Coffee Cinnamon Bars

Ah, it’s been quite the week! I thought I had everything all ready to make my Friday cookies, but I should have known that it wouldn’t go so smoothly. The first batch of cookies that I made, while they taste ok, sure don’t look good! I tried a couple of different things to salvage them, and some worked ok and some didn’t. I’ll maybe post those one of these days, as I think I can get at least one good picture. I used to take it really hard when things didn’t work out, but I try not to worry about it too much. There are certainly much more important things to think about.

So, what to make? Yikes, I wanted to find something and I certainly didn’t want to head to the store. And of course this is the week that I decided that I didn’t need to pick up eggs at the store, since I had enough for what I planned to bake. So I had one egg in the refrigerator. Shortbread came to mind first, since it doesn’t call for any eggs, but I made shortbread last week. I have a bunch of cinnamon chips that I wanted to use, but I just couldn’t figure out which recipe to try. I guess I had cinnamon on the mind, because I ended up with these coffee cinnamon bars.

The cookbook that this recipe came from was published in 1980, and you can certainly tell. Granola and whole wheat flour were obviously big in 1980 and it seems like every other recipe calls for one or the other. This was a very old-fashioned cookie, although this cookie is very cakey. The original recipe called for raisins and some nuts; I substituted chopped hazelnuts since I didn’t want raisins in my bars. The batter is spread quite thin in the pan and so they bake really quickly. (Good for me since I was short on time!) I like the subtle spiciness of these bars, and the coffee flavor isn’t too strong. The hazelnuts add a good crunch. These would be perfect with a cup of coffee or tea.

1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup shortening
1 egg
½ cup water
1-1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup chopped hazelnuts

1 cup powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla
About 2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan. Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, cream the brown sugar, shortening, and egg. Stir in the remaining ingredients and spread into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly.

In a small bowl, combine the powered sugar, vanilla, and milk to make a glaze. If the glaze is too thick, add additional milk. Spread over the warm bars and allow to set. Cut into bars.

Recipe from Betty Crocker’s Cookie Book (1980)