Some school-year weeks, you just dream of summertime. This week started out like that: rainy and windy, I was ready to sit by the pool and not get kids off to bus stops. Then Wednesday was (another) early release, and I remembered how challenging it can be to meet work deadlines when school’s out. Grass is greener, I suppose.
One good thing about early release, though, especially when it’s on a sunny day after some blustery weather, is that it forces me to stop and make some treats for the kids to have during their extra free time. This week, I tried an old recipe I had worked on and dropped for awhile: key lime blondie bars, a nice reminder that summer isn’t here yet but is on its way. My brownie and blondie recipes, completed and in progress, all use an 8x8 square pan, and they all have a decent rise during baking. I noticed that my family-archives original suggested a 9x13 cake pan, though, and wondered what would happen if I used that, or how I could switch one recipe between the two. It turns out that some people have done a lot of calculations to make those switches possible. I’m a bit of a math geek, but I am not known for being precise in the kitchen, or for patience. I love that this resource is available (with pictures!), but I admit to just scanning it and pocketing it away for later. This time, I decided to just use the recipe on hand (with a bit of flour averaging) and see what happened. I had few notes on how it turned out in a square pan, so the attempt was really a fresh start all around, anyway. I was discouraged when I had to really spread the batter thin to reach those 13-inch corners. I kept the 350-degree cooking temperature but reduced the cooking time by 8 minutes to accommodate the thinner layer.
The bars, after they completely cooled, were sliceable and easy to dust with powdered sugar for a quick topping. And the larger pan made this a treat that definitely could feed a crowd. I think the recipe as it stands still needs some experimenting: maybe some more water to reduce crumble, maybe back off on the cornstarch (or tapioca starch, which I tried this time) to reduce gumminess.
Or maybe I’ll take a closer look at those math conversions; I think a proportional increase in everything might be just what the recipe needs to make it a little bit cakier---for those fancy people who like to eat bars with forks instead of fingers (we don’t do that around here, though). If you try the recipe as it stands, leave some comments about what you liked and what you might change. Baking with food allergies is part science, part art, and most recipes are never truly complete.
2 Comments
6/28/2017 08:25:09 am
Ooh they sound realy interesting. What good flavours. #freefromfridays
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3/23/2018 10:25:43 am
Great idea this, I love to experiment with flavours and ingredients so this is right up my street x
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Hi, I'm Nicole. ABOUT THE BLOG An apothecary is a person or a place. Either one implies healing and relates to pharmacy in its truest sense, as a source of treatment and advice. This blog is my way of uniting my pharmacy training with my efforts to provide a healthy and safe lifestyle for my family. In true apothecary form, I research and prescribe alternative ingredients that work just right in each specific recipe, and I would like to share the results with anyone who needs help making their own family’s kitchen allergy safe and heart healthy. Categories
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