Vanilla Nut Bars

Ina Garten is one of my favorite TV Personalities - I just love her food, her style, and her on-camera personality. You know how you can kinda tell how you're going to get along with a person before you really get to know them? Well, I'm convinced she and I would get along wonderfully.

Anyway, I love how Ina encourages her viewers to master a really good recipe or technique, and then change it up a bit to make different variations. That's exactly what I did with her Pecan Squares - I used her fabulous recipe as a starting point, tweaked it here and there, and ended up with these delicious nibbles that I call Vanilla Nut Bars. I think Ina would approve :).

The changes were simple - I omitted the lemon and orange zest from the original recipe, I replaced half of the pecans with almonds, I added lots of vanilla extract, and I replaced the honey with Lyle's Golden Syrup.  I also cut the recipe in half so my family isn't tempted to eat an entire sheet pan full of these delicious treats. Double the recipe if you want to feed a crowd!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• commercial 9x13 pan https://amzn.to/3Uj4bGL

• Lyle’s golden syrup https://amzn.to/3WEsH7p

• nonstick foil https://amzn.to/3sVHr3Q

• pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/3h8fJy5 (use the good stuff!)

• BeaterBlade attachment https://amzn.to/2HXr41r

• almonds https://amzn.to/3Un3wUU

• pecans https://amzn.to/3DRqKvN

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Vanilla Nut Bars

Makes one 9x13 pan

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Crust:

• 2 1/2 sticks (20 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

• 6 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

Filling:

• 1/2 pound (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter

• 1/2 cup Lyle's Golden Syrup (or honey)

• 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

• 1 pound chopped nuts (I used almonds and pecans)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Make the crust by combining the softened butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer.

3. Use the paddle or BeaterBlade attachment (LOVE my BeaterBlade); mix for 3 minutes.

4. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.

5. Sift the dry ingredients together and add to the butter/sugar mixture on low speed just until all the ingredients are completely incorporated.

6. Using well floured hands, press dough into ungreased 9x13 metal cake pan or lined 9x13 quarter sheet pan (see notes below).

7. Bake crust for 15 minutes. Cool. Make the filling.

8. Make the filling by combining the butter, golden syrup (or honey), and brown sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.

9. Heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils; continue to boil for 3 minutes.

10. Remove from heat and stir in the heavy cream, vanilla, and chopped nuts.

11. Pour mixture over the crust and bake for 20-25 minutes.

12. Cool until set. Cut and serve!

Notes

• Lyle's Golden Syrup is an all natural sugar cane syrup imported from England. It has an addictive caramel-like flavor and I absolutely love it. It can be used interchangeably in any recipe that calls for honey or corn syrup.

• If baking in a quarter sheet pan, build up the edges a bit with nonstick foil to catch any possible spills.

• A double recipe will fit in one half sheet pan or two 9x13 cake pans.

adapted from Ina Garten's Pecan Squares

(affiliate links)

Lyle's Golden Syrup

Light and Crispy Shredded Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Our family likes miniature frosted shredded wheat cereal - unfortunately, there's always a huge pile of crumbs at the bottom of the box that nobody wants to eat. So I started saving the crumbs in hopes of figuring out a way to somehow use them. Then, one day while walking through the grocery store, I noticed a "store brand" of these mini cereal bites had a chocolate chip cookie recipe written on the side of the box. I decided to give the recipe a try and they were a big hit, so now I don't mind that pile of uneaten crumbs at the bottom of each box.

Unlike traditional chocolate chip cookies, these cookies bake up very crispy and as light as air (they're actually kind of hollow inside). Great for dipping into a tall glass of ice cold milk!

For a slightly healthier version, I replace 1/4 of the cereal crumbs with an equal amount of ground flaxseed, wheat germ, or a combo of both.

Crispy and delicious!

Shredded Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

makes about 2-3 dozen cookies

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup finely processed frosted shredded wheat crumbs

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 8 tablespoons butter

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375F.

2. Process cereal crumbs in a food processor or blender until finely ground.

3. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until well blended; add eggs and vanilla and mix well.

4. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder; add to flour mixture and stir to combine.

5. Stir in the chocolate chips.

6. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.

7. Cool completely; store in an airtight container.

Notes

• For a slightly healthier version that doesn't affect the flavor or texture of these cookies at all, replace 1/4 cup of the cookie crumbs with an equal amount of wheat germ, ground flaxseed, or a combination of both.

• Recipe can be doubled, but only if you plan to bake the cookie dough right away (dough get's dry as it sits).