True confession: I have an addiction I feel I may need to get under control. It’s these, people.
Community cookbooks are piling up in the corners of my home, beckoning to me from the bookshelves, and calling out to me from any thrift shop, estate sale, and used book store I might be in close proximity to. Before there was recipe-sharing websites, Instagram, and Facebook, people showed off their star recipes in soft cover spiral-bound collections, rife with typos, oddball names, and corrections pages.
I’m selective. If the recipes in one lean heavily on boxed cake mix, shortening, or obsolete bottled spice blends, I’ll throw it back in the pile. And move on to the next and the next until I find the one or six that I can’t live without.
The pay-off is recipes like Macnutbutter Coffee Bars, which I probably wouldn’t have thought of, but am so happy to have found. I’ve messed around with the recipe a little bit but it is mostly faithful to the original version. Whoever the recipe belongs to, thanks for sharing!
Macnutbutter Coffee Bars
1 c. roasted macadamia nuts (not salted)
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 c. rolled oats
1 Tbsp ground coffee (the finest grind you can manage)
1/3 c. chocolate chips
1 c. macadamia nuts, chopped, for garnish
1/3 c. confectioner’s sugar
3 Tbsp. powdered milk
Preehat the oven to 350F. Line a 9″x 9″ baking pan with parchment paper.
Put the nuts in the bowl of a food processor and process until a smooth butter forms.
Remove 1/4 c. of the nut butter and reserve for later.
Add the softened butter and continue to run the machine until fully incorporated. Add the sugars and process again. Have you scraped the bowl with a rubber spatula yet? If not you’re overdue, so scrape down the sides and across the bottom. Sift together the dry ingredients, and them to the nut mixture, and process just until a soft dough comes together.
Okay, can we talk a minute about using the food processor for mixing what is pretty much just blondie dough? I know I don’t have any other recipes that do that. I have one thing to say to the originator of this recipe.
RESPECT.
Anyhoo, add the oats and pulse about ten times to combine.
Spread into the prepared pan. Sift the coffee evenly over the top and place in the oven.
Bake 25-28 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the middle is just set (but still a little soft).
Immediately sprinkle the chocolate on top, allow to melt, and spread evenly.
Add the second cup of macadamia nuts to the top. Mix the remaining 1/4 c. macadamia butter, milk powder, and confectioner’s sugar together in a small bowl. Mix in water, in small additions, until just thin enough to drizzle onto the bars, then apply.
Allow to cool to room temperature. Cut into 16 even squares, then eat them. All of them.