By Liz Berg on Oct 02, 2015 01:00 am
These scrumptious Meyer Lemon Streusel Bars have three incredible layers: a buttery shortbread crust, a lemon curd filling and a sugar cookie crumble topping. This post is sponsored by PAM Cooking Spray. See details below.
Lemon Love
I bake a bazillion chocolate desserts, so it’s nice to shake things up a bit with some lemon treats. Lemon bars are typically two layers and a breeze to toss together. But it’s definitely worth the extra effort to top these citrusy gems with some streusel, especially this crisp sugar cookie streusel. Plus, for a change of pace, I nabbed some Meyer lemons, a sweeter cousin to the standard lemon. Meyer lemons are actually a cross between the standard lemon and either a regular orange or a mandarin. Feel free to decrease the sugar in the filling if you want a bit more pucker in your bars or substitute your garden variety lemons, especially if it’s not Meyer lemon season in your neck of the woods
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By Liz Berg on Oct 01, 2015 01:00 am
If you’re like us, baking a pumpkin pie is generally reserved for Thanksgiving. But you can get the same delicious flavors in this ultra creamy, autumn spiced Pumpkin Fudge!
Dreamy Pumpkin Fudge
I was intrigued when I came across a few recipes for pumpkin fudge on the Internet. My family, die-hard chocolate fudge fans, were even more skeptical. This was my basic fudge recipe with a few minor changes. First, some brown sugar replaced a cup of the granulated sugar. For the pumpkin twist, a half cup of pumpkin plus the same melange of spices I put in my pies were added. And instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips, I stirred in white chocolate chips. If you don’t want any visible chocolate, I’d recommend chopping your white chocolate before adding. I find that chocolate chips are designed to keep their shape for the best results with chocolate chip cookie recipes but don’t always melt without some vigorous stirring. My friends enjoyed the little bits of white chocolate interspersed in the fudge. I took a batch across the street to share with my knitting group. The two who were daring enough to eat fudge at 10 in the morning went back for seconds. I’d call that a success. And I was determined not to leave one morsel in my saucepan after it was poured into my baking dish—I think that speaks a lot to the deliciousness of this recipe, too
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By Liz Berg on Sep 29, 2015 05:00 am
This Maple Glazed Apple Tart is made from buttery puff pastry baked up with a cream cheese and apple filling for a delicious breakfast dish or dessert.
Apple Tart
I adore apple desserts and I’m certain this tart was first baked up as an after dinner treat. I’ve served it for brunch numerous times—any excuse for eating it numerous times during the day. Growing up, I wasn’t a fan of maple anything. I credit this with the artificially flavored syrup that donned our table when having French toast, pancakes or waffles for Sunday breakfast. Ick. I think it was this tart that showed me that maple could be an exquisite flavor, especially paired with apples. This tart is simply glazed with reduced maple syrup. Just 10 minutes or so of simmering concentrates the flavor and thickens the syrup into a delectable glaze. The combination of flavors and textures makes this maple glazed apple tart an exquisite dish, whether you choose to serve it at the beginning, middle or end of the day.
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By Liz Berg on Sep 28, 2015 01:00 am
The warm autumn spices in these Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars will evoke delicious memories of your Thanksgiving pumpkin pie.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
I had a hankering for cheesecake. But no ordinary cheesecake. I yearned for a towering pumpkin cheesecake, sweet and dense and swirled with caramel. Unfortunately, the timing wasn’t right. Bill wasn’t as gung-ho about my idea and Katie and I didn’t need to split a whole cheesecake between us, tempting as that might be! So that recipe is on hold till later this autumn, and instead, I found a tasty way to get my pumpkin fix, via these yummy Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars.
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By Liz Berg on Sep 27, 2015 01:00 am
A crumb topping makes this Dutch apple pie so easy to make, plus who doesn’t love a streusel topping???
Dutch Apple Pie
I’m not sure if this pie has anything to do with Holland, but Dutch Apple Pie typically refers to an apple pie topped with a crumble topping. For me, it’s a delight not to fiddle with a top crust. Though I’ve finally gotten to where my crusts are consistently flaky and tasty, they’re not always so pretty once they get transferred to the top of a pie. This pie’s streusel topping solves that problem. I’d recommend covering the surface with foil about half-way through the baking time as this recipe requires a longer stint in the oven in order to cook the apples to perfection. The last thing you want is a charred crust or topping.
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SAM SIFTON
