by Nicole Rees
These are the perfect brownies to make for a picnic or to just have hanging around for a snack. To transform them into an elegant dessert, add port-soaked dried cherries to the batter and frost the cooled brownies with a port-ganache topping (recipe: Port Ganache-Glazed Brownies with Dried Cherries)
Serves 16 Yields one 9-inch-square pan of brownies.
8 oz. (1 cup) unsalted butter; more softened butter for the pan
3 oz. (2/3 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for the pan
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2-1/2 oz. (3/4 cup) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. table salt
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Lemon Cheesecake Squares
by Meg Suzuki
These squares need to set up in the refrigerator, so allow at least 5 hours of chilling time before you serve (or pack) them. You can substitute lower-fat cream cheese for regular, if you like. The cheesecake itself will be slightly less creamy but still fabulous.
Yields sixteen 2-inch squares.
9 graham crackers (about 5 oz.)
2 oz. (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted
1 lb. cream cheese or Neufchatel (1/3-less-fat cream cheese), at room temperature and cut into approximately 1-inch pieces
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice (from 1 or 2 lemons)
1 Tbs. finely grated lemon zest (from 1 or 2 lemons, preferably using a rasp-style grater)
2 large eggs
1 recipe Lemon Curd, warm or at room temperature
Tip: For the best results, measure your flour by weight instead of volume. (1 cup of all-purpose flour equals 4-1/2 oz.) If you don’t have a scale, be sure to use the proper technique when filling your measuring cups.
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Blueberry-Hazelnut Bars
by Regan Daley
A rich, nutty pastry sandwiches a sweet blueberry filling. These bars keep for a day or two, tightly covered. For a special dessert, warm them and top them with vanilla ice-cream.
Yields 12 large or 48 bite-size bars.
For the crust and topping:
Butter or vegetable oil for greasing the pan
5 oz. (1 cup) hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
9 oz. (2 cups) all-purpose flour
4 oz. (1 cup) confectioners’ sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
8 oz. (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into large cubes
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
For the filling:
2 lb. (6 cups) fresh blueberries, picked over
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
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