7 Layer Bars

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: Maybe w/ changes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (February 2007)

These are a little bit different than the easy recipe from on the can of the sweetened condensed milk. The recipe adds toffee bits to the crust (good change), toasts the nuts and coconut (good), adds milk chocolate and rice krispies (fine, but couldn't tell the diff) and also used twice as much condensed milk (maybe not such a good change). I felt like these were just a little bit too gooey. And while I didn't mind the extra chocolate, I'm not sure it added much, so I might skip that step along with the cereal. Of course they tasted good, but just not sure all the updates are necessary.

Lemon-Oat Squares

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Whole Grain Baking

These were good and fairly easy, but it does involve getting out the food processor to process some oatmeal. I really liked the crust on this. And the filling was easy using sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice. A nice way to get lemon flavor but easier (and better, I think) than lemon squares.

Caramels

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cool Time: several hours
Dipping Time: 15 minutes per 20 candies

Grade: A+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: CI Bulletin Board (Pennie)

This recipe was discussed quite a bit on the CI bulletin boards, so I tried it shortly after Christmas. However, my thermometer went goofy and now stops working when it gets higher than 200 degrees, so I had to guess when they were done. I guessed wrong and took them off too early. These caramels were extremly soft (but still delicious.) My nephews enjoyed eating them with a spoon while they were cooling. After cooled, they were still spreading out.

So, I put in the refridge and cut with a knife after they were more solid. They seemed to start to seep back together, so I put in the freezer. After frozen, I cut on original cut lines and separated, then refroze. These were still delicious when eaten out of the freezer - you just needed to let it warm up in your mouth and they were perfect.

However, I came up with a better idea, and that was to dip in melted chocolate, to contain the droopy caramels, and it worked great! I stuck a toothpick in the frozen caramel, dipped it in chocolate, swirled around to cover, used a 2nd toothpick to get rid of any excess and used it to push candy off of 1st toothpick, then swirled chocolate quickly into the tiny hole. Because the caramels were frozen, the chocolate cooled quickly and was not droopy.

I even tried sprinkling a few with sea salt, and this was especially delicious, but it was slowing me down, so I didn't keep up with that. I will do that in the future though. These are really pretty and very delicious. The process is a little time consuming, but fun, so I think I will do this for something other than cookies next Christmas.


CARAMELS

5 pounds


1 lb. butter
2 lbs. brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 oz. Light Karo syrup
2 (15-oz.) cans Eagle Brand Sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon Vanilla extract

Melt butter in a heavy 6-quart pan. Add brown sugar and salt. Stir in corn syrup, mixing well. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Cook over a medium heat until it reaches the firm ball stage (245 degrees). Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Pour into a well buttered 11” x 18” jellyroll pan. Cool, cut, and wrap in wax paper squares.

CHECK YOUR THERMOMETER before you start to make the caramels, by placing it in boiling water for a few minutes. It should register at 212 degrees, if it doesn’t then add or subtract accordingly.

15 Minute Fudge

Prep Time: 17 minutes
Cool Time: 2 hours

Grade: B

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (May 2007)

This is a good recipe, but I just don't love fudge. And I don't like nuts in chocolate much, so I skipped the walnuts, which I was warned not to do. They say it affects the texture, and I can see that this is probably true.

Triple Citrus Bars

Crust Prep: 8 minutes
Crust Bake: 18-20 minutes
Filling Prep: 18 minutes
Filling Bake: 15-20 minutes
Cool Time: 3+ hours

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated Magazine (July 2006)

I sometimes cut bar cookies with a biscuit cutter and decorate the top, and I thought that would be nice with this bar cookie. However, the reality was that it was very hard to get the dessert out in one piece. The bottom separated from the top, and the top didn't look as pretty as I had to push on it. If I had biscuit cutters without handles on top, I could push up from the bottom and it would probably work better. I tired with a flower shaped cookie cutter and it almost worked, but a petal or two broke off.

No matter how they look, these taste great. They are not too sweet, and not too tangy (because of the orange mixed in.) Sometimes citrus desserts can taste a little metallic to me, but this is not the case with this dessert. I love the little flecks of zest that you can see in the bars.