekend. CoKoCon is a small con in the Phoenix area. This year, it’s at a new location at the DoubleTree in Tempe. I’ll be there Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and early Monday morning. Feel free to talk, ask to have books signed (which I’ll gladly do unless I’m on the run to a panel!), and generally hang out. I’ll be in a black mask, channeling my old favorite Mortal Kombat ninjas.
Panels are always subject to change; I’ll post any updates via Twitter and Facebook.
Friday, September 2
4:30pm Writing on the Spectrum
Fiesta Ballroom 2, 4:30pm – 5:30pm
Neurodiverse writers talk about how their unique filter on the world impacts their writing and about neurodiverse representation in books.
Saturday, September 3
10am Beth & Mike’s Book Club: The City We Became
Coronado, 10am – 11am
Michael Senft, who runs the Sci-Fridays Book Club at the Poisoned Pen, and Nebula Award®-nominated author, Beth Cato, will be leading a discussion on The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin. Read or listen to it ahead of the event or come in blind, but beware of spoilers!
6pm Writing Speculative Poetry
Fiesta Ballroom 2, 6pm – 7pm
Join our award-winning poets as they discuss the craft and market for speculative poetry, and maybe even share some of their own award-winning work!
Sunday, September 4
1pm Literary Charcuterie
Coronado, 1pm – 2pm
Let’s talk about the glories of food in literature and reality and inspire everyone to scamper for the nearest cheese shop (and there are several near the hotel!)
6pm Author Self-Care: Not Post-COVID Yet
Fiesta Ballroom 2, 6pm – 7pm
We’re back in person, but are we really back to normal? This popular panel returns in a world that still hasn’t gotten through the COVID times.
7:30pm Historical Fiction Meets Fantasy
Fiesta Ballroom 2, 7:30pm – 8:30pm
What is the proper proportion of facts with fiction when writing historical fantasy? What resources the perils and joys of research.
I’m a chewy cookie person. These Almond Graham Cookies fit that description nicely, being chewy, crisp, and perfectly sweet.
Graham cracker crumbs are integral to the cookies. You can buy a box and mash them yourself using a food processor or the old Ziplock bag-and-rolling-pin method or buy a container of the prepared crumbs. This recipe can be a good way to use up graham crackers you have idling in your cupboard (which is totally how I came about this recipe).
This is a fast cookie to mix up, too. For me, the longest step was sifting the almond flour, which I must do because it tends to clump badly. However, that’s also a step that can be done the day before.
Be ready to enjoy a lot of cookies. I used my teaspoon scoop for even measurements and got 52 cookies.
This original Bready or Not recipe makes unique sweet and nutty cookies using a base of pulverized graham crackers and almond flour. They are both chewy and crisp, and downright pretty to behold. Makes about 50 cookies using a teaspoon scoop.
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: almond, cookies
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
parchment paper
teaspoon scoop
Ingredients
1/2cupshortening
1/2cupwhite sugar
1/2cupbrown sugar packed
2large eggs
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
1/2teaspoonbaking powder
1/2teaspoonbaking soda
1/4teaspoonsalt
1cupgraham cracker crumbs
1cupalmond flour sifted
1Tablespoonsliced almonds
Instructions
Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, cream together the shortening and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in graham cracker crumbs and almond flour until just combined.
Use a teaspoon scoop or teaspoon to dole out dough onto the baking sheet, spaced to allow some spreading. Place a few almond slices atop each cookie.
Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until top is crackled. Let cookies set on baking sheet for about 10 minutes then transfer to a rack to completely cool.
This Chocolate-Frangipane Bundt Cake is a show-stopper: a rich chocolate cake with a hidden frangipane layer inside, crowned with drippy icing and almonds.
This cake would be perfect for the holiday season–or any time of year you want to go all-out on a delicious cake.
There are a lot of directions and ingredients, but the cake is really quite straightforward to make. I tried to simplify some elements from the original in Bake from Scratch Magazine (who would notice browned butter in a cake that’s already rich in several ways?) and made the ingredient division friendlier, too.
I have a deep, abiding love for frangipane, and this recipe balances the sweet almond paste against a nice, dense chocolate cake. It’s a fine combo.
If you want to save some baking day effort, make the frangipane a day ahead and stash it in the fridge. I do that quite often with recipes like this.
This is a fancy bundt cake that looks and tastes fancy. Perfect for the holiday season or any time of year you want to go all-out on a bundt cake! Modified a lot from Bake from Scratch Magazine Nov/Dec 2018.
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Keyword: almond, bundt cake, cake, chocolate
Author: Beth Cato
Equipment
10-cup bundt pan or larger
Ingredients
Frangipane
1cupalmond flour sifted
1/2cupwhite sugar
1/2cupunsalted butter (1 stick) melted and cooled
1large egg room temperature
1Tablespoonall-purpose flour
1teaspoonalmond extract
Bundt Cake
1/2cupunsalted butter (1 stick) plus more for pan
2cupswhole buttermilk or soured milk*
2large eggs room temperature
1Tablespooninstant espresso powder
1teaspoonalmond extract
1teaspoonvanilla extract
2cupswhite sugar
2cupsall-purpose flour
3/4cupDutch process cocoa powder sifted, plus more to dust pan
2teaspoonsbaking soda
1teaspoonkosher salt
1teaspoonbaking powder
Frosting
1 1/2cupsconfectioners’ sugar
1/2teaspoonalmond extract
3Tablespoonhalf & half or heavy cream
sliced almonds
Instructions
First of all, make the frangipane. In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients until a smooth paste forms. This can be made a day or hours ahead of the cake assembly; if it is made ahead, press plastic wrap to directly cover the frangipane and refrigerate until it is used.
Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Generously grease interior surface of a 10-cup bundt pan with butter, then sift extra cocoa powder to coat it as much as possible. Rotate pan to distribute cocoa powder, tapping out excess if necessary.
Melt butter in microwave or on stovetop and let it cool a few minutes. Pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Add the buttermilk, eggs, espresso powder, almond extract, and vanilla, beating until smooth.
In a separate large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Switch from the whisk to the paddle attachment. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just smooth.
Pour half the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Dollop the frangipane over the batter and smooth out, if possible. Top with remaining cake batter and smooth it again.
Bake until the middle passes the toothpick test, about 55 to 60 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Let pan cool for about 20 minutes and then carefully invert it onto a rack to completely cool. Bits might stick to the pan; if so, pry them out and try to patch the cake. Remember that frosting will help mask any damage.
Once the cake is room temperature, make the frosting. Beat the confectioners' sugar, almond extract, and half & half together to together to form a thick consistency, then drizzle over the cake. Sprinkle sliced almonds on top.
Cake will be moister on the first day but keeps fairly well for a few days. Slices can also be individually wrapped and frozen for later.
OM NOM NOM!
Notes
To make soured milk, pour about 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Add half & half or cream to reach the 2-cups line. Let sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes; it should start to curdle. Use entire contents in recipe.