Floral Sugar Squares Recipes

CREAMY STRAWBERRY DESSERT SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray the inside bottom of a jelly roll pan with cooking spray.
• Mix sugar cookie mix, butter, and egg together in a large bowl until a soft dough forms; press evenly into prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crust is light golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Beat cream cheese using an electric mixer on medium speed in a bowl until smooth. Add whipped topping and stir until smooth; spread over crust. Refrigerate.
• Mix sugar and cornstarch together in a 2-quart saucepan; add 1 cup strawberries, water, and vanilla extract. Cook and stir strawberry mixture, mashing strawberries with spoon while cooking, over medium heat until strawberries are softened and mixture is thickened, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Stir food coloring into strawberry mixture and remove from heat; cool for 10 minutes. Gently stir remaining 3 cups strawberries into strawberry mixture; spoon over cream cheese filling. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour. Serve within 4 hours.

SUGARED FLOWERS

Steps:

• Whisk egg white with water in a small bowl. Working with 1 flower at a time and holding it with tweezers, brush egg wash over entire surface of flower using a small paintbrush. Sprinkle with sugar. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment to crisp flowers. Let stand at room temperature overnight. Sugared flowers can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 3 months.

FLORENTINE SQUARES

Steps:

• Adjust rack to lower third of oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 12-x-15 1/2-x-1/2-inch baking sheet with aluminum foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang at each short end.
• Batter: Pour the cream, corn syrup, and sugar into a 1 1/2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir to combine, then add the butter. Stir over medium-low heat until the butter melts. Then raise the heat to medium, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon--especially toward the end of cooking--to prevent scorching. Cook until the mixture reaches 238 degrees F, the soft-ball stage, on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes; the mixture will appear between ivory- and straw-colored. Remove from heat, and stir in almonds.
• Pour the mixture onto the center of the foil-lined baking sheet, and spread it in as thin a layer as possible. A pool about 8 inches in diameter is fine. Bake for 3 minutes; then spread the more liquid mixture evenly over the baking sheet. If the mixture still does not completely cover the baking sheet, bake another minute, then tilt the baking sheet to allow the mixture to spread evenly. Bake for about 5 to 6 minutes total, or until golden but not dark brown. Though the mixture bubbles while baking, the bubbles form more slowly toward the end of baking time than at the beginning.
• Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and cool for 2 to 3 minutes. While the mixture is still warm but no longer liquid, cut 1 1/2-inch squares using a ruler and a pastry wheel. If the mixture is too warm, it will not cut cleanly. If it is too cool, it will splinter or not cut; in that case return it to the oven for a few seconds to soften it a bit.
• Decoration: When the squares are completely cool, place the chocolate in a bowl over water at about 120 degrees F. When about two-thirds of the chocolate has melted, remove the bowl from the water. With a dry rubber spatula, stir until the liquid chocolate melts the soft or unmelted chocolate that remains. Fill a small handmade paper cone with the chocolate and snip off the tip. Pipe thin lines of chocolate back and forth over the squares' surface. Refrigerate the squares briefly, just to set the chocolate. Remove from the refrigerator and set aside in a cool, dry place.
• To store, remove squares from the foil and place them in layers, separated by strips of aluminum, in an airtight metal or plastic container in a cool place up to 1 week.

CHEWY MOLASSES SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar on medium-high until pale and fluffy, 4 minutes. With mixer on medium, add molasses and egg whites and beat until combined. With mixer on low, add flour mixture and beat until combined.
• Transfer batter to dish and smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely in dish on a wire rack. Invert cake onto a cutting board and cut into 1 1/2-inch squares. To serve, toss in confectioners' sugar to coat.

GRANDMOTHER'S MATRIMONIAL SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Stir oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and baking powder together in a bowl; cut in butter using a pastry blender until mixture is mealy and butter pieces are uniformly small.
• Press half of oat mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan.
• Cook dates with water in a small saucepan over medium heat until they fall apart and are easily mashed with a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes; remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
• Spoon date mixture evenly over oat mixture in baking pan; sprinkle remaining oat mixture evenly over top and press into place.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crust is golden at the edges, about 30 minutes; remove to cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

BROWN SUGAR SQUARES

Steps:

• Beat crust ingredients together until crumbly (mixer works well).
• Press mixture into a 9x13 baking pan (glass works fine).
• Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
• In a separate bowl, combine eggs, brown sugar, vanilla and chopped nuts. Pour over baked crust base and bake another 20 minutes.
• Cut into squares when cool.

CANDIED FRUITCAKE SQUARES

Steps:

• Line an 8-in. square baking dish with parchment, letting ends extend up sides of pan; grease and set aside., In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dates, pineapple and cherries; toss to coat. In a small bowl, whisk the egg, brown sugar and vanilla until blended; stir into fruit mixture. Stir in pecans. Press firmly into prepared baking dish., Bake at 325° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and top is golden. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Using parchment, transfer to a wire rack. Remove paper; cool fruitcake completely. , Using a serrated knife, cut into 1-in. squares. Store in an airtight container.