Share Our Strength Bake Sale

I am cooking for the Share Our Strength - National Food Bloggers Bake Sale. It will be this Saturday, April 17, from 9am-12noon at DC’s Historic Eastern Market. Here is what I am bringing! I will post pictures tomorrow of cooking and packaging. Please look for the Come To The Table label for my special treats!

Lemon Bars

Shortbread Crust:

1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup (25 grams) confectioner's (powdered or icing) sugar
1 cup (130 grams) all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

Lemon Filling:

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 (80 ml) fresh lemon juice (approximately two large lemons)
1 tablespoons (5 grams) grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons (25 grams) all purpose flour

Garnish:

Confectioner's (powdered or icing) sugar
Lemon Zest - The yellow outer rind of the lemon that contains the fruit's flavor and perfume.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter, or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) pan.

Shortbread Crust: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour and salt and beat until the dough just comes together. Press onto the bottom of your prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.

Lemon Filling: In your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the sugar and eggs until nice and smooth. Add the lemon juice and zest and stir to combine. Fold in the flour. Pour the filling over the shortbread crust and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the filling has set. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

To serve: Cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar. These are best eaten the day they are made but can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for a day or two.

Yield: 16 - 2 inch (5 cm) bars

Recipe From Joy of Baking

I am also making Whoopie Pies from the Whoopie Pies Cookbook by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell. They look great! I have be wanting to get the pan every time I go into Sur La Table...I thought it was a good time.

Chocolate Whoopie Pie

1 2/3 cups of all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 t salt
4 T butter
4 T vegetable shortening
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 t vanilla
1 cup milk

Filling

Classic Marshmallow
1 1/2 cups Marshmallow Fluff
1 1/4 cups vegetable shortening
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 T vanilla extract

or

Classic Buttercream
3cups confectioners' sugar
1 stick butter
3-4 T heavy whipping cream
1 T vanilla
pinch of salt

(Mix on medium speed for 3 mins)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sift dry ingredients. Beat together butter, shortening, brown sugar on low speed. Increase speed to medium and beat for 3 mins. Add egg and vanilla.

Add half dry mixture and half milk to batter. Add 2nd dry and milk.

Drop 1 T of Batter onto baking sheets (lined with parchment paper). Or Use Whoopie Pans from Sur La Table. Bake for 10 mins.