Viennese Chocolate Walnut Bars

  
Viennese Chocolate Walnut Bars
Source: Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 130 (page 135 of 2011 edition).

Every year at the end of the semester, we give the student workers a party and give them goodie bags full of treats. This was my contribution. They are quite delicious with a buttery, shortbread base and decadent chocolate filling. My only gripe is that they were difficult to remove from the pan because the crust is so delicate. I made a mess in the kitchen! These will need to sit overnight in order for the icing to set. 

The recipe states that this makes 32 small bars. They need to be sliced very small, almost bite-sized. That is okay because they are very rich. 

Crust

4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter (softened)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Adjust a rack 1/3 up from the bottom and preheat to 375.

Cream the butter. (I used a hand held mixer for making the crust but a stand mixer is fine too).

Beat in the sugar.

On low speed, gradually beat in the flour, until the mixture holds together.

Take large spoonfuls of the dough and place them over the bottom of an un-buttered 9-inch square pan.

Press the dough together with your fingertips to make a smooth layer. Bake for 10 minutes. Prepare the filling.

Chocolate Walnut Filling

1/4 cup apricot preserves
6 oz. (1 1/2 cups) walnuts
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 TBS. unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)

Grind the walnuts to a fine powder in a food processor.

Beat the eggs at high speed for about 2 minutes until they are slightly thickened.

Add the salt...

and vanilla extract.

Lower the speed on the mixer and add the cocoa powder...

and the brown sugar.

Add the ground walnuts, beating only until incorporated.

Stir the apricot preserves to soften them and then spread them over the hot crust. Leave a 1/2 inch border. This will be a very thin layer of preserves.

Pour the filling over the preserves.

Ready for baking! Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

Chocolate Icing

6 oz. semisweet chocolate cut into small pieces
2 TBS. light corn syrup
2 tsp. rum or strong prepared coffee
2 tsp. boiling water
2 oz. (1/2 cup) walnuts, chopped

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, over barely simmering water.

Add the corn syrup, rum (or coffee) and boiling water and stir until smooth.

Spread the icing over the cake.

Sprinkle the nuts over the icing.

Press the nuts down slightly with a spatula.

Let the cake stand at room temperature to firm the icing (this might take a few hours or overnight). After the icing has set, cut the cake into 4 quarters and remove each quarter with a wide spatula. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into small bars. These should be served at room temperature. They can be stored at room temperature covered with plastic wrap.

Pecan Buttercrunch

Pecan Buttercrunch
Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.), pg. 221.

This is so easy that a first grader could do it. There is no mixing, just gather your ingredients together and layer them and bake. I don't know if Maida was the originator of these delicious treats but I've made them before discovering her, under various names such as "Layer Bars", etc.  They are wonderful and excellent made just as directed. One thing I might change next time is to coarsely chop the pecans. The whole pecans on top make them attractive but they would be easier to eat if they were chopped.

1/4 lb. (1 stick) butter
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 1/2 oz. (1 to 1 1/3) shredded coconut
6 oz. (1 cup) semisweet chocolate morsels
6 oz. (1 cup) butterscotch morsels
1 15 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
7 oz. (2 cups) pecan halves

Adjust rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

Butter a 9x13x2 pan and then line it with aluminum foil.

Put the butter in the pan, place it in the oven, until it has melted.

Remove the pan from the oven, tilt it so that the butter covers the entire bottom and then sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs over the bottom.

Sprinkle coconut evenly over the crumbs. (Note: I found that I needed slightly more coconut than the recipe called for).

Sprinkle the butterscotch morsels over the coconut...

and the chocolate chip morsels.

Drizzle the condensed milk over the top.

Cover with pecan halves (place them closely together).

Bake for 5-10 minutes, then use a wide spatula to gently press the pecans down so that they will be firmly imbedded.

Bake 30-40 minutes altogether, or until the condensed milk between the nuts turns a caramel color. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Invert on a cookie sheet and carefully remove the foil. Invert again, right side up, and let stand overnight or freeze for an hour before transferring to a cutting board to slice.

Caraway Seed Cake

This is an old-fashioned traditional Irish recipe. I had no idea what to except since I've never had caraway seed cake before and the idea seemed odd. The cake was good and everyone that tried it liked it as well. Not too sweet and it grows on you! It is great with a cup of tea.


Caraway Seed Cake
Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.), pg. 128.

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 lb. (2 sticks) butter (softened)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 TBS. caraway seeds
2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
2 eggs plus 3 egg yolks
1 cup milk
Finely grated rind of 2 large lemons

Adjust rack 1/3 from the bottom. Preheat oven to 350. Butter (or spray) a 9 x 3 1/2 inch tube pan and dust it with fine bread crumbs.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.

Beat the butter to soften it a bit.

Add the vanilla.

Add the caraway seeds. Mix well.

Add the eggs...

and the egg yolks.

On lowest speed add one third of the flour mixture...

and then about 1/3 of the milk. Continue to alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk, ending with the flour.

Stir in the lemon rind.

Turn into the prepared pan.

Bake for 50 to 65 minutes. The cake is done when a tester comes out clean. Let the cake stand for about 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Place the cake on a large piece of wax paper in order to apply the glaze.

 

Glaze

1 1/4 cups strained confectioners sugar
1 TBS. lemon juice
1 TBS. boiling water

Place all ingredients in a small bowl. Stir with a rubber spatula until smooth.

Pour over the hot cake.