Cooking
Page 101 in the old book / page 141 in the new book
When you think of a bar cookie, generally you think of something moist and chewy, possibly with a little crunch on top. Most of the bar cookies sampled so far have fit that bill - but not these. Maida describes them as "hard, chewy, and crunchy like brittle candy". They were a nice change of pace.
Nic made these a few months ago (be sure to check out her post - her photo is just gorgeous) and found them to be more like shortbread than brittle. Mine were brittle just after cooling (which is when I sampled one) and reportedly quite brittle the next day. Either way, they are delicious - I love that contrast of sweet and salty.
As Nic said, they are "dead easy". They have all of 4 ingredients and you don't even have to grease the pan! The cookies are cut in the pan after having cooled just slightly (wait too long and a knife will be of little use). The bars lifted out of the pan easily and cleanly.
Here's the panel...
Suzanne: "The cookie was very sweet, but I like anything that's crunchy and with nuts. This truly did taste like a cookie. Rating - 4.0"
Denny: "Very brittle and well named. I'd give them a 2 and I love PB cookies. Rating - 2.0"
Laura: "De-lish! Crunchy, peanutty, and fabulous. Rating - 4.5"
Phil: "As advertised crunchy, buttery, and (yes) brittle. The buttery and nutty attributes were most prominent while the bar was not particularly sweet. Rating - 3.6"
Overall rating by the panel - 3.5
Next week - Hungarian Walnut Bars
Nutrition Facts
- Mondays With Maida - Señoritas
Page 218 in the old book / page 242 in the new book Sorry, my cookie post is arriving a little late today... I just got back from a wonderful weekend which I'll tell you a little about in the next day or two. These cookies have lots going for them:...
- Mondays With Maida - Oatmeal Icebox Cookies
Page 140 in the old book / page 175 in the new book I would classify these cookies as old-fashioned cookie jar cookies. They are sweet and crunchy with a generous helping of walnuts. Though they have an open, crunchy texture, they are quite sturdy and...
- Mondays With Maida - Pecan Butterscotch Icebox Cookies
Page 139 in the old book / page 174 in the new book This week brings another very easy to make butterscotch cookie, but this cookie gets its butterscotch flavor from butter and brown sugar alone. The flavor in these is more subtle and though crunchy,...
- Mondays With Maida - Aspen Oatmeal Bars
Page 111 in the old book / page 151 in the new book These cookies were candy-like (so, so sweet) and crunchy, loaded with oats, and very easy. I wasn't especially impressed with them, but they did have their fans. Honestly, there's not much else...
- Mondays With Maida - Butterscotch Walnut Bars
Page 104 in the old book / page 144 in the new book These were fine - very sweet, but otherwise unremarkable. Some people were crazy about them, but I think most were unimpressed. I was put off right from the start by the fact that the cookies contained...
Cooking
Mondays with Maida - Brittle Peanut Bars
Page 101 in the old book / page 141 in the new book
When you think of a bar cookie, generally you think of something moist and chewy, possibly with a little crunch on top. Most of the bar cookies sampled so far have fit that bill - but not these. Maida describes them as "hard, chewy, and crunchy like brittle candy". They were a nice change of pace.
Nic made these a few months ago (be sure to check out her post - her photo is just gorgeous) and found them to be more like shortbread than brittle. Mine were brittle just after cooling (which is when I sampled one) and reportedly quite brittle the next day. Either way, they are delicious - I love that contrast of sweet and salty.
As Nic said, they are "dead easy". They have all of 4 ingredients and you don't even have to grease the pan! The cookies are cut in the pan after having cooled just slightly (wait too long and a knife will be of little use). The bars lifted out of the pan easily and cleanly.
Here's the panel...
Suzanne: "The cookie was very sweet, but I like anything that's crunchy and with nuts. This truly did taste like a cookie. Rating - 4.0"
Denny: "Very brittle and well named. I'd give them a 2 and I love PB cookies. Rating - 2.0"
Laura: "De-lish! Crunchy, peanutty, and fabulous. Rating - 4.5"
Phil: "As advertised crunchy, buttery, and (yes) brittle. The buttery and nutty attributes were most prominent while the bar was not particularly sweet. Rating - 3.6"
Overall rating by the panel - 3.5
Next week - Hungarian Walnut Bars
Nutrition Facts
- Mondays With Maida - Señoritas
Page 218 in the old book / page 242 in the new book Sorry, my cookie post is arriving a little late today... I just got back from a wonderful weekend which I'll tell you a little about in the next day or two. These cookies have lots going for them:...
- Mondays With Maida - Oatmeal Icebox Cookies
Page 140 in the old book / page 175 in the new book I would classify these cookies as old-fashioned cookie jar cookies. They are sweet and crunchy with a generous helping of walnuts. Though they have an open, crunchy texture, they are quite sturdy and...
- Mondays With Maida - Pecan Butterscotch Icebox Cookies
Page 139 in the old book / page 174 in the new book This week brings another very easy to make butterscotch cookie, but this cookie gets its butterscotch flavor from butter and brown sugar alone. The flavor in these is more subtle and though crunchy,...
- Mondays With Maida - Aspen Oatmeal Bars
Page 111 in the old book / page 151 in the new book These cookies were candy-like (so, so sweet) and crunchy, loaded with oats, and very easy. I wasn't especially impressed with them, but they did have their fans. Honestly, there's not much else...
- Mondays With Maida - Butterscotch Walnut Bars
Page 104 in the old book / page 144 in the new book These were fine - very sweet, but otherwise unremarkable. Some people were crazy about them, but I think most were unimpressed. I was put off right from the start by the fact that the cookies contained...