OK everyone,
I have a question for you. I got this recipe off the Martha Stewart show a few weeks ago. It sounded so yummy, and Martha claimed it was heart-healthy, so I gave it a whirl yesterday. It tastes delicious, but it was so crumbly! So I was wondering if any of you can look at it (or try it) and give me some pointers on how to make it not so dry. I baked it for the lowest amount of time it called for (35 minutes; I started off baking it for 30 minutes, but then it didn't quite seem done, so I put it in for 5 more minutes), so should I have baked it for even less time, or do I need to tweak the ingredients a bit to add more liquid somewhere?
Oatmeal-Raisin* Squares
* (You can substitute for the raisins any of the following: cranberries, prunes, dried apricots, blueberries, or cherries)
4 cups oats
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup chopped nuts such as pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds (I used almonds)
1 teaspoon baking soda
Combine these ingredients in a large bowl.
Melt 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter; pour over oat mixture and add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Mix well. Let sit while you make the filling.
Filling:
1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups raisins
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Zest of 1 lemon
Let these ingredients come to a boil, cook for 2 minutes, and then take off the burner to let cool a bit.
Pat 1/2 of the oat mixture into 9x13 pan (Martha used a glass pan, I used a tin pan; would that have anything to do with it?). Purée raisin mixture; spoon onto and spread over oat mixture. Pat rest of oat mixture on top of raisin mixture. Bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes, or until golden brown. Cut with serrated knife. Makes 24 squares.
The raisin mixture made only a thin layer between the two oat layers; should I double the raisin mixture? The bottom oat layer held together nicely, but the top layer just crumbled, almost just by looking at it.
We ate this for our home evening treat just now. Everyone liked it, but we had to scrounge up a bite of vanilla ice cream to put on top to help with the dryness. So, if anyone has any tips, please send them my way, 'cause I'd love your input! Thanks in advance!
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3 comments:
Just from reading the recipe, it would look like the problem is the lack of moisture in the top layer. You could fix it a couple of ways: drizzle just a little melted butter over the top before you bake it. That would probably make it a little less healthy, but it should make the top layer more moist. The other option would be to double the filling and put half of it on top so the moisture would seep down through both dry layers. Having not made these I don't know what that might turn out like. But it seems it should work since the filling moistened the bottom layer for your first try. Good luck!
One other thought, did you cover it while baking? If not, that might help, too, as it would steam it a little.
How interesting. I was going to suggest something similar to what Meg suggested. Sounds good though.
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