Back to Square One
When it comes to baking, we love the square. Think brownies and beyond — flavors can be rich and chocolaty, sweet and nutty, fruity or tangy. Baked in square or rectangular pans, bar cookies share all the positive traits of other cookies — they taste great, they’re fun to eat, they’re portable, they add variety to dessert — but they’re easier to make, because there’s no need to scoop, drop, roll, or cut out. You simply spread the batter into a pan and bake, then cut two dozen or more bars from one batch. While each of our recipes may be halved and baked in an 8-by-8-inch or 9-by-9-inch pan, we prefer the larger 9-by-13-inch pans — you get double the number of cookies for the same amount of work. Use some today, and freeze the rest to have on hand when you need a quick dessert.
The squares on the following pages give you lots of variety: they’re cakey and crumbly, fudgy and gooey, sophisticated and homey. Triple Peanut Squares, with hidden gems of chocolate, are reminiscent of snack cakes, while Lemon-Lime Squares bring to mind delectable citrus tarts. Apricot Meringue Bars offer a triple layer of textures — buttery crust, tasty jam filling, and a chewy, nutty topping. Raspberry Crumb Bars are like an easy fruit crisp, and Turtle Brownies support a heady homemade caramel studded with pecans. You can serve these treats at a dinner party, bring them on a picnic, add them to a dessert buffet, tuck them into your child’s lunchbox, or nibble them all by yourself. Mix, bake, cut into squares, and enjoy!
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