Blueberry Bonanza Bars

As far as I am concerned, these bars are just a granola-delivery device. I love granola. I like to eat it plain, or with milk, or on yogurt, or in a house or with a mouse. Er... wait... that's Doctor Seuss. The point stands, though, that I enjoy granola.



This is seriously good granola. Nothing fancy, but the mix of brown sugar and honey makes the oats nice and sweet, but not overly-so. Coconut and almonds are always good, too. I may have snitched rather more granola than I should have. Oops.



I suppose there is some shortbread and blueberry jam involved, too. Frankly, the finished bars aren't too much to write home about (or blog about). They seemed a little too sweet, but it might have been because of the jam I used. If I was you, I would just make a double batch of the granola and call it a day. I suppose the bars are pretty, even if they're not the tastiest.



Next week: Snickerdoodles, p. 82

Amaretti Crisps

These cookies were an interesting mix of simplicity and Martha-Brand Complexity. First, I thought these cookies would be easy; they only have four ingredients, after all. Then I sat down to read the recipe, and, well, a couple things jumped out at me.



First, you toast the almonds, then process them to a fine powder in the food processor with some powdered sugar. Then you whip some egg whites to stiff peaks. (I haven't done this in a while, and think I took the egg whites too far... but they still worked out. So, all's well that ends well) Then you fold the two together and add a little almond extract. Then you pipe them into little rings on the cookie sheet. So, I ended up with a sink full of dirty dishes, which is something I try to avoid at all costs.



So, was it worth it? Absolutely! These are may be my favorite cookie so far (although I say that after I make most of my cookies). They are crispy and crunchy and sweet and almond-y. Bonus: they would probably be good for people who have dietary restrictions, no dairy, almost no fat, no gluten. Two thumbs up from me! (Or at least I would give two thumbs up if I didn't have my hands full of cookies.)

Next week: Blueberry Bonanza Bars, p.186