Tuesday Tipsy Treat

Say that three times fast!!!

Oh, I had such high hopes for a chewy bar cookie with this recipe. My hopes were shattered, though, when a snack cake emerged from the oven instead. I had a feeling from the smooth, silky appearance of the batter that it was going to turn out more cake-like than a chewy bar cookie, though. Sadly, I was right. Sometimes I just hate being right.

The batter tastes wonderful (yes, I licked the spoon after I spread the batter in the pan) and the smell of these when they're baking is heavenly. As a matter of fact, I am pretty sure that heaven smells like this. The glaze is like that of a glazed donut...a glazed donut spiked with bourbon, that it. I love the crackly, sugary glaze. It adds a nice boozy sweetness.

This "snack cake" tastes divine. It is delicious. I was only disappointed in the recipe because I thought it would have the chewy texture of a bar cookie. After all, it did come from a cookbook called "Bar Cookies A to Z". Oh, well. If you are looking for a great snack cake to take to a gathering or to an office meeting, this would be a great choice. If you're looking for a boozy bar cookie, you'll have to keep looking...this is NOT it.

Bourbon & Maple Bars

Source: Bar Cookies A to Z – Marie Simmons

Batter:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 cup chopped pecans

Glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons bourbon


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 13-x-9-inch baking pan.

To make the batter:

Sift together the flour and baking powder; set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light. Gradually beat in the eggs and vanilla until blended. Combine the maple syrup and bourbon; add in a slow, steady stream, beating gently until blended.

Stir in the flour mixture until blended. Add the pecans or walnuts; stir to blend.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool on a wire rack, and glaze the bars while still warm.

To make the glaze:

Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together the maple syrup and bourbon. Add the liquids to the confectioners’ sugar, stirring until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the warm bar cookies, spreading it into a thin, even layer. Cool thoroughly before cutting into bars.

Notes: Make sure to use pure maple syrup, not maple-flavored pancake syrup. I halved this recipe and baked it in an 8x8-inch pan. I also used pecans since I don’t like walnuts. My bars needed exactly 30 minutes to bake. I let them cool completely and then wrapped in plastic wrap to sit overnight for best flavor before cutting into bars.