Honey Peanut Bar Cookies Recipes

HONEY-PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a bowl, mix shortening, peanut butter and honey. Add eggs; mix well. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add to peanut butter mixture and mix well. , Roll into 1- to 1-1/2-in. balls and place on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with a fork dipped in flour. Bake until set, 8-10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

HONEY NUT COOKIE BARS

Steps:

• Cream together the butter and brown sugar.
• Mix in the flour until fully incorporated.
• Press into the bottom of a 9×13 inch, parchment paper lined baking pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.
• In a medium sized saucepan combine the butter brown sugar honey and whipping cream.
• Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for only a minute or two before stirring in the almonds and pecans.
• As soon as the bottom has baked for 20 minutes, pull it out of the oven and spread the topping evenly over the base and return to the oven for an additional 20 minutes. Careful not to over bake these or the caramel top will go brittle and not chewy. If you have a candy thermometer you can test the top layer to ensure that it is somewhere between 245 to 250 degrees F when fully baked.
• Cool completely the pan on a wire rack.
• Drizzle the tops with the melted chocolate if you choose. These are exceptionally good without the chocolate too.

HONEY ROASTED PEANUT BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Line 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides; spray with cooking spray. Beat 3/4 cup butter, 2 oz. cream cheese and granulated sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour, mixing well after each addition. Press onto bottom of prepared pan.
• Bake 20 min. or until golden brown. Meanwhile, melt remaining butter in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add remaining cream cheese; stir until blended, Add brown sugar and eggs; mix well.
• Pour brown sugar mixture over hot crust; sprinkle with nuts. Reduce oven temperature to 325ºF. Bake 20 min. or until center is set. Cool completely. Use foil handles to lift dessert from pan before cutting into bars.

HONEY CINNAMON BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, beat sugar, oil, honey and egg until well blended. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; gradually beat into sugar mixture. Stir in 1 cup walnuts., Spread into a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake until golden brown (edges will puff up), 10-12 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack., For glaze, in a small bowl, mix confectioners' sugar, mayonnaise, vanilla and enough water to reach desired consistency; spread over top. If desired, sprinkle with additional walnuts. Let stand until set. Cut into bars. Refrigerate leftovers.

GLUTEN-FREE NO-BAKE HONEY PEANUT BUTTER BARS

Steps:

• Butter 9- or 8-inch square pan. In large bowl, mix cereal and peanuts; set aside.
• In 3-quart saucepan, heat honey and sugar just to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in peanut butter until smooth. Pour over cereal mixture in bowl; stir gently until evenly coated. Press firmly in pan. Cool 15 minutes.
• In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds, until melted and smooth. Drizzle over top of bars. Let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes until chocolate is set. For bars, cut into 4 rows by 6 rows. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

HONEY-ROASTED PEANUT THUMBPRINTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease them.
• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together 1 cup peanuts and 1/2 cup flour until the nuts are coarsely ground. Pulse in remaining flour, sugar, salt and nutmeg, then add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pulse in the egg yolks, vanilla extract and zest. Continue to pulse until the dough is well combined and starts to clump (but doesn't form a ball).
• Working with 1 tablespoon of dough at a time, form the mixture into 1-inch balls.
• Put the egg whites in a shallow bowl, then beat them lightly with a fork until frothy. Put the remaining 2/3 cup chopped honey-roasted peanuts in another shallow bowl, and stir in the salted, roasted peanuts.
• Dunk each ball of dough first in egg whites, then in the nuts, rolling to coat the balls well. Place the balls on the baking sheets 2 inches apart. Using your thumb, press an indentation in the center of each round of dough.
• Using a small spoon (an espresso spoon works well), fill the indentations with jam. Bake until the edges of the cookies are just golden, 12 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

PEANUT SHORTBREAD WITH HONEYCOMB

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch metal pan, and line with parchment paper, leaving plenty of overhang on the long sides.
• Make the cookie layer: Combine 1 cup butter, the light brown sugar and the granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping bowl as needed. Add vanilla and salt; beat to combine.
• Add 2 1/2 cups flour and all peanuts, and beat until crumbly. Transfer the dough to the pan. Using floured hands, pat out the dough evenly but lightly, without compacting. Prick surface all over with a floured fork, and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes. Bake until firm at the center and golden brown all over, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven, set pan on a wire rack, and cool completely.
• Prepare the honeycomb layer: Have a large metal bowl, a whisk, the measured baking soda and the baked peanut cookie layer ready by the stove. In a wide, shallow saucepan, combine granulated sugar, honey and 1/4 cup water, and whisk to combine. Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil, gently swirling the pan without stirring, and using a wet pastry brush to wash down any sugar crystals clinging to the sides of the pan. Clip on a candy thermometer, and cook the mixture until the thermometer reads 300 degrees, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Quickly and carefully pour and scrape the honey mixture into the metal bowl, then immediately whisk in the baking soda. (The mixture will puff up quite a bit.) Briefly whisk to dissolve the baking soda, but don't overbeat. Immediately pour the hot mixture on top of the peanut cookie layer. Aim to cover the shortbread while pouring, then tip the pan around a little to distribute the honeycomb as much as possible. (Resist the urge to spread it out with a spatula, which will knock the air out of the honeycomb, making it hard instead of airy.) Cool completely. Run a small sharp knife around the edges of the pan to loosen. Using the overhanging parchment, lift and transfer to a work surface.
• Use the point of a small, sharp knife to break the cookie into 2- to 3-inch shards and arrange them on a parchment- or wax paper-lined baking sheet.
• In a metal bowl set over a small saucepan filled with an inch of simmering water, combine the dark chocolate and the shortening, and stir until smooth and melted. Remove from heat. (You can also melt the chocolate in the microwave instead: Transfer the chocolate and shortening to a microwave-safe glass bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Whisk to combine, then heat in 20-second increments, whisking between each, until melted.)
• Using a small spoon, drizzle the chocolate over the cookie shards. Sprinkle with sea salt. Pop into the freezer to harden the chocolate, about 5 to 10 minutes. Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.