Lemon Squares Deluxe

 

Sweet and tart with bright flavour served on a shortbread crust. This hits so many of my favourite flavours. It's a recipe from my mother, and always turns out. 

Lemon Squares Deluxe

Crust:

2 cups flour

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 cup butter (firm)

Place all ingredients in food processor and pulse until mixture clings together. Press into a 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned, 20 minutes. 

Filling:

4 eggs

2 cups white sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Place all ingredients in food processor (I don't bother cleaning the bowl from using it for the crust). Mix until thick and smooth.

Pour over hot crust and return pan to oven or a further 25 minutes. 

Sift icing sugar over top. Cool and cut into squares. 

Date Filled Oatmeal Cookies

 

These cookies are a family favourite. In fact, they are my dad's all time favourite. They are old fashioned, hearty cookies, and fairly economical to make. Not a fancy cookie, but one that satisfies that "4 o'clock sinking feeling". Good with a cup of tea. 

Date Filled Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter (the original recipe says part shortening, but I use all butter)

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup milk

2 cups oatmeal (I use large flake old-fashioned oatmeal, but quick oats would work, too. Don't use instant oatmeal.)

1 1/2 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt (I omit as I use salted butter)

Cream butter and add brown sugar. Beat until creamy. Add milk and oats. Mix well. 

Combine the flour and baking powder, then stir into the mixture. 

Chill for 30-60 minutes. 

Roll dough on a floured counter top to 1/8 inch thick. Cut with round cookie cutter. Bake for 11-14 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cool on a rack.

Sandwich two cookies together with cooled Date Filling, recipe below. 

Date Filling

1/2 pound dried dates, chopped

2/3 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Cook the dates, water, and sugar together in a saucepan over medium heat until thick. Stir often. There will be some chunks left depending on how finely the dates are chopped. They smooth out fairly well when you spread the filling onto the cookies.

These cookies store well, and can be frozen. 

Seedy Crackers

 

This is a good grain-free cracker that satisfies the crunch need for people eating low-carb diets. I no longer do so, but I still enjoy these crackers. They are great with cheese or peanut butter or whatever you like to put onto crackers. I believe the original recipe is from an Oh, She Glows book or post, but I've adapted it considerably. I got the original one from my daughter.

Seedy Crackers 

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (I use toasted and salted)

1/2 cup sunflower seeds (ditto)

1/2 cup raw sesame seeds

1/2 cup chia seeds

1/2 cup hemp hearts (optional)

2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon Xanthum Gum (this helps hold the crackers together a bit more. It can be left out, but the crackers are more fragile and you might want to make them thicker.)

2 Tablespoons soy sauce plus enough water to measure 1 cup

seasonings to taste - you can add garlic powder (about 1 teaspoon), or fresh garlic, minced, or other herbs

Stir everything together in a bowl and let sit for about 5 minutes. Stir thoroughly again, then spread on parchment lined baking sheets.

You'll notice that I spread mine on two baking sheets - I found it easier for turning them later. Use an offset spatula to press and spread out the mixture evenly. They should be about 1/8-inch thick. One pan is spread to about 12 x 9 inches and the other is smaller, about 10 x 8. 

Bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Rotate the pans from top rack to bottom after 15 minutes, if you've used two pans. I then remove them from the oven and cut them into quarters and carefully flip them over. Bake another 10 - 15 minutes, until almost crisp. Cut them into squares and return them to the oven for 5--10 minutes until crisp through. Cool and store in a tightly sealed container. 

I use a bench scraper for cutting them and that works well. They are fragile, and there will be some breakage, but the seed crumbs are yummy on a salad or in soup. 

If you use gluten free soy sauce, you'll have a gluten free cracker for your friends that can't tolerate gluten.