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Variation:

VANILLA MACAROON BARS: Prepare as directed above but use vanilla cake mix in place of lemon cake mix and use 2 teaspoons vanilla extract in place of the lemon juice and lemon zest.

LINZER BARS

This riff on Linzer torte—in cookie bar form— is impressive enough for company.

1 (16.5-ounce) roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough

1/3 cup finely chopped almonds

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup seedless raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 350°F . Spray an 8-inch-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Break up the cookie dough into a large bowl. Sprinkle the almonds, flour, and cinnamon over dough. Mix well with fingers until blended.

Reserve ½ cup cookie dough mixture. Press remaining mixture onto bottom of prepared baking pan. Spread jam over dough.

Roll out reserved dough on lightly floured surface into 8 x 5-inch rectangle. Cut lengthwise into 10 equal strips. Lay half the strips over jam, about 1 inch apart. Lay remaining strips crosswise over the first strips.

Bake for 25–30 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Serve warm or cool completely. Cut into squares.

MAKES 16 SQUARES.

LIPSMACKER LEMON BARS

Lemon bars are one of my sentimental favorites. Tart lemon curd on a sugar cookie crust? It’s hard to beat, especially with a cup of hot tea and a good book close at hand.

1 (16.5-ounce) roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough, well chilled

4 large eggs, slightly beaten

1 1/3 cups sugar

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¾ cup lemon juice

1/3 cup sifted powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 13 x 9-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with foil. Cut cookie dough into ¼-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices in bottom of the prepared pan. With floured fingers, press dough evenly to form crust.

Bake for 10–14 minutes or until light golden brown (dough will appear slightly puffed). Remove from oven.

While crust bakes, whisk the eggs, sugar, flour, and baking powder in a large bowl; blend well. Whisk in lemon juice. Pour mixture over warm, partially baked crust.

Return pan to oven and bake for 22–25 minutes or until filling is just set. Remove from oven and cool completely. Cut into bars and remove from pan; sprinkle with powdered sugar.

MAKES 36 BARS.

Baker’s Note

If you cannot get enough lemon, drizzle or spread cooled bars with 1 recipe Lemon Icing (see page 368) in place of sifting with powdered sugar.

MAGIC COOKIE BARS

Call them hello dollies, 7-layer bars, or magic cookie bars—an incredible cookie, no matter the name, tastes just as sweet. A bit of crispy from the toasted coconut and pecans, a touch of buttery from the quick crust, and a good dose of gooey from the condensed milk and chocolate chips guarantee that these will magically disappear from the cookie jar.

1 (18.25-ounce) package yellow cake mix with pudding in the mix

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1½ cups sweetened flaked coconut

1 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350°F (or 325°F for dark-coated metal pan). Position oven rack in middle of oven.

Place the cake mix and softened butter in a large bowl. Blend for 1–2 minutes with an electric mixer set on medium speed until blended and crumbly. Press mixture into a 15 x 10 x 1-inch jelly roll pan. Sprinkle the crust with the chocolate chips, coconut, and nuts. Pour condensed milk evenly over crust and ingredients.

Bake for 25–28 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to wire rack. Cool completely. Cut into bars.

MAKES 48 SMALL BARS.

Variations:

BUTTERSCOTCH MAGIC COOKIE BARS: Prepare as directed above but use butterscotch baking chips in place of the chocolate chips.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MAGIC COOKIE BARS: Prepare as directed above but use chocolate cake mix in place of the yellow cake mix.

VANILLA MAGIC COOKIE BARS: Prepare as directed above but use vanilla cake mix in place of the yellow cake mix, vanilla baking