Tag Archives: bars

Key Lime Pie Crumble Bars

These Key Lime Pie Crumble Bars taste just like your favorite Key Lime Pie, but are much more portable. They’re perfect for cookouts and backyard barbecues, or just because you’ve got extra limes sitting around waiting to be used up. They are rich, but refreshing because of the lime flavor. You’re definitely going to want to make these this summer!

Key Lime Pie Crumble Bars - The Archaeologist Bakes

I love Key Lime Pie, but I don’t love making it, storing it, and serving it. I wanted something with the same flavors, but easier to make and easier to serve. These crumble bars are the perfect answer. And because I really like a tart lime, I use regular (or Persian) limes. But feel free to use Key Limes if you prefer. They tend to be a little sweeter, so you won’t have quite as tart of a filling, although this one is fairly sweet to begin with.

Key Lime Pie Crumble Bars - The Archaeologist Bakes

As always, there are options if you want to change this up. As with most citrus desserts, feel free to change up the citrus fruit depending on your tastes and what you have on hand. Because the filling depends on the acid from the citrus juice essentially jelling the sweetened condensed milk, it may be a little softer set if you use orange juice, which tends to be a little less acidic. You can help that by adding in a bit of lemon juice with the orange to raise the acidity. And, as usual, feel free to add some finely chopped nuts of your choice to the crust, or even sprinkled on top before baking. Although I didn’t do it, you can certainly add a few drops of food coloring to match the citrus you are using. The filling stays pretty cream-colored without, which I am totally fine with. But everyone loves the look of a green Key Lime Pie, so color it if you prefer, or if you want it to be more obvious what the flavor is.

I used regular Biscoff cookie butter, to help mimic the flavor of a graham cracker crust, but if you have other cookie butters you want to try, go for it! Prefer a gingersnap crust on your citrus pie? Just add in 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger to your crust mixture. If you don’t have any cookie butter, go get some! Or , use a neutral-flavored nut or seed butter instead. I would use almond or sunflower (unsalted), but I would stay away from peanut butter just because of the stronger flavor. You can also add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, especially if you don’t use the Biscoff cookie butter. That will also help mimic the graham cracker taste.

While these are portable because they are a bar, they should still be stored refrigerated. While they can sit at room temperature for a short time, they should be kept cool, so stick them in a cooler if you’re taking them to a picnic. You won’t have to worry about how to get them home, because they are sure to disappear fast! These are such a great twist on the classic pie. I hope you try it soon!

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Key Lime Pie Crumble Bars
Servings
Ingredients
Crust
Filling
Servings
Ingredients
Crust
Filling
Instructions
  1. Combine flour, oats, both sugars, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl and stir until combined.
  2. Cut butter into mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
  3. Stir in egg and cookie butter. Mixture will still be somewhat crumbly.
  4. Press half of mixture into a greased 8" square pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
  5. While crust is baking, combine all filling ingredients.
  6. Pour filling onto hot crust, and crumble remaining crust mixture over top.
  7. Bake an additional 20-25 minutes or until top is lightly browned.
  8. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
  • Use any citrus you like instead of lime. If using orange, add a tablespoon of lemon juice to increase the acidity and help the filling set.
  • Use any cookie butter you would like.
  • If you don't have cookie butter, use a neutral nut or seed butter instead. Consider adding a 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to help replicate the graham cracker taste.
  • If you like a gingersnap crust on your key lime pie, add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger to the crust mixture.
  • Add a few drops of food coloring to the filling if you'd like.
  • Add up to 1/2 cup of finely chopped nuts to the crust, or sprinkle 1/4 cup on top.
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Caramel Apple Bars

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It’s finally fall!

I haven’t had a lot of field work this summer, which has actually been a little bit of a relief, since it has been SO HOT. I have been ready for fall for about a month now, and next week we are finally supposed to have some fall-like weather. Yay! Just in time too, since I’ll be heading back out to the field for the week.

Anyway, in honor of fall and apple season, I decided to put a spin on a family favorite recipe. Originally, these were called Cherry Bars. It’s a recipe my family has been making for years. It makes an appearance at family picnics and gatherings all through the summer. Moist yellow cake dolloped with cherry pie filling and topped with an almond glaze. What’s not to love?

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Well, if you’re like me, the cherries are what’s not to love. I love cherry flavor, just not the texture of cooked cherries. This was one dessert I usually skipped. The few bites I have eaten, around the pieces of cherries, were delicious. So, I decided to change it up. Any fruit pie fillings would work here, but since it’s fall, I decided it was time for apples.

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You can absolutely use a can of your favorite pie filling. Cherry, blueberry, peach – the sky’s the limit! That’s how we’ve always made the cherry version. But for the apple, I decided to make a homemade filling. The trick is to cook it all the way on the stovetop first, like a canned filling would be. Just peel and chop the apples, then combine them with butter, sugar, flour, and spices. Cook the mixture in a covered pot until the apples are cooked and the juices are thickened. Let it cool completely while you whip up the cake batter.

Cream your butter and sugar, add your vanilla and eggs, and then mix in the dry ingredients. So easy! Spread part of the batter into your pan, and dollop on the pie filling. Drop the rest of the batter by spoonfuls over the filling. Bake it up, let it cool, and drizzle it with a delicious glaze. I sprinkled on a few chopped pecans, but that’s always optional.

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The glaze is minimal, but adds so much flavor. Almond goes so well with cherries, and I highly recommend this glaze if you make the cherry bars. A sprinkle of sliced almonds would add a nice crunch as well. While I love almond flavor, caramel and apples just seem to belong together. And a scattering of pecans or walnuts is perfect with those flavors. I would try a lemon glaze with a blueberry filling (just add some lemon zest and use lemon juice instead of milk – leave out the extract). And you could make a vanilla glaze to go with any of these flavors by using vanilla extract instead of the other flavorings. What flavors would your family like?

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Caramel Apple Bars
Yields 24
Yellow cake, pie filling, and a drizzle of caramel!
For the Filling
  1. 21-ounce can of your favorite fruit pie filling, OR
  2. 4 cups diced apples (about 1/2-inch dice)
  3. 6 tablespoons sugar
  4. 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmug
  5. 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  6. heavy pinch of salt
  7. 1 tablespoon butter
  8. 2 tablespoons flour
For the cake
  1. 1 cup butter or margarine
  2. 1 3/4 cup sugar
  3. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  4. 4 eggs
  5. 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  6. 3 cups flour
For the glaze
  1. Powdered sugar glaze, OR
  2. 1/2 cup brown sugar
  3. 1/4 cup butter
  4. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  5. 2 tablespoons milk
  6. 1 cup powdered sugar
  7. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  8. 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
Add ingredients to shopping list
If you don’t have Buy Me a Pie! app installed you’ll see the list with ingredients right after downloading it
For the apple pie filling
  1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until butter is melted and apples are beginning to soften. Cover pan and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until apples are cooked through, stirring occasionally, about 25-30 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
For the cake
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10x15-inch pan.
  2. Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla extract and eggs and beat well. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined. Spread two-thirds of the batter into the prepared pan. Dollop the pie filling over the batter. Drop the remaining batter by spoonfuls over the pie filling. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool.
For the glaze
  1. Heat brown sugar and butter in a saucepan over medium heat until both are melted. Bring to a boil and add salt and milk. Return to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Drizzle over cooled cake and immediately sprinkle with chopped pecans if desired.
Notes
  1. This cake is best within a day or two. If you want to keep it longer, store it in the refrigerator.
  2. Use whatever pie filling you like. One 21-ounce can is about 2 1/2 cups of homemade filling.
  3. Adapt the glaze flavor to the pie filling you are using. Vanilla, almond, lemon - the possibilities are endless!
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The Archaeologist Bakes https://www.thearchaeologistbakes.com/
 Caramel glaze adapted from Cooking Club of America.

 

Peanut Butter Potato Chip Bars

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Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of variations on the marshmallow krispie treats that don’t actually involve cereal. Like this potato chip version, or this “junk food” version. With that combination of sweet and salty, I can see why they’re so popular. I love the idea, except…

 
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I don’t like marshmallows. I know, I know. Please don’t leave. I don’t know what it is about them, but I just don’t like the flavor or texture. I’m weird, what can I say. Luckily, there is a marshmallow-free peanut butter version of the krispie treats that we have been making for years. And while I don’t like marshmallows, I do like potato chips and pretzels dipped in peanut butter. So, I did what anyone would do, and swapped out the cereal for some snack food. Any salty treat would work well here. Try adding in popcorn if that’s your thing. Or maybe you prefer corn chips?

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Oh, and did I mention that there is a chocolate frosting poured all over the top?

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You start by combing the sugar and corn syrup. Stir in the peanut butter until it melts, and then add in your crushed up chips and a handful of peanuts. Press it into a pan and get to making that frosting.
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Combine all your ingredients, boil for a few minutes, and pour it on. Then let cool (if you can wait), and find a place to hide them. Because you will not want to share.

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Peanut Butter Potato Chip Bars
Yields 24
For the bars
  1. 1 cup granulated sugar
  2. 1 cup corn syrup
  3. 1 1/2 cups peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
  4. 4 cups potato sticks or crushed potato chips
  5. 2 cups crushed pretzels
  6. 1/2 cup coarsely chopped salted peanuts
For the frosting
  1. 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  2. 6 tablespoons milk
  3. 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
  4. 6 tablespoons butter
  5. pinch salt
Add ingredients to shopping list
If you don’t have Buy Me a Pie! app installed you’ll see the list with ingredients right after downloading it
For the bars
  1. Combine the sugar and corn syrup in a large pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. As soon as the mixture boils, turn off heat and add peanut butter. Once peanut butter is melted, mix in the chips, pretzels, and peanuts. Stir until everything is coated and press into a greased 9x13 pan.
For the frosting
  1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium to medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Boil for 3 minutes, then remove from heat. Let cool slightly, about 10-15 minutes. Pour over bars and let cool completely before cutting into squares and devouring.
Notes
  1. Add your choice of chips, pretzels, popcorn - whatever sounds good to you! There should be 6 to 6 1/2 cups total.
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The Archaeologist Bakes https://www.thearchaeologistbakes.com/