Trilevel Brownies #45

Trilevel Brownies #45 from the Better Homes and Gardens 100 Best Cookies Periodical Decemberr 2010

THESE ARE GREAT!!!  I have eaten three of these since they came out of the oven.  They taste as if I ordered them from a wonderful restaurant--so rich and yummy!!  Need to give them to the neighbors before I eat them all!!!

1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats (I used old fashioned because I like the texture of those better)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup packed brown suga
1/4 t. baking soda
1/2 cup melted butter
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1 egg slightly beaten
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup flour
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 t. vanilla
1/4 t. baking powder
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I used shredded coconut as I don't like walnuts)
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1 ounce unsweetened chocolate coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1 to 2 Tablespoons hot water
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped (Okay this is where I really veered off the path of the recipe-my son doesn't like chocolate much and still had his Easter bunny in it's box, unopened. I chopped it up and spread it onto the brownies--reuse, recycle baby!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  For bottom layer in a small bowl stir together the oats, 1/2 cup flour, brown sugar and baking soda.  Stir in the 1/2 cup melted butter.  Press evenly into bottom of greased 11X7X1 1/2 inch baking pan.  Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile for middle layer, in a medium bowl stir together egg, granulated sugar, the 2/3 cup flour, milk, 1/4 melted butter, the 1 ounce melted chocolate, 1 teaspoon vanilla and baking powder until smooth.  Fold in walnuts (coconut).  Spread evenly over bottom layer. Bake about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (I baked mine 31 minutes).

For top layer, in a medium saucepan combine the 1 ounce chopped chocolate and 2 Tablespoons butter.  Cook and stir over low heat until melted.  Stir in powdered sugar and the 1/2 t. vanilla.  Stir in enough hot water to make a mixture of spreading consistency.  Spread chocolate mixture over middle layer.  Sprinkle with 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate.  Cool completely. Cut into bars. Makes 16-24 brownies.  (I wish I had taken a picture of chopping up the bunny--would have been a funny facebook photo). 

Vanilla Shortbread Sandwiches with Orange Buttercream #32

Vanilla Shortbread Sandwiches with Orange Buttercream #32 from Better Homes and Gardens December 2010 100 Best Cookies Periodical

At first when I was making these as I was rollng them out I thought I would never make them again.  They were crumbly and didn't stick together very well during kneading BUT after finishing them I completely changed my mind.  These cookies were gone within an hour after my husband got home from work--the orange in the cream makes them wonderful!!

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (divided)                                  3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour                                                  1/2 cup butter
Orange Buttercream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a large bowl stir together flour and sugar.  Using a pastry blender, cut in butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla until mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling.  Knead until smooth and form into a ball.  So again, mine were crumbly and I had a hard time creating much of a ball with the dough. 

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 8 by 6 rectangle.  Very crumbly but it did create just enough dough to make the cookies as directed.  Using a pastry wheel or a knife (I used a pastry wheel and they looked really pretty) cut into 24 2X1 inch rectangles.  Place rectangles 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet (I lined mine with parchment paper).

Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes (I only had to bake mine about 15 minutes) or until edges are firm.  Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, transfer to wire rack let cool.

Pipe or spread Orange Buttercream on bottoms of half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies, bottom sides down. Makes about 12 sandwich cookies.  I decided to not make into sandwiches so that I could have 24 cookies-again, so yummy!

Orange Buttercream: In a large bowl beat 1/4 cup softened butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 Tablespoon milk, 1/2 cup finely shredded orange peel and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Beat until smooth.  Beat in 1 and 1/2 cup additional powdered sugar and 1 Tablespoon milk to make filling of piping consistency.  If needed add more powdered sugar or milk depending on constistency.

#98 Sour Cream And Raisin Bars

# 98 Sour Cream and Raisin Bars

I substituted white chocolate chips for 1/2 of the raisins--I then added them after boiling the sour cream mixture so they didn't melt completely. Also I would increase the butter to 1 1/4 cup next time, the crust seemed a bit dry in areas. My husband could not wait for them to cool, he ate them hot and bubbly so I never ended up refrigerating them, they harden while sitting on counter.

1 3/4 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter melted
4 egg yolks
2 cups dairy sour cream (I used fat free)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13X9X2 pan with foil extending foil over edges of pan, set aside. In a bowl combine oats, flour, brown sugar, and baking soda. Add melted butter and mix till well combined. Press 3 cups of oat mixture evenly into pan. Bake 15-20 minutes or till set and lightly browned. Cool pan on wire rack.

Meanwhile in a medium saucepan combine egg yolks, sour cream, raisins (add chocolate chips after boiling if you chose to use them), granulated sugar and cornstarch. Cook and stir over medium heat until becomes thick and bubbling. Pour mixture onto crust and crumble remaining mixture over top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes more until filling is set and top is lightly browned. Cool in pan on wire rack, Cover and chill for atleast 2 hours. Using edges of foil lift cookies out of pan Cut into bars. Makes 24 bars.