Bonnies Fruit And Nut Bars With Rum Icing Recipes

GLAZED DRIED FRUIT AND NUT BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir cookie crust ingredients until well blended. Press dough in bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch pan. Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, heat orange marmalade to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Boil 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened. Stir in remaining filling ingredients until well mixed. Spread evenly over cookie crust.
• Bake about 15 minutes longer or until edges are golden brown and filling is set. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. For bars, cut into 8 rows by 4 rows.

BANANA NUT BARS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring butter and water to a boil. Remove from the heat; set aside. In a large bowl, beat the sugars, bananas, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla until blended. Combine flour and baking soda; gradually add to sugar mixture. Beat in butter mixture until blended. Stir in nuts., Pour into a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. , For frosting, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add confectioners' sugar until smooth. Spread over bars. Store in the refrigerator.

CHUNKY CHOCOLATE FRUIT-AND-NUT BARK

Steps:

• Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. Roughly chop chocolate and place in the bowl to melt, stirring frequently, keeping the heat very low. Chop toasted nuts; using scissors, cut dried fruit into small pieces. Finely chop candied ginger and/or orange peel. Place fruit and nuts into a large mixing bowl.
• Once chocolate is melted and smooth, take it off the heat and stir fruit and nuts into the chocolate. Gently stir to combine so the fruit and nuts are all combined with the chocolate. Line a pan with parchment paper that's been sprayed with a little oil. Sprinkle cocoa powder over parchment and then add the chocolate mixture. Spread it out in an even layer. Dust with more cocoa powder and place another piece of parchment paper on top. Let it cool down and set in the refrigerator, 1 hour.
• When chocolate is set, run a knife around the edge to remove from the pan. Break or cut into pieces to make chunky chocolates.

RUM BUTTER ICING

Steps:

• Melt butter on stove or in microwave.
• Add rum.
• Stir in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at time blending until smooth.
• Add nutmeg.
• Let cool about 15 minutes to thicken before icing cookies, cakes, etc.

NUT AND FRUIT FILLING AND FROSTING

Steps:

• Bring sugar and water to a boil, without stirring, in a saucepan until syrup is 238 degrees F (114 degrees C) or until a small amount of syrup dropped in cold water forms a soft thread, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Slowly pour syrup over egg whites in a bowl; stir in vanilla extract and continue to beat until thick and cold. Add baking powder and beat until filling/frosting is thick enough to spread without running. Fold almonds, figs, and raisins into filling/frosting.

STARBUCKS CHEWY FRUIT AND NUT BARS

Steps:

• Ingredient note: look in your health food aisle for a healthy alternative to Rice Krispies. The brand I found is made by Enviro-Kidz and uses BROWN rice.
• Prepare 9x13 pan with non-stick spray (or line with parchment paper).
• In a large mixing bowl, toss all dry ingredients. Feel free to substitute your preferred nut or dried fruit.
• In a saucepan, combine brown sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil and allow to boil one minute. (Note: boiling the sugars is what helps the bars become firm and not sticky, so this step is important).
• After boiling, turn off heat; add vanilla and peanut butter. QUICKLY pour this hot mixture over the dry ingredients and toss to combine.
• Pour warm mixture into prepared pan. Wet your fingers and press the mixture down into the pan to compress the bars so they will slice evenly.
• When cool, use a sharp knife to cut into 18 bars (1 long lengthwise cut and 9 cuts across). Enjoy with a hot cup of Starbucks coffee for an authentic experience!
• Note: Starbucks does not list corn syrup in their ingredients, but the sweetener in their list is not readily available. I tried using Maple Syrup, but the bars were very crumbly and would not stay together in bars. Therefore, I found that Corn Syrup is the best ingredient that is readily available.

FRUIT AND NUT CEREAL BARS

Steps:

• Spray 9-inch square pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix cereal, dried fruit, sunflower nuts and peanuts.
• In 2-quart saucepan, heat brown sugar, corn syrup and peanut butter to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.
• Pour syrup over snack mix; toss to coat. Press firmly in pan. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows.

BUTTER RUM BONNIE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. While waiting, grease and flour a 13x9 inch pan. You can also use two 9 inch pans or three 8 inch pans if you prefer a layer cake.
• Start with the cake ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, mix the sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla on low speed until the mixture begins to get fluffy. This usually takes two or three minutes if your butter is nice and soft.
• Beat the mixture on high speed (the highest your mixer will go!) for five minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl to ensure complete mixing. This step is very important; do not skip it to save time! It will make all the difference in the fluffiness of the cake. The mixture should be pale and resemble cheesecake filling by the time you are finished mixing.
• Beat in the flour, baking powder, salt and milk alternately on low speed. The mixture will thicken considerably as more flour is added. This is great for giving those arm muscles a workout!
• Add the rum or rum flavoring and give the mixture a final mix on low speed. You can add a little more rum if you're so inclined, but too much will ruin the consistency of the cake. Save it for the glaze or get yourself a drink!
• Pour the mixture into your pan(s).
• Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. For 13x9 pans this is approximately 45-50 minutes; for layers this is approximately 30-35 minutes.
• Let the cake cool while you make the glaze.
• Heat the butter in a small saucepan over low heat until it is fully melted.
• Slowly add the rum or rum flavoring and the powdered sugar. Make sure you take the time to dissolve the sugar, it can take a few minutes to fully melt. The glaze should thicken considerably by the time the last of the sugar is added. You can add more rum than the amount listed if you're so inclined, but too much will cause consistency problems.
• If the glaze is too thick, add hot water one tablespoon at a time until it reaches the consistency you want. For this cake I prefer leaving it on the thicker side (1-2 tablespoons of water at the most) but it is a matter of personal taste.
• Add the nutmeg and cinnamon. These spices are optional, but they add a lot of character to the glaze and give it a flavor similar to a hot buttered rum - yum! Add more if you like this combination, the amounts listed are conservative for what my family in particular enjoys!
• Let the glaze cool for a minute or two and then pour it over the top of the cooled cake. Use a spatula or spoon to help make sure the cake gets fully covered if the glaze is on the thicker side. To really make sure the glaze gets into the cake, you can poke holes in the top of the cake with a fork before pouring - this will help the cake soak up the glaze.
• Let the cake sit for at least half an hour before serving. This will give the glaze time to harden up a little and become more like a smooth frosting than a wet glaze.
• Serve and enjoy! You can sprinkle a little extra nutmeg and cinnamon over the top for presentation, but I've found that the taste of the cake requires no bells and whistles to get attention! It may look and feel simple, but this is deceptive once you get a taste of what you've made.

BONNIE'S FRUIT AND NUT BARS WITH RUM ICING

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients together: flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt, and add the fruits and nuts. Mix gently to combine.
• In a medium mixing bowl, mix the wet ingredients: mashed bananas, pears, egg whites and molasses, beat with a hand mixer until smooth.
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. The batter should look like this. It will be thick. Use a 9 X 12 X 2 inch pyrex baking dish. Spray it with butter flavored Pam kitchen spray. Pour the batter evenly in the baking dish.
• Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes. Test with a toothpick to see if it is done. It will look like this photo.
• Remove from the oven and place on a rack and cover with a sheet of wax paper.
• Rum Icing Recipe: Bring the butter and cream cheese to room temperature while waiting for the cake to cool. With an electric mixer and a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, rum extract and the butter until well mixed, and then add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. If it is too thick, add a half teaspoon of water and mix well. Spoon the mixture into a small plastic ziplock bag, close it and get the air out, and then snip the corner of the bag.
• Pour the icing on the cake and frost.
• This cake can be served with or without icing. We like ours warm with the rum icing on it. The rum icing melts slightly, like the icing on sweet rolls, or if you prefer, cool completely for a firmer icing. This is what it looks like iced.
• Cut into bars and serve with a nice glass of cold milk. This recipe is a good gift for friends and family, accompanied by the recipe.
• This is a closeup of the fruit nut bars. Store in a container with a tight-fitting lid.