Chocolate Coconut Bars

Another recipe courtesy of marthastewart.com.

Ingredients

3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup pecan pieces
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Instructions

In a large bowl, stir together cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter until combined. Evenly press onto bottom and up sides of a 10 by 15-inch baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until firm at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; cool about 20 minutes. Sprinkle cooled crust evenly with pecans and chocolate. Pour condensed milk over the top, spreading to cover completely. Do not let drip over edges. Sprinkle with coconut. Bake until coconut is toasted, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool completely before cutting into bars.

Tweed Squares

These are my all time favorite square. They are fussy, and my mom used to make them for me every year for my birthday.

Square Ingredients

1/2 cup margarine
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons sugar
1 square semi-sweet chocolate

Square Instructions

In a large bowl, beat together margarine and sugar. Add flour, and baking powder. Mix well. Add vanilla. In another bowl, beat together egg whites and 2 tablespoons sugar until they form stiff peaks. Reserve egg yolks for frosting. Grate chocolate and fold into egg whites. Add to batter and fold in, combining well. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting Ingredients

2 egg yolks
4 tablespoons margarine
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1 square semi-sweet chocolate

Frosting Instructions

Combine egg yolks and margarine. Beat until smooth. Add icing sugar and beat in until icing is desired consistency. Spread over squares. Melt chocolate and drizzle over frosting.

Chocolate Chip Squares

These are tasty. You can frost them if you like, but we always had them with ice cream on the side.

Ingredients

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Beat together margarine, brown sugar, and sugar. Add egg and vanilla, combining thoroughly. Add flour, salt, and baking soda, mixing well. Add chocolate chips and stir to combine. Pour into a greased 9-inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25030 minutes.

Molasses Bars

Another tried and true, never fail family favorite.

Square Ingredients

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup hot coffee
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Square Instructions

Cream together margarine and sugar. Add egg and mix well. Add molasses, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Add half of hot coffee. Mix well. Mix together flour and baking soda. Add half to molasses mixture. Add remaining coffee and then remaining flour mixture, beating well to combine after each mixture. Pour into a greased 9-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting Ingredients

1 1/2 cups icing sugar
3 tablespoons margarine
5 teaspoons orange juice

Frosting Instructions

Beat together margarine and orange juice. Add icing sugar and beat until smooth and of a spreadable consistency. Spread evenly over cooled squares.

Butterscotch Squares

These are a tried and true family favorite.

Square Ingredients

1/2 cup margarine
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Square Instructions

Melt together margarine and brown sugar in a saucepan. Remove from heat. Add eggs. Blend in vanilla. Slowly add flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Pour batter into a greased 9-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons margarine
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups icing sugar

Frosting Instructions

Heat margarine, milk, vanilla, and brown sugar in a saucepan until brown sugar dissolves. Beat in icing sugar until mixture reaches a good spreading consistency. Spread over cooled squares.

Orange Delights

These are deceptively simple. The recipe makes a 9 by 13-inch pan of squares. They freeze really well.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sugar
4 heaping tablespoons Bird's Custard Powder
Juice and rind of one orange
1 1/2 cups hot water
2 tablespoons margarine
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
3 cups dessicated coconut
1 cup margarine

Instructions

Make filling first: Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, custard powder, orange juice and rind, and hot water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil until thick. Remove from heat and add 2 tablespoons margarine. For the base, blend together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and dessicated coconut. Cut in margarine until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Set aside 1 1/2 cups base mixture. Press remaining mixture into the bottom of a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Pour filling over base. Top with reserved base mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Mississippi Mud Bars

This recipe is from an old book I found kicking around at my grandmother's house a few years ago called "Cookies By The Dozen." She never made them in my time, but the page looked well worn and had some notes scribbled the margins, so I presume these were a favorite at one time.

Ingredients

1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup chocolate chips
2 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecan pieces

Instructions

Beat together butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, cocoa, and salt; fold into batter. Line an 8-inch pan with foil and spay with no-stick spray. Pour batter into pan. Sprinkle top with chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes. Meanwhile, combine peanut butter and oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Heat, stirring, just until softened. Pour peanut butter mixture over hot cake. Sprinkle peanut butter covered cake with marshmallows and return to oven to bake for 3 more minutes or until marshmallows puff. Sprinkle puffed marshmallows with toasted pecans.

Frosting Ingredients

2 cups icing sugar
Pinch salt
1/4 cup margarine
2 tablespoons cocoa
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting Instructions

Place icing sugar in a medium sized bowl. Add salt and stir. In a small saucepan, melt margarine over medium heat. Stir in cocoa and 1/4 cup of the milk and heat just until mixture begins to boil. Pour hot mixture into sugar. Beat on high speed of electric mixer until smooth and glossy. If frosting is not pourable, add remaining milk. Beat in vanilla. Pour over puffed up marshmallows. Allow to cool completely before cutting.

Easy Brownies

This is the easiest recipe for brownies in history of brownies. It is a very basic recipe that can easily be modified... you can add nuts if you like, or as we like to do, add chocolate truffles placed in the unbaked batter at even intervals for a nice chocolatey treat. You can frost them or serve them warm with ice cream.

Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions

Beat together brown sugar and eggs. Beat in vegetable oil an vanilla. Mix in cocoa, flour, and baking powder. Pour into a greased 8-inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Marshmallow Cakes

These are one of my very favorite desserts. Ever. My grandmother used to make them quite often when I was small, especially on my birthday.

Ingredients

1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
Food coloring
Fine coconut

Instructions

Mix together margarine, brown sugar, flour, and baking powder. Press into the bottom
of a 9-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Dissolve gelatin in cold water. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, boil together sugar and boiling water. Boil until it spins a thread, about 5 minutes. Add gelatin, vanilla, and vinegar. Beat together. Add a few drops of food coloring. When thick, spread over cooled base. Let set, cut, and roll squares in coconut.

Square Month

February is square month at Everything Baked. I'll share some tried and true recipes, as well as some new creations that I'll be trying.