Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [381]
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped; or semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2½ cups salted roasted peanuts
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 13 x 9-inch baking pan; set aside.
Beat 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter and the brown sugar in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves and the mixture becomes quite fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the flour and beat just until a crumbly dough forms. Press this dough into the bottom of the prepared pan, making sure there are no cracks or gaps without pressing down too hard.
Bake until lightly browned at the edges, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack while you make the filling. (Maintain the oven temperature.)
Melt the remaining ½ stick (4 tablespoons) butter, the chocolate, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan set over very low heat, stirring constantly, just until all the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the vanilla.
Pour the chocolate mixture over the crust in the pan, spreading it gently but evenly to the edges. Dot the top with peanuts; press them into the chocolate with a flat spatula, not to submerge them but to make sure they’re held by the chocolate.
Bake until the topping is bubbling and almost set, about another 15 minutes.
To cool: Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool completely, about 2 hours.
To unmold: When the chocolate on top has set and cooled, invert the pan over a large cutting board and gently knock the whole sheet of bar cookies out of the pan. Remove the pan, then reinvert the sheet of bar cookies, using a second large baking sheet. Cut into squares.
To store: These bars can be kept in a sealed container between sheets of wax paper for up to 3 days.
Variations: Substitute walnut pieces or pecan pieces for the peanuts. Toast either of these in a large skillet with 1 teaspoon canola oil over medium heat until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle on 1½ teaspoons salt and shake well to coat.
Shortbread Bars
We first learned about this technique for making shortbread from Gale Gand, one of the country’s best pastry chefs. You make the dough, freeze it, then grate it into the pan. The variations are endless, depending on the type of jam you prefer. Makes about 16 bars
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) cool unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup homemade jam or the jam of your choice
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
Soften the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed just until it starts to get gooey at the edges. Add the sugar and continue beating until the sugar has mostly dissolved and the mixture is quite fluffy, about 4 minutes.
Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then the vanilla. Turn off the beaters, add the flour mixture, and beat at low speed until a smooth dough forms.
Divide the dough in half and roll each into a ball. Wrap each in plastic and set in the freezer until well chilled but not frozen, about 1 hour.
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.
Unwrap one ball of dough and grate it through the large holes of a box grater into an 8-inch baking pan. Spread the dough shards gently but evenly to the corners without pressing down. Dot the jam over the dough; spread gently with a rubber spatula. Unwrap the other ball of dough and grate it into the pan, covering the jam and spreading the shards to the corners.
Bake until lightly browned and set on the top, 30 to 35 minutes.
To cool: Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool completely, about 2 hours. Dust the top of the shortbread bars with confectioners’ sugar and cut into 16 pieces (making four cuts each way in the pan).
To store: The bars can be kept between sheets of wax paper in a sealed container