The Ultimate Shortcut Cookie Book - Camilla V. Saulsbury [145]
COCOA CRISPY TREATS: Prepare as directed above but use cocoa-flavored crisp rice cereal in place of regular crisp rice cereal.
“PICK YOUR STIR-IN” CRISPY RICE TREATS: Prepare as directed above but stir in 1 cup of any of the following when adding the cereal: miniature semisweet chocolate chips, chopped dried fruit, dried cranberries, raisins, chopped nuts, toffee baking bits, or sweetened flake coconut.
CHOCOLATE MINT CHIP TREATS: Prepare as directed above but stir 1 teaspoon peppermint extract into the marshmallow-butter mixture. Add 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips along with the cereal.
CITRUS TREATS: Prepare as directed above but stir in 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon, lime, or orange zest to the marshmallow-butter mixture before adding the cereal.
ALMOND LOVER’S TREATS: Prepare as directed above but stir in ¾ teaspoon almond extract to the marshmallow-butter mixture. Add 1 cup coarsely chopped honey-roasted almonds along with the cereal.
DARK CHOCOLATE BARS WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY FILLING
Scrumptious. These decadent, double chocolate, raspberry-rich bars answer the question of what to make when you want to impress a crowd.
1 (18.25-ounce) package chocolate cake mix
¼ cup (½ stick) butter, melted
1 large egg
2 cups white chocolate chips, divided
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
¼ teaspoon almond extract
½ cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)
½ cup seedless raspberry jam
Preheat oven to 350°F (or 325°F for dark-coated metal pan). Position oven rack in middle of oven. Spray the bottom only of a 13 x 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray (or foil-line pan; see page xxiv).
Combine the cake mix, melted butter, and egg in a large bowl. Blend with an electric mixer set on medium speed until crumbly. Set aside 1 cup of the crumb mixture. Firmly press remaining crumb mixture into bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
Combine 1 cup white chocolate chips and condensed milk in a medium saucepan. Warm over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in almond extract; spread over hot crust.
Stir nuts into reserved crumb mixture; sprinkle over chocolate filling. Drop teaspoonfuls of raspberry jam over crumb mixture. Sprinkle with remaining white chocolate chips.
Bake for 25–28 minutes or until topping is firm to the touch. Transfer to wire rack and cool completely. Cut into bars.
MAKES 24 LARGE OR 36 SMALL BARS.
DATE BARS DELUXE
As a child I painstakingly picked out every date from the granola, trail mix, and gorp my mother offered up as snacks. I’m unsure of my reason, but I think it was because I did not like the look of them. So it came as a surprise to everyone when I went crazy for the date bars delivered on a neighbor’s cookie plate one Christmas. Most likely my instant love affair stemmed from my failure to recognize that dates were involved. Date bars remain one of my favorite curl-up-with-a-cup-of-tea cookie options. Although simplified with cake mix, this version tastes nothing short of deluxe.
2 ½ cups water
½ cup fresh lemon juice
3 cups chopped pitted dates
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (18.25-ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
2 ¼ cups quick-cooking oats
Combine water and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add dates; simmer until very soft and thick, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Stir in vanilla extract.
Preheat oven to 350°F (or 325°F for dark-coated metal pan). Position oven rack in middle of oven. Spray the bottom only of a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray (or foil-line pan; see page xxiv).
Combine the cake mix, cinnamon, and melted butter in a large bowl. Blend for 1–2 minutes with an electric mixer set on medium speed until smooth. Stir in the oats until blended. Press half of mixture evenly into prepared pan.