So Quickly We Fail!

I have fallen behind already in my cookie resolution! It's been 2 weeks since I last posted; I'll see if I can keep to my vow of weekly posts for February. The cookie I'm putting up today is about the fastest baked cookie you can make - five minutes or less to measure and mix, 20 minutes, max, in the oven and done! It's not a great cookie for a Christmas tray because it's not a "pretty cookie", but it does make a good hostess gift, wrapped up in a cellophane bag and tied with a ribbon. It also makes a nice distraction for those munchers who might otherwise gobble up the cookies for your tray! I usually make a half recipe in a 9x9 pan, and I have used both the honey and the syrup. They're equally good, though the syrup is a little less sweet. I like mine baked to a deep golden brown; you can pull them out of the oven just as they turn brown and get a slightly chewy cookie (but one that's not nearly as good, in my opinion). I'd advise lining your pan with foil, because you may otherwise find that your cookies have become one with your pan. I use Reynold's Release foil, which makes cleanup a breeze. I found this recipe in a cookbook published by a local radio station. I have no idea who Jean might be, but I'm glad she decided to share her recipe!

JEAN'S GRANOLA BARS

1 stick butter
2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 TBS. Golden Syrup (such as Lion Brand) or honey
2 cups Quaker Oats, quick or old-fashioned (I have only used the latter)
raisins, nuts optional

Melt butter, sugar and syrup or honey in a saucepan (I just put the butter in the pan and pop it into the pre-heating oven, then mix in the rest once it's melted).Add oats and stir to combine. Add raisins and chopped nuts as desired. Spread in a foil-lined 9x13" pan and bake at 350 for 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool slightly before cutting into bars, or (easier) allow to cool and break into pieces. Store at room temperature, not covered.

Cookie Tray Resolutions for 2012

I RESOLVE TO: Always put baklava in foil cups. I ran out of foil cups this year and switched over to paper halfway through. The syrup soaked through the paper, leaked onto the tray and was sopped up by the neighboring cookies. I should have gone out and bought more foil cups.

I RESOLVE TO: Forget the spritz cookies. They are nice looking, but they look a lot like manufactured cookies and they don't have anything "special". Try the recipe for key lime spritz cookies next year.

I RESOLVE TO: Give up on the minty cookies other than the creme de menthe brownies. It's too much of a hassle keeping them from affacting the taste of other cookies on the tray and they're less popular than many of the others.

I RESOLVE TO: Come up with a better system for laying out the cookie trays. Somehow I always end up with the heaviest cookies on top, and with some types of cookies completely buried under the others.

I RESOLVE TO: Remember to set up a table by the freezer. I tried it this year, and it was a big help. I had a place to sit things when I was looking through my packed-to-the-top freezer.

I RESOLVE TO: Wrap the cookies well. Cookies with a shortbread type crust don't last long when they are left out. Instead of getting hard, they get crumbly and fall to pieces when you pick them up.

I RESOLVE TO: Keep trying new recipes. Some of the most popular cookies this year were new to me: Chocolate Euphoria Bars, Chocolate Marshmallow Bars and Butterscotch Bars. Tasty new recipes outnumbered the "eh, don't care if I never have those again" types. 

I RESOLVE TO: Make lots of bar cookies - so much faster!

I RESOLVE TO: Post a new recipe or baking information at least once a week!