Connie's Pistachio Bars

 

             Connie is   one of my sailing friends, who lives on a New Hampshire beach ( hear the envy?)  and this is  a favorite recipe that her  kids - and now grandkids -  ask for.   I  tweaked it just  a tad by adding a dab of color and  the  pistachios.  I've tried  chopped pistachios in  the batter  too  but I think just a few  on top is better, for the same reason that  I don't let a few extra  chocolate chips fall in  -  I think too much chocolate  distracts  from  the pistachio  flavor.     I know, I know....'too much chocolate" is a bizarre concept!  

Any  one-bowl process cookie   gets extra points  from me, and other than the pudding mix, the basic recipe is just pantry staples so this  recipe has lots  going for it, not to mention the unique  pistachio element.   And please, be verrrrry stingy with the  food color - it shouldn't be bright green.  The tiniest smidgen should do it!**

 Mix together:  3 eggs, 1  1/2 c. sugar, 2/3 c. veg oil, and then add 1 1/2c. flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, 1 box pistachio pudding mix*, a  teeny drop of green food color** and 6-oz.  semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Place the thick batter  in an ungreased 9x13 pan, smooth the top  with the back of a spatula sprayed a bit,  and ( optional!)  sprinkle  a few   chopped pistachios on top, then bake in a preheated 350 oven  for about 25 - 35 minutes.  Let the pan cool on a rack  and slice  them while still  just a little  warm so the edges don't tear later.     They taste even better  after they 'age' overnight.    Once cool,  store covered,  at room temperature and enjoy the compliments.    Thanks, Connie for sharing!

* Don't struggle to find a box marked  'instant'  pistachio pudding mix.   All the pistachio brands  are instant, but  don't state it,  like some other flavors do. If still in doubt,  read the directions to see if it says  how to "cook".    It won't !

** Really, don't let  much  food color  hit the batter, it's hard to control the drop size, and the batter  can too easily  become an ugly, vivid kelly-green.  The batter looks pretty on its own, but fades when baked, so  a little green will revive the pretty pastel shade.   Remember this recipe , though, for St. Patrick's Day  when no green is "too" green!   I  put a 'drop'  on the blade of a knife so I can swipe just part of it off into the batter.  It will be  a very pale pistachio green  naturally  anyway, this  should just give a  tiny  color boost.

Soft Red Velvet Cookies

  Off to a quick start with  a cake mix, making  it easy to  put these together.    They're  pretty, soft, and surprisingly tasty, with a moist center.   I always  double the recipe, but I'll leave that decision up to you. T his is the single-batch recipe:

Preheat the oven to 375 for at least 15 minutes.  Melt 5 TB butter or margarine and let it cool.  Stir it into one box of dry red-velvet cake mix.    I prefer Duncan Hines brand but it probably doesn't matter.  Be sure that the butter's cooled a bit  before you add 2 eggs  and the zest of one lemon or orange.  The batter will be very stiff so use a strong arm and a strong spoon to be sure all the dry  mix is incorporated.

In a small bowl combine  1/2 c. powdered sugar and 1 tsp cornstarch and use a fork to mix it really well. Now, about  the red hands.....

Helpful hint:   use plastic medical or food-grade  thin gloves to roll the  dough...the mix isn't  intended by the manufacturer  to be  handled   and  there's lots of red food coloring in it  that you won't want to wear on your hands for a day or two.   Spraying  your hands with Pam  might help but just did not completely prevent the staining for me.

Wearing the gloves -- or not --  spray the palms of  the gloves very  lightly with Pam and roll the dough into balls.  The original recipe said it makes "24 small".  If  you want tea-party-sized, one-bite cookies, go for it and you may have 24.   I always make mine  larger, and  only get about  12-15 cookies.  That's why I always double the recipe to end up with about 3 dozen  average-sized cookies.

Drop each ball in the bowl of sugar mix* and coat them well before placing on an ungreased cookie sheet to bake.   The  time is dependent upon the size.  For those teeny ones, figure about 9 minutes, and maybe 11 or 12 for the biggest ones.  Take them out  when they are almost solid but  still at the point when you question the center's condition just a bit...is it time or not?... take them out.   Leave them on the sheet for about a minute to settle slightly, then remove to racks or newspaper to cool  completely.  They freeze well  and stay soft in sealed containers or baggies.  The  powdered sugar  stays on better when  there's a layer of plastic or parchment between them.

*  If you double the recipe, you  won't need to  double the sugar mixture.