NBM, Day 9: Magic Cookie Bars

Day 9. I’ve wanted to try this version of Magic Cookie Bars from the New York Times for a while. The recipe is from the fantastic Samantha Seneviratne, and is a nice taming of what is typically a far-too-sweet sweet. She uses an actual crest, too — still graham crackers, but bolstered with an egg and leavening. The topping, too, is dialed back: bittersweet chocolate and unsweetened flaked coconut, plus pecans. And just one can of sweetened condensed milk! All in all, a great upgrade to a classic confection.

NBM, Day 7: Holiday Granola

For Christmas this year, my colleague Jill Silverman Hough sent a lovely card with a super appealing recipe she developed, Holiday Granola. Since granola really knows no season — and since I typically eat mango, yogurt, and homemade granola for lunch five days a week — I decided to make a batch of Jill’s granola for day seven of National Baking Month. The flavor combo in this granola includes coconut, almonds, cranberries, dried orange slices, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, with a base of oats. I think it’ll be perfect with my yogurt and mango, especially with Champagne mangos, which will be back in season soon. Here's a link to the granola recipe Jill used to create the holiday variation. Plus, check out her website — so many great recipes!

Tuesdays With Dorie: Granola Energy Bars

Short and sweet this week for Tuesdays with Dorie. It's Granola Energy Bars, they are super easy to throw together, and they are as tasty as you want to make them. I used dried cherries and also added about a half cup of bittersweet chocolate chips because, hey, why not?

The most intriguing thing for me about this recipe is the brown rice syrup as the sweetener and binder in the bars. It's not terribly sweet and also fairly neutrally flavored, so it really allows the rest of the ingredients to shine. I also loved that the oats are toasted; it's nice touch that gives the bars an extra nuance of flavor.