Make These Now, Thank (or Slap) Me Later : Cherry Almond Oat Bars

I'm supposed to be dieting.

But I keep making cookies. It's a problem, truly. My only saving grace is training for a half marathon. I can justify a cookie now and then.

The problem with these? I can eat them all day. Okay, who am I fooling...I can eat any kind of cookie all day. There is a reason my nickname is Cookie Monster.

I absolutely LOVE these cookies. Not only because they are delicious - they are also simple to knock together.

And? They remind me of the cherry crisp we used to get on our lunch trays in grade school. In a good way.

Cherry Almond Oat Bars

Makes: 16 bars

2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks cold butter, cut into pieces
1 cold egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup cherry preserves (I like Bonne Maman - you could probably use canned cherry pie filling too. Or substitute your favorite preserves.)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9 inch baking pan with foil (hint: form the foil around the outside of the pan then drop it into the inside of the pan).

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, baking soda and salt. Add the butter and use your clean hands to mix the dough until coarse crumbs appear. Beat egg and almond extract in a small bowl, then drizzle over dough mixture. Knead with your fingertips till clumpy.

Place 2/3 of the dough into the foil lined pan and press into the bottom to create an even layer. Spread the preserves atop the dough. Sprinkle the remaining dough over the preserves.

Bake until the edges are slightly golden - 35 to 40 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely, then turn them out of the pan. Remove the foil and cut into squares (use a pizza cutter - so easy!).

Super Secret Family Recipe...Shhhh. Brun Kager

For many years my husband has waxed poetic about these cookies his mom makes.

I asked for the recipe several times, and always got the 'oh yeah, I'll have to write it down...' But the recipe never materialized.

Well, a couple of weeks ago, I was visiting with her and she HAD THE RECIPE! I grabbed a pen and a receipt out of my purse and scrawled the recipe down. It was pretty cryptic. So, I had to make a few batches before I got them right. Or, as my husband says, ALMOST like his mom's. Ha. Ha ha.

I think they're pretty darn good. A great cookie with a cup of coffee or tea.

By the way, I've found many other recipes for Brun Kager online, none like this one. Most I've found are more like a spice cookie. So imagine all the failed attempts I had before I got the actual recipe from my MIL. Gah.


Brun Kager (Brown Cookie)

Gather:

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 Tbs Lyles Golden Syrup (would be by the Karo Syrup, if the store has it. I found mine at Cost Plus World Market)
2 cups plus 2 Tbs flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder (usually located next to the vanilla extract - not all stores have it)

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream butter, sugar and golden syrup.

Sift flour baking soda and vanilla powder together. Add to wet ingredients. Mix well. This dough is SUPER DRY. Think biscuit dough.

Once the dough is combined, form into four equal balls. Roll each ball out into a hot dog-esque shape, about 3/4 - 1" in diameter (the recipe I was given said wieners - I am totally five years old - I laughed every time I looked at it). This is what it will look like:


I'm showing an example because this is where I was hung up. For some reason I thought I had to cut them into little disks from the wiener. WIENER.

No. The wieners go into the oven WHOLE.

Bake for 15 minutes. The dough will spread out. Cut on the diagonal while still warm. Let cool a bit, and devour.

I would post a photo of the finished cookies, but I forgot to take a shot before they were all gone. What can I say? We're cookie monsters.