Bready or Not Original: Honey Nut Apple Bars
Most apple bars have, well, apples in them, the fresh sort. This Honey Nut Apple Bar recipe is different. It uses a small amount of apple butter or applesauce, and that little but goes a long way.
These bars are imbued with apple flavor, spice, and honey sweetness, all of which perfectly complement the crunchy walnuts throughout.
This is a bar that’d be great for breakfast, brunch, or dessert!
Bready or Not Original: Honey Nut Apple Bars
Equipment
- 13×9 pan
- aluminum foil
- nonstick spray
Ingredients
Bars
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1/4 cup apple butter or applesauce
- 1/4 cup runny honey
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Icing
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 2 Tablespoons runny honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line a 13×9 pan with foil. Add nonstick spray or grease with butter.
- In a bowl, combine both flours, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat together the oil, egg, apple butter, and honey. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, scraping the bottom of the bowl. Fold in the walnuts.
- Spread batter in pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Immediately make the icing. Spread over the bars; it may look lumpy at first, but the heat will smooth it out as it is evened.
- Cool bars completely, speeding the process in the fridge if desired. Use foil to lift bars onto cutting board to slice up; place waxed paper between stacked layers. Store in a sealed container in the fridge.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Mocha Almond Bars
If you enjoy soft, chewy, crunchy blondies, this Mocha Almond Bars recipe is for you! It looks pretty, too, thanks to glaze on top.
I hate coffee as a drink, but I love the flavor in baked goods. That’s very true here. There is something magical about the combination of vanilla, sugar, and almond with espresso powder.
This recipe makes a 9×13 pan, so perfect to feed a small crowd!
Bready or Not Original: Mocha Almond Bars
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
- aluminum foil
- nonstick spray
Ingredients
Bars
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 cup sliced almonds divided
Glaze
- 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1-2 Tablespoons half & half
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line a 9×13 pan with aluminum foil. Spray nonstick spray or coat with butter.
- Beat butter in a large bowl. Add vanilla and egg. Add flour, sugar, and espresso powder. Scrape bottom to make sure dough incorporates everything. Fold in 3/4 cup sliced almonds.
- Press dough evenly into the pan. Sprinkle remaining almonds over the top. Gently press in.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned and the middle passes the toothpick test. Cool completely, speeding the process in the fridge, if desired.
- Combine the glaze ingredients, adding more confectioners’ sugar or half & half to reach a thick consistency. Drizzle glaze over the pan. Cool completely, until glaze solidifies.
- Use foil to lift onto a cutting board to slice into bars. Store in a sealed container, using waxed paper between stacked layers.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Chocolate-Swirled Pumpkin Cake
Cake is good. This Chocolate-Swirled Pumpkin Cake is very good.
The texture here is cakey and moist. And it gets moister over time, as is often the case with pumpkin baked goods. Therefore, I’ll say straight out that this is best eaten within 2 days. Not like it’s totally awful after that, but it can tend toward soggy. (Soggy and cake is only good if you’re talking something like Tres Leches.)
This is a versatile kind of cake that would work for a special breakfast or brunch, not just dessert.
Bready or Not Original: Chocolate-Swirled Pumpkin Cake
Equipment
- 15×10 pan (jelly roll pan)
- aluminum foil
- nonstick spray
- waxed paper
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree 1 can
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Swirl
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
- 8 ounces cream cheese (1 block) softened
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon milk or half & half
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line a 15×10-inch pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
- In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, white sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cloves. Add the pumpkin puree. Beat in the eggs one at a time followed by the oil. Spread batter in prepared pan.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips in the microwave.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with the remaining sugar. Add the egg and milk. Fold in the melted chocolate until the entire mix is consistently brown.
- Spoon the filling over the pumpkin batter. Use something like a butter knife to create swirls throughout the pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips over the top.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Let cool for a while at room temperature, then put in fridge to fully chill.
- Slice in pan to serve, or use the foil to lift contents onto a cutting board to slice. If keeping in pan, store covered in fridge; if removing from pan, be sure to use waxed paper between the stacked layers and store in fridge. Best eaten within 2 days.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Fruit and Almond Crumble Bars
These Fruit and Almond Crumble Bars are SO GOOD, people. Fruity, almondy, chewy, crunchy, sweet. A lot of awesome adjectives.
These bars are cousins of the Dutch Letter Bars I recently shared. The amounts produced are quite different–note that this recipe calls for a 15×10 pan (aka a jelly roll pan). This is a recipe to feed a potluck, truly.
Use whatever fruit spread you want here. I went cheap and used a mixed berry variety I bought at Costco. Cherry would be a more traditional choice. I’d love to make these again using blueberry.
Modified from Better Homes & Gardens December 2023.
Bready or Not: Fruit and Almond Crumble Bars
Equipment
- 15x10x1-inch pan (jelly roll pan)
- aluminum foil
- nonstick spray or butter
- uneven spatula
Ingredients
Bars
- 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups fruit preserves
- 7 or 8 ounces almond paste
- 1/2 cup chopped almonds
Glaze
- 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 Tablespoon water
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 325 degrees. Line a 15x10x1 pan with a large piece of aluminum foil. Add nonstick spray or butter to coat.
- In a large bowl, beat butter to soften. Add both sugars to thoroughly combine. Add both extracts. Beat in flour until just combined, scraping the bottom of the bowl a few times. Press dough evenly into the base of the pan. Bake until set, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Use an uneven spatula to spread fruit preserves over top. Crumble up the almond paste and sprinkle over top. Sprinkle on almond pieces.
- Bake for another 35 to 40 minutes, until both the almond paste and nuts have browned. Cool on a wire rack for a few hours, stashing in fridge to chill faster.
- Mix glaze, adding more sugar or water as needed to create a thick yet drizzable texture. Drizzle on glaze. Let set again, at least 30 minutes, or in fridge.
- Use foil to lift contents onto cutting board to slice up. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The bars can also be frozen fully prepared.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Sourdough Blondies
If you like the tang of sourdough, these special Sourdough Blondies are likely your kind of thing. They are also quick to make and delicious!
The overall texture of these bars impressed me. They are dense and sturdy, the kind of bar you could place in a little bag and pack with a lunch, but they are still soft and chewy to eat.
Why am I featuring so many sourdough recipes these days? Because, starting in early 2024, I began maintaining my own sourdough starter (named Mother) for book research reasons. That book, A House Between Sea and Sky, is out on October 1st! It features a sentient sourdough starter (also named Mother).
Bready or Not Original: Sourdough Blondies
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
- aluminum foil
- nonstick spray
- uneven spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 3/4 cup sourdough discard (170 grams)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 11 ounces chocolate chips divided (1 bag)
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line a 13×9 pan with aluminum foil and coat with nonstick spray or extra butter.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Beat in the two sugars. Add the two eggs. Add the sourdough discard. Add vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cornstarch. Stir into the wet mixture, scraping the bottom of the bowl on occasion.
- Measure out 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips. Fold them into the dough.
- Scoop dough into prepared pan and even out with an uneven spatula. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top and press in.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until top is golden and set and the middle passes the toothpick test. Cool completely, speeding process in fridge, if desired.
- Use foil to lift contents onto a cutting board to slice into bars. Store in a sealed container at room temperature.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Dutch Letter Bars
These Dutch Letter Bars are super-easy to make. Soft, chewy, and crunchy, these have it all.
The name for these bars is kind of weird, isn’t it? These are bars, no letter involved. Well, they are made to taste like a Dutch pastry that is traditionally shaped in a letter S. You can read all about it here.
The bar version mimics the flavor and texture, but is a lot easier to make! In the US, it’s apparently more common to find in Iowa.
This is modified from a recipe in Better Homes & Gardens Christmas Cookies 2021.
Bready or Not: Dutch Letter Bars
Equipment
- 13×9 pan
- aluminum foil
- nonstick cooking spray
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) softened
- 7-8 ounces almond paste store-bought or homemade
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups white sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup raspberry jam or mixed fruit jam
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1 Tablespoon turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line the 13×9 pan with foil. Add a coating of nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, beat together butter, almond paste, and eggs. Add the white sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the flour until combined. Spread dough in the prepared pan.
- Measure the jam into a microwave-safe bowl and gently warm until it is soft and spreadable. Dollop the jam on top of the dough and spread out, swirling with dough slightly. Sprinkle the almonds on top followed by the turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick in the middle comes out clean. Cool completely.
- Use the foil to lift the contents onto a cutting board, slice into bars. If stacking in storage containers, place waxed paper to make it tidier. Store at room temperature.




















