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Apr 11 2011

Lemon Cream Bars

Posted by twopeasandtheirpod in Baking, Step-by-Step Recipes

Our friends gave us a huge bag of lemons from Arizona. The lemons are beautiful and the size of oranges. I didn’t want them to go to waste so I started looking for lemon recipes on Tasty Kitchen. I found a recipe for Lemon Cream Bars from Tasty Kitchen member CookBakeandDecorate (Muriel). Lemon bars are one of my favorite treats. I love that these bars are creamy with an oat streusel crust and topping. Plus, they are incredibly easy to make. I had all of the ingredients, so I got started.

To make the lemon cream bars, you will need: sweetened condensed milk, fresh lemon juice, flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, butter, baking powder, and salt.

Juice the lemons. You will need 1/2 cup of lemon juice. I used two large lemons.

Combine the lemon juice and the sweetened condensed milk. Mix well and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix remaining ingredients together until crumbly.

Press half of the streusel mixture into a greased 9 by 13 baking dish.

Pour the lemon mixture over the streusel crust.

Sprinkle remaining streusel over the top of the lemon bars. Pat gently.

Bake for 20–25 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Let cool completely and enjoy! Store bars in the refrigerator.

If you are a lemon lover, make Lemon Cream Bars. They are creamy, dreamy, and the perfect sweet treat for spring. We enjoyed them right out of the oven and chilled from the refrigerator. They are delicious both ways. Thanks, Muriel, for a fantastic recipe! Check out the Cook, Bake and Decorate blog for other delicious recipes.

Printable Recipe

Lemon Cream Bars

by CookBakeandDecorate on January 14, 2011 in Brownies and Bars, Desserts

4.80 Mitt(s) 25 Rating(s) 25 votes, average: 4.80 out of 5

Description

To be honest, I can’t quite remember where I got this recipe and I feel horrible that I can’t personally thank this person because these bars are just divine! Now, I love me some good ole lemon bars and these are lemon bars taken up a notch! These bars have a delicious streusel bottom with a lemon cream filling, then more delicious streusel on top. Seriously, you can’t go wrong with these little babies!

Ingredients

1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk - 14-ounce Can
½ cups Lemon Juice
1-½ cup Flour
1 cup Oatmeal
1 cup Brown Sugar
⅔ cups Butter, Melted
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 pinch Salt

Preparation Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Combine milk and lemon juice. Mix well and set aside for a moment.

Mix remaining ingredients until crumbly.

Press half of the streusel (dry) mixture into a lightly greased 9×13 baking dish. Pour the lemon mixture over top. Finish by sprinkling remaining streusel over the top of the lemon filling. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely then store in the refrigerator.

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Maria and her husband Josh (who she affectionately refers to as her “dough boy”) blog at Two Peas and Their Pod. They’ve been featured on Saveur, Eatocracy, Gourmet Live, Glamour, and the Los Angeles Times, to name just a few. We’re so glad to have them here!

Nov 21 2012

Last-Minute Thanksgiving Ideas

Posted by Erika (TK) in Holidays, The Theme Is...

We’ve been doing this here Tasty Kitchen Blog for a few years now, and in that time, I’ve seen a steady stream of dishes pass through our cyber doors, each as tempting as the one before it, all of them wreaking havoc on my daily routine of promising myself, “Today will be a light eating day, to atone for yesterday’s sin of gluttony.”

It’s a futile attempt, I know. But I like to kid myself every morning.

One great perk of having read all the posts here is that, when I need inspiration fast and when that inspiration works best accompanied by instructions and visual aids, I have a wealth of reference material. Tasty Kitchen Blog has saved me many times I needed a last-minute side dish, or even just a quick but new dressing to update a favorite salad. So just in case you’re looking for something new for tomorrow’s meal (maybe your guest list suddenly multiplied, or perhaps you just learned one of your guests has a new dietary restriction), maybe we can help.

How about this Outrageous Garlic Soup for a starter? It’s warm and creamy and comforting, especially for those who just spent hours traveling. The garlic isn’t overpowering, and besides, everyone’s family, right?

This Brazilian Cheesebread also works well as a starter or a side, and it’s naturally gluten-free!

Speaking of bread, take a look at this Pumpkin Cornbread. That’s right, pumpkin cornbread.

Want something new and potato-ey for the table? These Potatoes Romanoff and Scalloped Hasselback Potatoes may just upstage the bird. (Sorry, bird.)

If it’s the stuffing you want to update, why not serve it in cute little edible bowls like these Stuffed Acorn Squash with Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing? They’re adorable and delicious. Just like me! If I looked like acorn squash, that is. (Which I don’t. So never mind.)

And of course, there’s dessert. Glorious dessert. After all, it’s dessert that makes the world go ’round, right? You can whip up a Perfect Pumpkin Cheesecake (which really is perfect in so many ways), or make these Nutella Cheesecake Pumpkin Muffins and sneak in some Nutella (because Nutella also makes the world go ’round). Or maybe you already have a pumpkin dessert and want to do something with apples instead. Have you tried this Ozark Apple Pudding? It’s rustic and full of apples and walnuts and served with a cinnamon-infused whipped cream. With desserts like these, who needs a main course? (Oops. Sorry again, bird.)

Or maybe you want to go the traditional way and make pie. I don’t blame you. I think pie makes the world go … whoa, I just had a deja vu moment there. Where was I? Oh yes, pie. You know what pies need? They need crust. I’ve made pies, and every time, I say a silent prayer for my crust and hope it cooperates. If you’re the same way, then maybe you’ll love this Pie Crust Tutorial as much as I do.

Want something extra special for the kids? (Because adults are easy. All you need is a trip to the store. Wine? Check. Beer? Check. Bourbon? Check. Alka-Seltzer? Check.) Give the kids something to rave about: Homemade Hot Chocolate. You’ll be their hero, they’ll tell their friends about it in school the following week, and their parents will ~~curse~~ thank you for having ruined them for all forms of instant hot chocolate packets.

Got overnight guests? Brew a pot of coffee (and more hot chocolate for the kids) and keep spoiling them with a Streusel-Topped Pumpkin Bread or Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze. They may never want to leave. (Uhm … sorry?)

And hey, if you’ve got enough of that bird left over, we even have a way to use it up. Wrap them up and make these pretty little Rosemary Turkey Pockets! So easy and simple, and perfect for brunch the next day or to pack for your guests for their trip back.

Whew. That’s a lot of last-minute ideas. And now, I must walk away from my monitor and reaffirm my commitment to eating light today. This time, it won’t be to atone for yesterday’s gluttony—it will be to prepare for tomorrow’s gorging. If you wish me well, I might have a chance of succeeding.

Enjoy the holiday, everyone! We here at Tasty Kitchen hope you have fun cooking and even more fun eating. Thank you to our contributors for all that you do, and thank you to all our members for being here and sharing your recipes. You’ve helped us create such a wonderful cooking community and you keep bringing all kinds to deliciousness into our world.

Aug 24 2015

No-Bake Granola Bars

Posted by Erica Lea in Step-by-Step Recipes

Here’s a great idea for a grab-and-go breakfast, school snack, or after-school treat. It’s no-bake too, perfect for those of you still battling summer heat. Enjoy this post from our archives!

I’m the type of person that, when I get hungry, I need to eat something immediately. Perhaps it’s just my imagination, but if I go too long without eating I start to feel sick. And cranky. So it helps if I stuff handy snacks into my purse to ensure I’m never in an emergency food situation.

These No-Bake Granola Bars, brought to us by Cheri, are a wonderful power snack for on-the-go. They’re filled with nutritious oats, nuts, dried fruit and honey. Plus they’re pretty tasty little treats.

Let me show you how to make them!

Here’s the ingredients you’ll need: rolled oats, nuts (I used pecans and pumpkin seeds), shredded coconut, dried fruit (I used raisins and figs), butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, honey and molasses.

Begin by chopping your nuts. The pumpkin seeds are nice and small so I didn’t chop them.

In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, toast the oats, nuts and coconut until fragrant. Make sure to stir often so it doesn’t burn!

Pour the toasted oat mixture into a large bowl.

If you’re using larger dried fruit you’ll want to chop it up as well.

Add the dried fruit to the oat mixture.

Stir to combine.

Place the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, honey and molasses in a small saucepan.

Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Pour the butter mixture over the oat mixture.

Stir until the oat mixture is evenly coated with the butter mixture. Set aside to cool a little.

Line a dish with plastic wrap. Spoon mixture into pan and press down to compact. I used an extra piece of plastic wrap to keep my hands clean.

Place in the refrigerator to firm up, about 30 minutes.

Once firmed, turn out onto a cutting board and cut into bars.

Wrap the bars individually with plastic wrap, parchment paper or wax paper. Now they’re grab-and-go ready!

Recipe notes:

1. These bars are just a hair too sweet for my taste. I cut the amount of sugar down to 3/4 cup, so next time I’ll try going down to 1/2 cup and using a full stick of butter. If you like your treats nice and sweet, this shouldn’t be an issue for you.

2. I might add a pinch of salt next time as well.

3. I love how customizable these are. You could come up with so many different flavor combinations by switching up the nuts and fruits you use.

Thanks so much to Cheri for sharing her recipe with us! Make sure to check out her blog, Kitchen Simplicity, where she writes many more delicious recipes. I may have to make her Quick & Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie for supper sometime.

Printable Recipe