Toffee Squares

Ingredients:

Crust
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

Topping
7 to 8 ounces milk chocolate, broken into pieces, or 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped almonds, toasted


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment.

2. Prepare the crust. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk, vanilla, and salt. On low speed, gradually beat in the flour just until mixed. The dough will be stiff. Pat the dough evenly over the bottom of the baking pan.

3. Bake in the center of the oven until pale gold on top, about 20 minutes.

4. Remove the pan from the oven and scatter the chocolate pieces evenly over the crust. Return the pan to the oven for 1 minute. Remove the pan again and, using a knife, spread the chocolate evenly over the crust. Sprinkle evenly with the almonds.

5. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Using a sharp knife, cut into small squares, then carefully remove from the pan with a small offset spatula or an icing spatula.

Lemon Lemon Loaf

Ingredients:

FOR THE LEMON CAKE:
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups sugar
8 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup grated lemon zest (from about 4 lemons)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

FOR THE LEMON SYRUP:
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar

FOR THE LEMON GLAZE (OPTIONAL):
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted, or more if needed
4 to 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice


Directions:

MAKE THE LEMON CAKES:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the sides and bottom of two 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray the paper.

Sift both flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.

Put the sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse until combined. With the motor running, drizzle the butter in through the feed tube. Add the sour cream and vanilla and pulse until combined. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

Sprinkle the flour mixture, one third at a time, folding gently after each addition until just combined. Do not overmix.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes, rotate the pans, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F., and bake for another 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes.

MEANWHILE, MAKE THE LEMON SYRUP:
In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and invert the loaves onto the pan. Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the loaves.

Brush the tops and sides of the loaves with the lemon syrup. Let the syrup soak into the cake and brush again. Let the cakes cool completely, at least 30 minutes.

(The soaked but unglazed loaves will keep, wrapped in two layers of plastic wrap and frozen, for up to 6 weeks.)

IF YOU LIKE, MAKE THE LEMON GLAZE:
In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and 4 tablespoons of the lemon juice. The mixture should be thick but pourable. If the mixture is too stiff, add up to another 2 tablespoons lemon juice and whisk again, adding small amounts of lemon juice and/or confectioners' sugar until you get the right consistency. Pour the lemon glaze over the top of each loaf and let it drip down the sides. Let the lemon glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving.

The glazed loaves will keep for up to 3 days, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

BAKEING NOTE: For zesting purposes, we always recommend using an organic fruit, free of chemicals or pesticides that might reside deep in the rind.

Chocolate-Banana Cake with Walnuts

Ingredients:

1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Splenda Sugar Blend for Baking
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoon baking soda
4 large overly ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt
2 egg whites
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
Vegetable-oil cooking spray

Frosting:
1 cup lowfat milk
3/4 cup Splenda Sugar Blend for Baking
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoon vanilla extract


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine flours, Splenda, cocoa, and baking soda. Add bananas, yogurt, egg whites, vanilla, and 1/2 cup walnuts. Stir. Coat a 9" x 13" cake pan with cooking spray. Pour batter into pan, spreading evenly. Bake about 35 minutes. Cool. Raise oven to 375°F. Toast remaining 1/4 cup walnuts 6 minutes. To make frosting, pour 1/4 cup milk into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in Splenda, cocoa, and cornstarch. Slowly add remaining 3/4 cup milk and bring to a low boil, stirring continuously until thick. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Cool and spread over cake. Sprinkle walnuts over cake.

Apple Tarts with Vanilla Ice Cream

Easily made with puff pastry, these light, thin apple tarts provide just the right amount of dessert. The skins get added to the syrupy glaze, enhancing the tarts with a bit of sweetness and the faintest blush of pink.


Ingredients:

6 Gala apples (preferably red; 2 3/4 pounds)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 (17 1/4-oz) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
All-purpose flour for dusting
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Special equipment: parchment paper
Accompaniment: vanilla ice cream


Directions:

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Peel apples, reserving skins. Stir together water and 6 tablespoons sugar in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, then scrape in seeds from vanilla bean and add pod. Add reserved apple skins and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes. Pour through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on and then discarding solids.

Roll out 1 pastry sheet into a 10-inch square on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin, then cut in half and transfer to 1 of baking sheets. Repeat with remaining pastry sheet, transferring to second baking sheet.

Halve apples lengthwise, then core with a melon-ball cutter or a small spoon and cut crosswise into very thin slices (1/8 inch thick or less), keeping apple halves intact. Fan apple slices slightly, keeping apple shape, then arrange 3 halves in a row on each piece of pastry, leaving a 2/3-inch border on all sides.

Brush border lightly with syrup and fold over about 1/3 inch to touch edges of apples. Crimp edges with a fork, then brush apples and edges of pastry with syrup (reserve remaining syrup). Brush apples completely with melted butter, then sprinkle evenly with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake tarts in upper and lower thirds of oven 20 minutes, then switch position of sheets and reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Bake tarts until edges are golden, 15 to 20 minutes more. (If pastry edges aren't browning evenly, rotate tarts 180 degrees on sheets halfway through baking.)

While tarts bake, boil remaining syrup over moderate heat until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Let tarts stand 5 minutes, then brush warm apples with remaining syrup.

Cooks' Notes:

•Tarts can be assembled (but not sprinkled with sugar or baked) 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Sprinkle apples with sugar just before baking.

•Tarts can be baked 4 hours ahead and kept, uncovered, at room temperature.

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Raspberry Sauce

Try this easy recipe for creamy panna cotta served with a simple raspberry sauce.

Ingredients:

Panna Cotta:

3 gelatine leaves
250ml/9fl oz milk
250ml/9fl oz double cream
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways, seeds scraped out
25g/1oz sugar

Raspberry Sauce:

175g/6oz sugar
175ml/6fl oz water
splash cherry liqueur
350g/12oz raspberries

Garnish:
4 sprigs fresh mint
icing sugar, to dust


Directions:

1. For the panna cotta, soak the gelatine leaves in a little cold water until soft.
2. Place the milk, cream, vanilla pod and seeds and sugar into a pan and bring to a simmer.
3. Remove the vanilla pod and discard.
4. Squeeze the water out of the gelatine leaves, then add to the pan and take off the heat. Stir until the gelatine has dissolved.
5. Divide the mixture among four ramekins and leave to cool. Place into the fridge for at least an hour, until set.
6. For the sauce, place the sugar, water and cherry liqueur into a pan and bring to the boil.
7. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar has dissolved.
8. Take the pan off the heat and add half the raspberries. Using a hand blender, blend the sauce until smooth.
9. Pass the sauce through a sieve into a bowl and stir in the remaining fruit.
10. To serve, turn each panna cotta out onto a serving plate. Spoon over the sauce and garnish with a sprig of mint. Dust with icing sugar