Bake a Batch of Bars for Dessert
Nov 21, 2016 03:32AM ● By Family Features(Family Features) With baking season here, it’s time to turn on the oven, bring out the recipes and enjoy the spicy aromas wafting from the kitchen – a promise of delicious treats ahead.
Bars, whether they are cookie, cake or even pie, are the easiest to make and serve, especially when there’s a crowd clamoring for dessert. You might have a pumpkin or sweet potato bar in your repertoire, but Aunt Nellie’s suggests Carrot Crumble Bars for a change of pace.
Grab a jar of glazed, sliced carrots, slightly sweet and spicy, and ready to enjoy in numerous ways. They are also a great time-saving step for this delicious dessert. They’re cooked and ready to eat, so just puree the entire jar of carrots and add the remaining four ingredients. That’s it for the tasty filling, which is nestled between a crunchy oat crust and topping. Start to finish in under an hour, most of the ingredients are probably already in your kitchen. Plus, they can be made a couple of days in advance and refrigerated until serving time.
The family can enjoy them for a yummy weeknight dessert or make them company-perfect topped with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, sprinkled lightly with pumpkin pie spice. Find this and other recipes from Aunt Nellie’s jarred vegetables at AuntNellies.com.
Carrot Crumble Bars
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 16
Crust/Topping:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
- 1 jar (15.5 ounces) Aunt Nellie’s Glazed Small Sliced Carrots
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Heat oven to 350° F.
- In large bowl, combine flour, oats and brown sugar. Add butter; stir to coat. Reserve 1/3 cup for topping. Press remaining mixture evenly into bottom of 9-inch square baking pan lined with aluminum foil, if desired. Bake 10 minutes, or until lightly browned and set.
- For filling, place carrots and liquid in food processor or blender container; puree until smooth. Transfer to medium bowl. Add egg, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla; stir until well combined. Pour over baked crust.
- Sprinkle carrot mixture evenly with reserved crumbs. Bake 30 minutes, or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack. Refrigerate until firm.
- Cut into 16 squares. Refrigerate leftovers, covered, for up to 3 days.
Nutritional information per serving: 140 calories; 2 g protein; 22 g carbohydrate; 5 g fat; 70 mg sodium; 23 mg cholesterol; 1 g dietary fiber; 1 mg iron; .09 mg thiamin; 1,230 IU vitamin A; .4 mg vitamin C.