Grandmas Mint Bars Recipes

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.

GRANDMA'S RASPBERRY BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• In a medium bowl combine butter, white sugar, brown sugar, flour, baking powder and salt; mix well. Spread 2/3 of mixture into prepared pan.
• Spread jam over mixture.
• Combine remaining mixture with oats and walnuts; sprinkle over jam layer.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

GRANDMA'S DATE BARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Transfer to a greased 8-in. square baking pan. , Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Cut into squares.

MIDNIGHT MINT BARS

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan, heat the butter, cocoa and sugar over low heat until sugar is dissolved, stirring often.
• Remove from the heat.
• Stir in a small amount of hot mixture into egg; return all to pan.
• Cook and stir until mixture coats a metal spoon and reaches 160.
• Remove from heat.
• Stir in cracker crumbs, coconut and walnuts.
• Press into a buttered 9 inch square pan; set aside.
• For filling, in a small mixing bowl, beat butter, confectioners sugar, milk and extract until smooth.
• Tint with food coloring if desired.
• Spread evenly over bottom layer; set aside.
• For topping, in a heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips and butter over low heat until blended and smooth, stirring often.
• Remove from heat.
• Cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
• Spread over filling.
• Cover and refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.
• Cut into bars.
• Store in the refrigerator.

GRANDMA'S OATMEAL BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a small saucepan, combine dates, water and sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until thickened and dates are tender, stirring constantly, 7-9 minutes. Remove from heat., In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, vanilla, baking soda, salt and almond extract. Cut in shortening until crumbly. Press half onto bottom of a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Carefully spread with date mixture. , Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over filling; press down gently. Bake until lightly browned, 25-30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. If desired, serve with whipped cream.

GRANDMA'S MISTAKE BARS

Steps:

• Cream together oleo and brown sugar, then add flour, salt, baking soda and oatmeal. Mix until it is crumbly. Put 1/2 the mixture into a greased 9x13 baking pan.
• Melt 1 stick of oleo, chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk together. Stir until smooth.
• Pour chocolate mixture over oatmeal mixture, then drop spoonfuls of the rest of the oatmeal mixture on top. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

MINTY LIME BARS

Steps:

• Arrange an oven rack in the center position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square pan, preferably metal, with 2 sheets of aluminum foil, crossing one over the other and pressing the foil into the corners and up the sides. Butter the bottom and sides of the foil, and set the pan aside.
• Make the shortbread crust: In a medium bowl, use your fingertips to massage the lime zest into the sugar until the fragrant oils are released and the mixture looks like wet sand. Add the flour, chopped mint, baking powder and salt, and toss to combine. Add the ½-inch pieces of chilled butter and toss to coat in the flour mixture. Use your fingertips to smash the butter into the flour mixture, working until no large pieces remain and you have lots of moist crumbs that hold together easily when squeezed.
• Bake the crust: Scatter the shortbread dough evenly across the bottom of the prepared pan. Use your hands to flatten the crumbs into an even layer, working it into the corners and against the sides. Bake the shortbread until lightly golden across the surface, about 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven. (Leave the oven on and reduce the temperature to 300 degrees.) Let the crust cool while you make the filling.
• Make the lime curd filling: In a small saucepan, combine the lime juice, lemon juice, cornstarch, salt and ½ cup/100 grams of the granulated sugar, and cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, to dissolve the sugar. When the mixture comes to a boil, whisk constantly until it thickens slightly from the cornstarch, about 1 minute, then remove the saucepan from the heat.
• In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk the egg yolks, whole egg and remaining ½ cup/100 grams sugar until the mixture is smooth, thick and has paled in color a couple of shades, about 1 minute. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle the hot citrus mixture into the eggs a tablespoon at a time to slowly raise the temperature, until you've added about half the citrus mixture to the eggs.
• Whisk the egg mixture back into the saucepan, then set back over medium-low heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the curd turns opaque, is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and barely hold the marks of the whisk (it will register 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer), about 5 minutes. Remove the curd from the heat and whisk in the butter a piece at a time, waiting until each piece melts before adding the next, until the mixture is smooth.
• Bake the bars: Pour the hot curd over the crust and shake the pan gently so it settles in an even layer. Bake the bars until the sides have puffed and the center is set but still a bit wobbly when you shake the pan, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the bars cool completely in the pan
• Chill before serving: Transfer the cooled pan to the refrigerator and chill until the bottom of the pan is cold to the touch, about 1 hour. This will harden the butter in both the curd and crust, making it easier to remove the bars from the pan and slice.
• Use the edges of the foil to lift the bars out of the pan, then peel down the sides of the foil and slide a metal spatula underneath to loosen the crust from the foil. Slide the bars off the foil onto a cutting board and slice into 16 squares. Dust with confectioners' sugar and top with more lime zest before serving. They are best eaten on the first or second day, but will keep for up to 5 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

GRANDPA'S FRUIT BARS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the raisins, dates and liqueur. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• In a large bowl, beat together the butter or margarine, the two sugars, the whole egg, the egg white and the vanilla extract until the mixture is light and fluffy.
• Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, orange peel, if using, flour and baking soda until thoroughly blended. Add the nuts and the macerated fruit. The dough will be sticky.
• Using well-floured hands or the back of a spoon, press the dough into a foil-lined, 10-by-15-inch jellyroll pan.
• Mix the yolk and the water. Using a pastry brush, brush the dough with the egg wash.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the dough is light golden. Cool 10 minutes, then cut into 1-by-2-inch bars.