ShareThisThese bar cookies are a bit cakey rather than rich and gooey. They’re also very easy to put together. The original recipe, which is from the King Arthur Flour kitchen, says the nuts and chocolate chips are optional. However, I would never leave them off because in my opinion, the bars need some sort of textural contrast.
Here’s the pan of marbled batter which I sprinkled with Brazil nuts and chocolate chips.
Baked!
Cut. I don’t know how big you should cut these. I cut these like bars, but squares would probably be better.
Here’s the recipe.
Cafe au Lait Bars
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup instant coffee crystals
1/4 cup heavy cream
½ cup chopped nuts (optional) – I used Brazil nuts (coffee theme!)
Chocolate chips (optional)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 13×9 inch pan with flour-added cooking spray.
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs until light colored and thick. Add sugar, beating until glossy and thick. Add vanilla and melted butter, beating to combine. Stir in flour and salt. Scrape the beater and bowl, and stir to incorporate.
Set aside 1 1/2 cups of batter. This batter is kind of thick. Stir together the coffee crystals and cream and add to the remaining batter (the batter you didn’t measure out). Spread the coffee batter into the pan. Spoon the reserved batter over and then run a knife through the two batters to marble them.
Sprinkle with nuts. Bake for 30 minutes in preheated 325 °F oven , or until the center is set. Cool and cut into bars.
Makes 24
I found your blog a few months ago from a link on http://www.cupcakeblog.com. Since then I’ve been reading pretty regularly. I have yet to try one of the recipes you’ve posted (I’m too busy trying all the recipes from the 2 King Arthur Flour cookbooks I got for Christmas) but I have printed out a couple to add to my ever-expanding recipe file. This one sounds really great and I’ll have to try it soon. Thanks for your blog! It makes me want to start my own!
Hi Lauren, aren’t the KA books great? Thanks for reading the blog.
I LOVE the KA books! I am a big proponent of taking a recipe and making it your own and the two I have (cookie companion and 200-year anniversary cookbook) are all about that. I love having a “base” recipe with suggestions on how to change it up. It makes it really easy to come up with your own recipes. I should share this fabulous strawberry shortcake muffin brecipe that I made from one of theirs. So good!
Definitely making these…I can already smell them!
Question for you…what are/would you make for Easter dinner dessert? I’m drawing a blank this year…
My cat likes to groove to Van Morrison, then she likes to jump onto my chest and insert her needle-sharp claws.
My next door neighbors have a Corgi – so cute, but very, uh, energetic. He just loves little kids – you can detect a smile on his face whenever Jacob throws him a stick to fetch.
Glad your grandmother is better…
Lindsay, I honestly haven’t put any thought into the Easter meal. With my grandmother being sick, we travel and end up eating wherever she is or whatever we can round up quickly. Anyway, the highlight Easter dessert for me has always been candy — chocolate bunnies, malt balls, Cadbury Eggs.
Karen, we should have a contest to see whose cat has the sharpest claws and whose cat has the cooler taste in music.
Also, most of the Corgi’s I’ve met have been fun loving but not wild and loose-cannonish like Jack Russell’s…which I also like.
Anna, I made these for a party tonight and they were a huge hit! I used walnuts and lots of chocolate, and Madagela D’oro instant espresso. People loved them! Good job.
I linked this recipe on my blog (funkyfatgirl.com). Thanks for posting it!
Betsy, thanks for the review! This is one of those recipes I haven’t gotten a lot of feedback on, so it’s good to know someone else liked it.