Chewy Spice Bars Recipes

MOLASSES BARS

Steps:

• Kick the tires and light the fires to 375 °F.
• Cream the sugars and the margarine together. Add in your two eggs and beat in completely.
• Add in the molasses to the margarine/sugar mix and mix in thoroughly.
• Whisk together the dry ingredients.
• Combine the wet and dry and mix well.Then add in your raisins.
• Divide the dough into two pieces, and from each half form three long rolls on a cookie sheet.
• Build them up as high as you can and they fit across a baking sheet, width-wise. When you build them up, you get a thicker, chewier bar.
• Bake them in the oven at 375 for 13-15 minutes, and do not over/under bake. This from my grandma's instructions. So they need to be baked until the edges are cooked and the middle slightly still underdone.
• Slice them across into about 8-10 squares when they are fully cooled, needless to say, this recipe makes a large amount, you can end up with 40-60 of the little bars!

SOFT SPICE BARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine butter, 1 cup sugar and molasses. Beat in egg until smooth. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and salt; stir into the molasses mixture. , Spread into a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned (do not overbake). Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

CHEWY OATMEAL SPICE BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Beat together sugars and margarine until well blended.
• Add apple butter, egg whites, milk and vanilla; beat well.
• Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg; mix well.
• Stir in oats and raisins; mix well (Dough will be moist).
• Spread dough onto bottom of ungreased 13 x 9 inch baking pan.
• Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until edges are light golden brown.
• Cool completely before cutting into bars.
• Store tightly covered.

CRYSTALLIZED-GINGER SPICE BARS

Steps:

• In a bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and ground spices. In another bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add molasses, egg, flour mixture, crystallized ginger, and zest and beat until a dough forms.
• On a sheet of wax paper pat dough into an 8-by-5 inch rectangle, about 1 inch thick. Chill dough, wrapped in wax paper, 4 hours, or until firm.
• (After the dough has been formed into a rectangle it can be kept in the refrigerator for one week or the freezer for one month. Thaw the frozen dough in the refrigerator until sliceable, about four hours. The baked cookies keep in airtight containers at room temperature for four days.)
• Preheat oven to 350° F. and lightly butter 2 baking sheets.
• Cut dough crosswise into slices about 1/6 inch thick and arrange about 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake bars in batches in middle of oven until deep golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes, and transfer to racks to cool. The baked cookies keep in airtight containers at room temperature for four days.