These are my family’s favorite. The combination of a cookie-like crust with a melt-in-your-mouth glaze and topping is just irresistible. This recipe is from Chaya S. I have it for more than twenty years, and I remember hearing that she would greet her husband by the door with his slippers in hand, and she would have a plate of these bars and fresh fruit salad waiting on the table to refresh him. Something we can all learn from …
Crust :
1 Tbsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 Tbsp hot water
2 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4–1/2 cup white sugar
2/3 cup (165 grams) margarine or ½ cup oil
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs (if using oil add another ½ egg, approximately half the yolk and half the white)
Glaze :
1/8 cup or 2 Tbsp (25 grams) margarine
2 oz (60 grams) chocolate
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
Drizzle:
1 1/2 tsp hot water
1/2 tsp coffee
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
For Crust:
Mix all ingredients in the order listed, until they form a dough. Pat down in a cookie sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 20–25 minutes. Do not overbake!
For Glaze:
Melt margarine and chocolate together. Add rest of ingredients and stir until combined and smooth. Carefully pour over base and spread with a spatula, taking care to cover entire surface evenly. Set aside until hardened.
For Drizzle:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and drizzle over dry glaze (this can be done in a sandwich bag with a tiny hole in the corner). When completely dry, cut into diamonds as follows:
Cut lines across the width of the tray, approximately 1½ inches apart (I use a ruler for this — one that I keep specifically in the kitchen for when I have to measure foods to exact proportions). Then cut diagonal lines approximately 1–1¼ inches apart. You should see diamond shapes forming. (The corner pieces are for noshing!)
This recipe appeared in Mishpacha Magazine.
Note: These freeze very well. Problem is, they taste even better frozen, so you may have to hide them!
Tip: An “offset metal spatula” is a handy tool for frosting bars. Instead of being perfectly straight, the spatula has a bend near the handle, making it ergonomically friendly and very easy to frost bars in pans. It comes in different lengths, is inexpensive, and can be found in specialty cookware or baking supplies stores.
