May 06, 2007
Excellent recipe! I cater, and my clients asked me to keep these in regular rotation.
Per suggestions, I also used half brown sugar and half white sugar for the filling, plus butter instead of margarine.
I suggest using the large disposable foil pans found at Sam's Club or Wal-Mart. There is no run-over or clean-up required. Pam eliminates sticking troubles.
I did bake the crust for 20 minutes, per the recipe. After topping with the filling, I baked the bars for 45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time to ensure even cooking. There is no way that these bars could be cooked in 25 minutes, per the recipe (unless you expect to eat the bars with a spoon).
To test for doneness, gently shake the pan. If the filling jiggles, keep baking. If you get just a slight bit of movement at the center, the bars are ready to be taken out of the oven. You don't want to cook them until there is no movement. At that point, they'll be too dry. When the bars are done cooking, cool on the counter for about 30 minutes before refrigerating for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Don't worry about the crunchy edges. As with brownies, lots of people like the crunchy edge. The center is still nice and gooey, yet not requiring utensils or a napkin.
Also, don't be worried by the texture of the crust when you're mixing it. It seems too crumbly, but once it cooks and the filling is poured on top, it is a wonderful buttery shortbread consistency.
—MEleanor