Spice Bars Recipes

SPICE BARS WITH RAISINS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan.
• Place the raisins and water into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and cook for 3 minutes. Drain, and reserve the liquid. Set aside to cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; stir into the batter alternately with the raisin water. Set aside 1/4 cup of the raisin liquid to use for the frosting. Mix in raisins last. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
• Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is lightly browned. While the cake is baking, stir together the reserved raisin water, maple extract and confectioners' sugar to make a thin glaze. Pour over the cake while still hot. Cool, then cut into squares to serve.

SOFT SPICE BARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine butter, 1 cup sugar and molasses. Beat in egg until smooth. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and salt; stir into the molasses mixture. , Spread into a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned (do not overbake). Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

CHOCOLATE SPICE BARS

Steps:

• Equipment: One 10 by 15 by 1-inch pan buttered and lined with parchment or foil
• Set a rack in the middle level of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, spices and salt. Stir well to mix and sift the dry ingredients onto a piece of parchment or waxed paper.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar on low speed until just mixed. Beat in the chocolate, then the eggs, one at a time, beating smooth between each addition. Beat in the dry ingredients, scraping bowl and beater(s) several times. Off the mixer, fold in the chopped nuts. Scrape the batter onto the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset metal icing spatula or a rubber spatula.
• Bake the bars for about 30 minutes, until firm, but not dry. Cool in the pan on a rack. Trim 1/8-inch from the edges and cut the cooled sheet into 2- inch squares, using a sharp, thin-bladed knife.
• Storage: Keep the bars between sheets of waxed paper in a tin or other container with a tight-fitting cover.

SOFT SPICE BARS

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, combine butter, 1 cup of sugar and molasses.
• Beat in egg until smooth.
• Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and salt; stir into the molasses mixture. Spread into a greased 15 x 10-in. baking pan.
• Sprinkle with remaining sugar.
• Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Do not overbake. Cool on a wire rack before cutting.

SPICY HERMIT BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Place the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the egg, scrape down the bowl, then mix in the molasses.
• Sift together the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing just until combined. Mix in the raisins and crystallized ginger. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured board, form it into a disk with lightly floured hands, and cut it in half. Roll each half into a log 12 inches long and place them 3 inches apart on the prepared sheet pan. Bake for 20 minutes; the logs will still be soft in the center.
• Meanwhile, whisk the confectioners' sugar with 5 to 6 teaspoons rum to make a pourable glaze. While the logs are still warm, drizzle the glaze back and forth across the logs with a teaspoon and sprinkle them with the lemon zest. Allow to cool. Cut each log crosswise into 1 1/2-inch-wide bars.

HARVEST PUMPKIN-SPICE BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease bottom and sides of 15x10x1-inch pan with shortening. In large bowl, beat eggs, granulated sugar, oil and pumpkin until smooth. Stir in flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger and cloves. Stir in raisins. Spread in pan.
• Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until light brown. Cool completely in pan on cooling rack, about 2 hours.
• In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, on low speed until smooth and spreadable. Spread frosting over bars. Sprinkle with walnuts. For bars, cut into 7 rows by 7 rows. Store in refrigerator.

BANANA SPICE BARS

Steps:

• Cream sugar and shortening.
• Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
• Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan and bake at 375° for 25- 30 min or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Spread the glaze over the top while still hot.
• Glaze.
• Mix butter, water, and lemon juice well. Add enough powdered sugar to make thin glaze(a little thicker than gravy).

APPLESAUCE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the butter, brown sugar and egg until smooth. Stir in applesauce. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice; stir into the applesauce mixture until well blended. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
• Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are golden. Cool in the pan over a wire rack.
• In a small bowl, mix together the confectioners' sugar and margarine. Stir in vanilla and milk until smooth. Spread over cooled bars before cutting into squares.