Chocolate Chips and Pistachio Granola Bars

Carlos like granola bars. He will always have one or two in his lunch bag so he can munch on it when he gets hungry. Granola bars are not cheap. It cost around $4.00 for a box of 5 or 6. I usually make it myself as it is not that difficult. Most important is basic proportion of chunky (nuts, dried fruits) to sticky (syrup, honey, sugar, peanut butter, butter or oil) and from there you can go to town with it. You can toss in things like oats, cereal, flax seeds, chia seeds etc. I will normally add in whatever I have in the pantry. The vanilla is optional and so is the cinnamon. The possibilities are endless. Since we like an extra crunch granola so I twice bake these bars.

Luscious Lime Bars

If you give me a choice of dessert I will always pick the one that contains lemon or lime. I love everything lemony, I love their scent, I love their color but above all, I love the sour bite to it. I strongly believe that by adding citrus juice it makes everything taste even better.

These luscious lime bars are the alternative to the traditional lemon bars and best of all you can cut it into small bite size squares and picked up and eat it with your fingers.

Ingredients for the base:

1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp melted butter

Ingredients for topping:

3 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1 cup condensed milk
2/3 cup lime juice
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tsp of lime zest

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degree F. Line and lightly greased a 8" x 8" square baking pan with parchment paper, overhang on both side (for easy removing your bars later).
2. In a mixing bowl, combined all the base ingredients together. Press it evenly to the base of the baking pan. Bake it for 10 minutes, remove from oven and let it cool.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and condensed milk until well combined. Add in lime zest, lime juice and mix well. Lastly add in heavy cream and mix well.
4. Pour the topping over the baked base and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the center is set. Cool complete before cutting into it.

Bakewell Slice

Bakewell is a traditional English baked dessert which consists of a short crust pastry shell, spread with jam and covered with a sponge-like filling enriched with ground almonds (known as frangipane). This famous British tart made in the picturesque town of Bakewell in the Derbyshire Peak District. It is a delicious dessert and also makes a delightful afternoon treat.

Ingredients for the crust:

1 cup flour
6 tbsp cold butter
1 tbsp sugar

Ingredients for the topping:

6 tbsp of butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup ground almonds
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup raspberry jam.
1/4 slice almonds

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degree F. Line and lightly greased a 8" x 8" square baking pan with parchment paper, overhang on both side (for easy removing your slices later)
2. In a food processor, process all the crust ingredients using the pulse action until fine and crumbly.
3. Press it evenly to the base of the baking pan. Bake it for 10 minutes, remove from oven and let it cool.
4. To make the topping, beat sugar, butter and eggs until light and creamy. Add in flour and ground almonds, mix until just combined.
5. Spread the raspberry jam to the crust, spread the topping over the jam and sprinkle the almond slices to the top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Cool completely before cutting to serve.

Apple Crumble Bars

These bars make a delicious and easy alternative to apple pie. It combines two of my favorite food which is apple and the crumble topping. It is an ultimate comfort food served with a scoop of ice cream. You can used any kind of apple for this bars.

Base:
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter - room temperature
2 tbsp of sugar
1 1/3 cups flour
1 tsp of salt

Topping:
4 apples
5 tbsp of sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp of fruit jam (I used homemade plum jam)

Crumble :
1/2 cup flour
3 tbsp of sugar
4 tbsp butter - softened

1. Peel, core and coarsely dice apples. In a large skillet, combine apples, sugar and cinnamon. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 5-7 minutes, until apples are tender but still firm. In a small cup, combine cornstarch and lemon juice.
2. Add to the apple and stirring constantly for 3 minutes or until thickened. Dish out and set aside to cool.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 8" x 8" square pan and line the bottom with parchment paper leaving an overhang on both side (for easy removing your bars later)
4. In a medium bowl, combined flour, sugar and salt. Mix well. Rub in butter to the flour until its crumbly and resemble breadcrumbs. Press into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly brown around the edges. Remove from oven.
5. Spread the jam evenly on the base while it's still hot and top it with the cooked apple.
6. In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients for the crumble. Mix until well combined and crumbly. Sprinkle over the apple. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and cool. Cut into squares and serve.