Bakesale Favorites

Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars

Makes 36 Bars

Bars
1 1/4	cups  all-purpose flour
2	cups  quick-cooking oats
1/2	teaspoon  baking soda
1/2	teaspoon  salt
16	tablespoons  unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened, each stick cut into 8 pieces
3/4	cup  butterscotch chips
1	cup  packed dark brown sugar
2	teaspoons  vanilla extract
1	large egg
Glaze
2	tablespoons  dark brown sugar
1	tablespoon  water
1/8	teaspoon  salt
1/4	cup  butterscotch chips

1. For the bars: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 13 by 9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving overhang on all sides.
2. Mix flour, oats, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl until combined. Heat butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat until nutty brown in color, about 12 minutes. Pour hot butter over butterscotch chips in large bowl and whisk until smooth. Whisk in brown sugar until dissolved, then whisk in vanilla and egg until combined. Stir in flour mixture in two additions until combined.
3. Spread mixture into prepared pan and bake until edges are golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 17 to 19 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack.
4. For the glaze: Bring brown sugar, water, and salt to simmer in small saucepan. Pour hot sugar mixture over butterscotch chips in small bowl, whisking until smooth. Drizzle glaze over warm bars and cool on rack until warm to touch, about 1 1/2 hours.
5. Using foil overhang, lift bars from pan and cool completely on rack, about 30 minutes. Cut into bars and serve. (Bars will keep in airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.)

Peanut Blossom Cookies

Makes about 8 dozen

Any Hershey's Chocolate Kiss—dark, milk, white, or "Hugs"—works in this recipe. For best results, the cookies should be baked on the middle rack, one baking sheet at a time. This recipe can be cut in half.

2 3/4	cups  all-purpose flour
1/2	teaspoon  table salt
1/2	teaspoon  baking soda
1/2	teaspoon  baking powder
1	cup  roasted salted peanuts
16	tablespoons  unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened but still cool, plus extra for greasing pan
3/4	cup  packed dark brown sugar
3/4	cup  granulated sugar
1	cup  creamy peanut butter
2	large eggs , at room temperature
2	teaspoons  vanilla extract
96	Hershey's Chocolate Kisses (from two 1-pound bags), ready-to-use or wrappers removed

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk 1 3/4 cups flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder together in medium bowl. Process remaining 1 cup flour and peanuts in food processor until ground, about fifteen 1-second pulses, then stir into flour mixture.
3. Beat butter and sugars together in large bowl with electric mixer at medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add peanut butter and continue to beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition, until incorporated, about 30 seconds, then beat in vanilla, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl, if necessary. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture in two batches, and mix until incorporated. Cover bowl and refrigerate dough until stiff, about 30 minutes.
4. Roll 1-inch balls of dough and space 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake until just set and beginning to crack, 9 to 11 minutes, rotating baking sheet from front to back halfway through baking (while cookies are baking, place additional balls of dough on second baking sheet). Working quickly, remove baking sheet from oven and firmly press one Kiss in center of each cookie. Return baking sheet to oven and bake until lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies directly to wire rack to finish cooling. Repeat rolling and baking remaining cookies. Cool completely. (Cookies will be cool enough to eat after about 30 minutes, but Kisses will take 2 hours to set completely.)

Peach Squares

Makes 24

Although any brand of frozen peaches or peach preserves will work, the test kitchen prefers Whole Foods 365 frozen peaches and Smucker's preserves.

1 1/2	cups  all-purpose flour
1 3/4	cups  sliced almonds
1/3	cup  granulated sugar
1/3	cup  packed light brown sugar plus 1 tablespoon
	Table salt
12	tablespoons  cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2	pounds  frozen peaches , partially thawed
1/2	cup  peach preserves
1/2	teaspoon  grated lemon zest
1	teaspoon  fresh lemon juice

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 13 by 9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, allowing excess to overhang pan edges. Spray pan with cooking spray. Process flour, 11/4 cups almonds, granulated sugar, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Add butter and pulse mixture until it resembles coarse meal (some pea-sized pieces of butter will remain), about twenty 1-second pulses.
2. Transfer 1/2 cup flour mixture to small bowl and set aside. Press remaining flour mixture firmly and evenly into bottom of prepared baking pan (see photo 1). Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, toss remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar with reserved flour mixture. Set aside.
3. While crust is baking, remove blade from food processor and wipe out workbowl. Pulse peaches and preserves in food processor until mixture has 1/4-inch chunks, about five 1-second pulses (if larger chunks remain, scrape down sides and pulse 2 more times). Cook peach mixture in large nonstick skillet over high heat until thickened and jam-like, about 10 minutes. Off heat, add pinch salt, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Pour mixture over hot crust.
4. Using fingers, pinch reserved flour mixture to create dime-sized clumps (see photo 2) and sprinkle over peaches. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup almonds over top and bake until almonds are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature, at least 2 hours. Using foil overhang, lift from pan and cut into 24 squares. Squares are best served on day they are baked because the crust can become soggy with time. (See below for reheating instructions.)
To Reheat
To revive, simply place leftover squares side by side (with no spaces in between the squares) on a baking sheet and heat in a 350-degree oven until the bottoms are crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool back to room temperature before eating.

Black-Bottom Cupcakes

Makes 24

Do not substitute regular chocolate chips for the miniature chips. Regular chips are much heavier and will sink to the bottom of the cupcakes.

16	ounces  cream cheese , at room temperature
1 3/4	cups  sugar
3/4	teaspoon  salt
2	large egg whites , at room temperature
2	tablespoons plus 3/4 cup  sour cream , at room temperature
1/3	cup  miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2	cups  all-purpose flour
1/2	cup  Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 1/4	teaspoons  baking soda
1 1/3	cups  water
8	tablespoons (1 stick)  unsalted butter , melted and slightly cooled
1	teaspoon  vanilla extract

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 standard muffin tins with cupcake liners.
2. With electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in medium bowl until smooth, about 30 seconds. Beat in egg whites and 2 tablespoons sour cream until combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and set aside.
3. Whisk remaining sugar, remaining salt, flour, cocoa, and baking soda in large bowl. Make well in center, add remaining sour cream, water, butter, and vanilla and whisk until just combined. Divide batter evenly among 24 cupcake liners and top each batter with 1 rounded tablespoon cream cheese mixture. Bake until tops of cupcakes just begin to crack, 23 to 25 minutes. Cool cupcakes in tins for 10 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely. (Cupcakes can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 2 days.)