Bar Cookie

Rich chocolate brownies get jazzed up with fresh or canned pumpkin. Epicurious member Sharon Perry Murphy of Fort Knox, Kentucky, often bakes hers with fresh pumpkin, which is runnier. (To achieve the desired consistency with fresh pumpkin, Murphy recommends adding a little extra flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, or substituting 1 egg for 1/4 cup pumpkin.)

These deliciously sticky nut bars are like miniature maple pecan pies and are perfect as a dessert, snack, or indulgent breakfast. Swap out the walnuts and pecans with other varieties, or try mixing some dried fruit into the filling to add another layer of sweetness. Make a batch to share with friends—or store them in a container as a gift to yourself.

Greece is more synonymous with flaky, honeyed pastries than gooey brownies, but amid the hills of Crete, Epicurious member Lisa Lindy swirls a figgy-cherry caramel into a chocolaty batter before baking it into a moist-in-the-middle brownie. These fruity delights will provide sticky fingers and happy faces on kids and adults like.

The moist and toothsome coconut macaroon becomes a delicious (and infinitely more portable) bar cookie when built upon a dense shortbread base. The result is a surefire bake-sale winner, a kid-pleasing picnic finale, and an inviting edible gift for holidays or birthdays.

This recipe is so versatile you can use any type of chocolate, nut or dried fruit. Don’t expect leftovers!

Store these brownies in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving. You can also make the brownies in an 8-inch-square baking pan (prepare the pan as directed in step 1 of Double Chocolate Brownies, page 541).

Store brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

This recipe is based on the famous Key Lime pie from Joe’s Stone Crab restaurant in Miami Beach. If you can’t find Key limes, use regular fresh lime juice. The bars will keep, wrapped in plastic, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Store brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

You can use a blender or a food processor to grind the rolled oats; 1 1/4 cups rolled oats yields 1 cup ground.

The custard-filled crust can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Wait until just before serving to cut the dessert into bars; if crumbs and filling stick to the knife, wipe the blade clean between slices. Then decorate each bar with whipped cream. If you don’t have a pastry bag, use a resealable plastic bag with a corner cut off.

These spice-laden cookies originated in colonial New England; the candied ginger is our own addition. As the name implies, the bars are best after being hidden away for a day or two, so the flavors have a chance to deepen.

Homemade brownies are a good reminder that easy baking doesn’t always involve a packaged mix or an electric mixer. These brownies require only a saucepan for melting the butter and chocolate. Once that’s taken care of, stir in the rest of the ingredients and the batter is ready. That’s it. The texture of these falls in the middle between the dense fudgy style and taller, cakier brownies. Min always takes her mother’s advice and sprinkles the nuts on top so they’ll toast in the oven. A big pan of brownies can do anything. Pass a platter after a casual barbecue blow-out or dress them up with any or all three of the cheater smoked dessert sauces (pages 197 to 199) and ice cream.