Tag: vanilla

Categories
Dessert

Say ‘marlow’ to this vintage cold treat

Banana marlow is a vintage recipe from the ’30s that creates an ice-cream-like dessert with a wonderful creamy texture, using marshmallows in the base.
Banana marlow is a vintage recipe from the ’30s that creates an ice-cream-like dessert with a wonderful creamy texture, using marshmallows in the base.

Often, when I try a recipe I’ve never heard of, I love to jump into its history.

I was especially interested in marlow, an ice-cream-like dessert that was wildly popular for decades but fell out of favor sometime during the 1960s, when people had access to electric ice cream makers at home and no longer had to use the old, hand-cranked models.

I highly recommend an article by Andrew Coletti on “Atlas Obscura.” He goes into grand detail about marlow, which I was happy to dive deeply into.

He explains that before people could make ice cream at home very efficiently, marlow became popular, thanks to the use of marshmallows, which helped to keep the mixture a creamy, ice cream consistency, rather than letting it become rock hard in the freezer.

“The proliferation of mass-produced gelatin marshmallows in the early 20th century allowed for lots of recipes made with them, and marlow became a home ice cream favorite,” he writes.

You can read his entire article at https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/vintage-marshmallow-dessert.

So the real question: was it good?

Oh. My. Goodness. You guys. It was fabulous.

The marlow recipe I tried comes from a post by influencer B. Dylan Hollis. If you’ve never heard of him, look him up. He’s great. He makes a ton of vintage recipes and has a couple cookbooks out, too. He’s a fun watch. I figured out the proportions of some of the add-ins and added peanuts to my version below.

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Banana Marlow

Banana marlow is a vintage recipe from the ’30s that creates anice-cream-like dessert with a wonderful creamy texture, using marshmallows in the base.
Course Dessert
Keyword banana, heavy cream, lemon juice, maraschino cherries, marlow, milk, mini marshmallows, no-churn ice cream, peanuts, vanilla

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup milk I used skim
  • 32 regular-sized marshmallows
  • 1 banana mashed (I used an overly ripe one)
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 10 ounces maraschino cherries chopped
  • 1/2 cup peanuts chopped

Instructions

  • Add the milk and marshmallows to a saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring regularly to keep the milk from scalding, until the mixture is smooth.
  • Remove it from the heat and let it set until it cools to about room temperature.
  • Stir the banana, lemon juice and vanilla into the marshmallow mixture.
  • In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form, and then fold it into the marshmallow mixture. Finish it off by folding in the cherries and peanuts, and spread the mixture into a nine-by-13-inch dish. Put the dish in the freezer and let freeze over night.
  • Serve like you would any other ice cream, and enjoy.

This was creamy and super banana-y, and the added pops of sweet from the cherries and crunch from the peanuts were perfect. The texture was better than any other no-churn ice cream recipe I’ve ever tried.

And, according to both Coletti and Hollis, there are tons of other flavors you can make. I’m definitely going to be making a chocolate version before the summer is up.

There are plenty of very weird vintage recipes that should probably stay in the past (Jell-O aspics, anyone?), but it’s time to bring this one back.

This piece first appeared in print Aug. 20, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Dessert

Don’t have the right fruit? Your ingredients may ‘berry’

Berry pie bars mimic a great, fruit pie taste without having to roll out any dough. While the original recipe called for blackberries, it’s delicious to use raspberries or mulberries, too.
Berry pie bars mimic a great, fruit pie taste without having to roll out any dough. While the original recipe called for blackberries, it’s delicious to use raspberries or mulberries, too.

In one of our first shopping trips together over 20 years ago, I remember Joey grabbing a bottle of ketchup off the end cap at the grocery store.

“Whoa,” I said. “Why are you buying the expensive ketchup?”

He looked perplexed.

And that was the day I probably made my then-boyfriend reconsider his relationship choices by explaining unit pricing to him.

Nowadays, he’s an expert at it. (I’d like to think I helped him grow as a person.)

I thought about that when I went to pick up blackberries for this week’s recipe and figured out that the raspberries were much, much cheaper that week.

I decided to pivot from the original ingredients list and see what happened. And, thank goodness, they were awesome.

This comes from the blog “The Novice Chef.” You can find the original recipe at https://thenovicechefblog.com/blackberry-pie-bars/. I switched out the kind of fruit and added just a little extra vanilla in my version.

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Berry Pie Bars

Berry pie bars mimic a great, fruit pie taste without having to roll out any dough. While the original recipe called for blackberries, it’s delicious to use raspberries or mulberries, too.
Course Dessert
Keyword bars, blackberries, brown sugar, cinnamon, easy dessert, fresh lemon, fresh raspberries, lemon juice, lemon zest, mulberries, summer dessert, vanilla

Ingredients

Crust Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • zest from one lemon
  • 1 cup cold butter cut into pieces
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract

Filling Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 teaspoons cornstarch
  • juice from one lemon
  • 4 cups fresh raspberries/blackberries/mulberries

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and prepare a nine-by-13-inch baking pan by coating the inside with butter or cooking spray. Set it aside.
  • To make the crust and topping, add the dry ingredients to a food processor, along with the zest, and pulse to combine.
  • Add the butter, egg and vanilla, and pulse until everything it well-distributed and forms large crumbs.
  • Press half of the mixture evenly into the bottom of the baking pan.
  • For the filling, add the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice to a bowl, and stir to combine. Gently fold in the berries, being sure to coat them all in the mixture, and then carefully distribute them into the baking pan.
  • Finish by evenly crumbling the rest of the dough mixture over the top of the berries. (You won’t have full coverage. It’s OK for some of the fruit to be peeking out.)
  • Bake for 45 minutes or until the topping is lightly browned and the fruit is bubbly.
  • Let the bars cool completely before slicing and serving. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.

We enjoyed these at a cook-out, and I came home with just crumbs in my pan afterwards. They were a huge hit. The raspberries were perfect in this, and I think blackberries or even mulberries would be good in there, too. They were buttery and sweet and great for a summer dessert.

And I was able to save a few dollars at my local grocery store, while making something really delicious.

For me, that was a definite win-win.

This piece first appeared in print June 11, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Cookies Dessert

‘Chew’se a chocolate-free bar cookie for your summer treat

Southern pecan chewies have a chewy, soft center, as advertised, with pops of crunchy pecans throughout. They are a great bar cookie for summer events.
Southern pecan chewies have a chewy, soft center, as advertised, with pops of crunchy pecans throughout. They are a great bar cookie for summer events.

There’s a phrase we often hear when we travel north: Minnesota Nice.

It refers to how friendly the folks in Minnesota are, and that’s especially true when you visit in the summer months. After being snowed in and freezing in sub-zero temperatures all winter, they are ready to go out and about and are happy to see any other smiling face around them.

Kansas obviously doesn’t have quite the same winter woes as Minnesota, but I do think there’s a kind of excitement when the weather warms to be social and spend time out on a porch or patio with other people.

We benefitted from some friends’ desire to host on a recent, beautiful evening.

As soon as I heard we were going to hang out and enjoy food off the grill, I knew exactly what recipe I wanted to try to bring along with us.

This recipe comes from the blog “Pear Tree Kitchen.” You can find the original at https://peartreekitchen.com/pecan-chewies/. I added extra vanilla in my version.

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Southern Pecan Chewies

Southern pecan chewies have a chewy, soft center, as advertised, with pops of crunchy pecans throughout. They are a great bar cookie for summer events.
Course Dessert
Keyword bar cookies, brown sugar, butter, cookie exchange, pecans, quick bar cookie, summer dessert, vanilla

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter melted
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup pecans chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  • Prepare a nine-by-13-inch baking pan by spraying it with cooking spray, and set it aside.
  • Add the butter and brown sugar to a mixing bowl, and mix until it’s well combined.
  • Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Add in the flour, baking powder and salt, and mix until smooth, and finally, stir in the pecans.
  • Evenly pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the edges are browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with only moist crumbs.
  • Let the bars cool completely before slicing and serving. Store the bars in an airtight container.

These were nutty and sweet and perfect for a summer evening.

It’s nice to have some non-melty desserts in your back pocket for summer events, and these did not disappoint. They’re a little chewy and soft in the middle, and the crunchy pops of pecan are a perfect addition to these bars.

And, even better, I didn’t need to bring any leftovers home with me. They were well-loved by the assembled group.

There are few things better than sitting in a lawn chair, eating a masterfully charred burger and fresh salad, while talking with a group of interesting people, and summer in Kansas is the perfect time to do so.

This piece first appeared in print June 4, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Cookies Dessert

Oven mistake? Just keep calm and ‘berry’ on

Fresh strawberry cookies are perfect to make when ripe strawberries are in season. They feature a sugar cookie base, with pops of sweet fresh fruit throughout. They’re a perfect summer dessert.
Fresh strawberry cookies are perfect to make when ripe strawberries are in season. They feature a sugar cookie base, with pops of sweet fresh fruit throughout. They’re a perfect summer dessert.

When I graduated from college and rented my own home for the very first time, I decided that I would do my darnedest to cook meals for myself as much as possible and avoid premade stuff from the freezer section.

I remember one of the first times I fired up the stove, heating some oil to fry something or other. I was shocked to turn around and see flames shooting out of the pan.

Luckily, my mom trained me well, and I knew to smother the fire and kill the heat, but I was completely confused. I had never managed to start a fire in the kitchen before.

Then, I made some cookies for the first time and burned them to a crisp, and I suddenly realized that not all ovens are made equally—and this one could maybe double as a kiln. I had to be careful the whole time I lived there.

This week, when I made some strawberry cookies in my own oven. They were spreading out really quickly, and they were way softer than they should be. I kept trying to figure out what in the world I did wrong with the dough, even tossing it in the fridge at one point, but I should have remembered the oven lesson I learned years ago.

I made a double batch of the cookies, and each pan just kept having a strange bake. It wasn’t until I went to turn off the oven that I realized I was using the “quick bake” setting by accident. Oops.

Despite mine turning out a little weird, these cookies were really yummy and perfect for a summer get-together. The recipe comes from the blog “Luxe Beauty.” You can find the original post at https://www.beauty-luxe.com/soft-chewy-strawberry-cookies/. I added extra vanilla in my version.

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Fresh Strawberry Cookies

Fresh strawberry cookies are perfect to make when ripe strawberries are in season. They feature a sugar cookie base, with pops of sweet fresh fruit throughout. They’re a perfect summer dessert.
Course Dessert
Keyword butter, cookie exchange, fresh strawberries, strawberry, sugar, summer dessert, vanilla

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup fresh strawberries diced

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and prepare a couple baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper, and set them aside.
  • In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until the mixture is light yellow and fluffy.
  • Beat in the egg and vanilla, and then beat in the flour, baking soda and salt.
  • Finish by folding in the diced strawberries.
  • Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto your prepared baking sheets, leaving about two inches between each cookie.
  • Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are set and the cookies are light brown.
  • Let the cookies cool on a baking sheet before transferring them to an airtight container.

These were delicious. They had pops of fruit, combined with a very nice sugar cookie base.

And if you want them to be fall-apart soft, you can always try baking them with convection, too, although I don’t recommend it.

Luckily, our friends don’t mind some slightly ugly cookies, and they helped clean up all the evidence of my oven mishap.

I figure soft cookies are superior to the burnt kind, though, so it was probably a win. Plus, I don’t think I’ll be making that same mistake again any time soon.

This piece first appeared in print May 28, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Cookies

‘Espresso’ yourself with some great chocolate cookies

Chocolate espresso cookies are an excellent treat for those who like their chocolate a little bitter and their cookies just a bit less sweet. They pair really well with a good cup of coffee.
Chocolate espresso cookies are an excellent treat for those who like their chocolate a little bitter and their cookies just a bit less sweet. They pair really well with a good cup of coffee.

When I was a kid, Hershey’s sold powder for chocolate milk in brown, kind of rectangular containers.

I loved (well, love) chocolate milk, and I remember a specific day where I was snooping through the cabinets, seeing what I could find, and there I spotted it: a brown, rectangular-ish container, emblazoned with “Hershey’s” in big, bold letters.

I was elated.

I filled a big glass with milk and climbed up on the counter to reach the sacred container, located clear up on the shelf, next to Mom’s baking spices.

I dumped several big spoonfuls of the powder into my glass, and I have to admit, I was a little confused when it didn’t mix in very well at first, but I didn’t care: I was ready for a glass of chocolate milk.

And that was the day that I discovered that Hershey’s sold both their chocolate milk powder and their baking cocoa in very similar containers. And that was one of the only times in my life I didn’t even try to finish a glass of “chocolate milk.”

Nowadays, I’m still sure I wouldn’t enjoy baking cocoa mixed with my milk, but I do love bitter, dark chocolate, and boy, oh, boy, did this week’s recipe really scratch that itch.

This comes from the blog “Bakers Brigade.” You can find the original post at https://www.bakersbrigade.com/recipe/chewy-chocolate-espresso-cookies/. I added extra vanilla in my version.

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Chocolate Espresso Cookies

Chocolate espresso cookies are an excellent treat for those who like their chocolate a little bitter and their cookies just a bit less sweet. They pair really well with a good cup of coffee.
Course Dessert
Keyword cocoa powder, cookie exchange, espresso powder, instant coffee, molasses, vanilla

Ingredients

  • 12 tablespoons butter melted and cooled
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons molasses
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 teaspoons espresso powder or instant coffee
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • sugar for rolling cookies

Instructions

  • Add the melted butter, cocoa and molasses to a mixing bowl and stir until everything is well combined.
  • Add the sugar, egg, vanilla and espresso powder and stir again. Finally, mix in the flour, baking soda and salt.
  • Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add some sugar to a small bowl, scoop the dough by the tablespoon-full and coat the balls in sugar.
  • Place the cookies at least two inches apart on a baking sheet, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the centers set and are starting to crack.
  • Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

These weren’t as coffee-forward as I expected, but the combination of the espresso, molasses and chocolate gave these a pleasant bitterness, with just the right amount of sweetness. They’re chewy and would be great alongside a cup of coffee.

Or maybe a glass of cold milk.

Just be careful if you decide to mix in some chocolate. Not all powders are made the same.

This piece first appeared in print May 7, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Dessert

There’s no doubt you should cobble together dessert this week

Carrot cake cobbler is like taking a carrot cake and marrying it with a pecan pie, and its warm spices and gooey filling demand a big scoop of vanilla ice cream for serving.
Carrot cake cobbler is like taking a carrot cake and marrying it with a pecan pie, and its warm spices and gooey filling demand a big scoop of vanilla ice cream for serving.

If you didn’t know, we recently celebrated the first-ever “Local News Day” on April 9.

The effort to observe local journalists around the country came from a push in Montana. In Newton, we had a small, but mighty, group of community members who stood outside our office with signs, touting the importance of having a local newspaper. It was really neat.

What the newsroom also really appreciated was the group very kindly dropped a bunch of delicious goodies at the office, as well.

My favorite? Some carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

I absolutely adore carrot cake.

Ironically, that particular cake is the inspiration for the recipe I’m sharing with you this week for a really easy cobbler. It takes all the flavors of carrot cake and combines them with a pecan pie for an excellent dessert that must absolutely be enjoyed with a big scoop of ice cream.

This comes from the blog “The Salty Cooker.” You can find the original post at https://thesaltycooker.com/carrot-cake-cobbler-with-caramel-pecan-filling/. I added extra spices in my version.

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Carrot Cake Cobbler

Carrot cake cobbler is like taking a carrot cake and marrying it with a pecan pie, and its warm spices and gooey filling demand a big scoop of vanilla ice cream for serving.
Course Dessert
Keyword allspice, brown sugar, buttermilk, carrots, cinnamon, cloves, cobbler, dark corn syrup, Easter, easy dessert, ginger, nutmeg, pecans, shredded carrots, vanilla

Ingredients

Filling Ingredients

  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups dark corn syrup
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups pecans chopped

Cobbler Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons butter cold
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk I used milk with a touch of vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups carrots shredded

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a seven-by-10-inch baking dish, and set it aside.
  • For the filling, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, allspice and salt until it’s well-combined. Stir in the pecans, and pour the mixture into the baking dish.
  • In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt and stir to combine.
  • Cut in the butter with a fork or pastry cutter until it’s well incorporated. Stir in the buttermilk, vanilla and carrots, just until it’s combined.
  • Drop scoops of the cobbler mixture evenly over the top of the filling (there will be some gaps).
  • Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the filling bubbles around the edges.
  • Rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
  • Serve warm or room temperature, along with some vanilla ice cream.

We had this for our family Easter celebration. It was really, really good. The warm spices, along with the texture of the filling and the cobbler topping, just took it over the top.

And it was a lot less work than creating a whole cake or a batch of carrot cake muffins, which were—by the way—a great addition to the newsroom, not only because the reporters all love snacks but also because I didn’t share a single bit of this cobbler with any of them.

This piece first appeared in print April 16, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Dessert

Don’t be ‘choco’late to the party if you want a chance at these brownies

These chocolate ganache gooey brownies feature a thick, chocolate topping with a hint of peanut butter, on top of dark-chocolate-laden cake-y brownies to provide a sinfully decadent dessert.
These chocolate ganache gooey brownies feature a thick, chocolate topping with a hint of peanut butter, on top of dark-chocolate-laden cake-y brownies to provide a sinfully decadent dessert.

In past years, January and February have felt like reset months for us.

Things slow down, activities are fewer, and it’s time to catch our breaths.

Not so this year. Last week, Joey and I were honored to be invited to speak at the Kentucky Press Association’s annual conference, and we ended up spending an extra day out of town, thanks to the deluge of snow, and while I might have normally been tempted to phone in my column this week, due to a lack of time, that simply wasn’t possible.

I have a dessert auction counting on me.

Well, OK, so it’s not really counting on me, but I promised Peace Connections in Newton that I would provide a dessert for their annual auction next week, and I was not about to disappoint.

I needed to find something that would be delicious and look darn tempting to drive up the bids for a great cause. Enter some chewy, decadent brownies.

This comes from the blog “Georgina Eliza.” You can find the original post at https://georginaeliza.co.uk/2022/09/23/chocolate-ganache-gooey-brownies/. I converted everything into U.S. measurements, and I added extra vanilla and chocolate in my version.

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Chocolate Ganache Gooey Brownies

These chocolate ganache gooey brownies feature a thick, chocolate topping with a hint of peanut butter, on top of dark-chocolate-laden cake-y brownies to provide a sinfully decadent dessert.
Course Dessert
Keyword brownies, chocolate ganache, cocoa powder, creamy peanut butter, dark chocolate, dessert auction, peanut butter, vanilla

Ingredients

  • 8 1/4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla
  • 16 ounces dark chocolate chips divided
  • 1 1/3 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Grease an eight-by-eight-inch baking pan, and set it aside.
  • Add the butter to a saucepan, and heat over low heat. When the butter is melted, add the sugar, milk and vanilla, stirring regularly until the sugar is dissolved, and then stir in half of the chocolate chips, stirring until the chocolate is melted.
  • Meanwhile, add the flour, salt and cocoa powder to a mixing bowl, and stir to combine.
  • Add in the chocolate mixture, and stir until everything is well combined, and pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it out evenly.
  • Bake for 20 minutes or until the top of the brownies looks set and crackled. (The brownies are meant to stay a bit gooey.)
  • Set the brownies aside to cool completely.
  • When they’re cooled, add the rest of the chocolate chips to a small saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring regularly, until the chocolate is melted. Stir in the peanut butter until everything is smooth, and pour it over the brownies, spreading evenly.
  • Put the brownies in the fridge until the topping sets up, and then store them in an airtight container.

These were fabulous. They were dense and chewy and would be awesome with a bowl of ice cream or a good cup of coffee.

They would also be a wonderful dessert to bid on to support Peace Connections on Thursday, Feb. 5, at Salem United Methodist Church, 115 Old Main St., Newton. The soup dinner is by donation and starts at 5:30 p.m. The dessert auction will begin at 6:15 p.m.

If you want more information about this awesome group, visit their website at https://www.peaceconnections.org/. They do a lot of good to help a lot of people in the area each year.

And if you’re like me, and your 2026 is already insanely busy, what better way to take something off your to do list than not having to make dinner yourself on Feb. 5?

This piece first appeared in print Jan. 29, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Dessert

Try as you ‘maple,’ you can’t avoid these delicious bars forever

Maple apple pie bars combine the sweetness of apples with maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon to create a delicious dessert, worthy of enjoying alongside a hot cup of coffee.
Maple apple pie bars combine the sweetness of apples with maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon to create a delicious dessert, worthy of enjoying alongside a hot cup of coffee.

I generally make the exact same New Year’s resolution each year.

Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure my resolution messes up some of your resolutions, so I’ll apologize in advance for the calorie-laden recipes that will continue to grace my column in the coming months.

It’s necessary, though, in order for me to meet my ultimate goal: cleaning out my fridge, pantry and freezer.

Throughout the year, I tend to collect all kinds of random ingredients, from those that are leftover from experiments to things I find on the sale shelf and can’t leave there—just in case the perfect recipe comes along

The first item to exit my freezer in the spirit of a new year? A plastic bag of peeled and diced Granny Smith apples.

I bought a huge bag of apples months ago, because it was being clearanced out, and I couldn’t pass them up. So here they are, now in all their unhealthy glory.

This comes from the blog “A Latte Food.” You can find the original post at https://www.alattefood.com/maple-glazed-apple-blondies/. I added extra vanilla and cinnamon in my version.

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Maple Apple Pie Bars

Maple apple pie bars combine the sweetness of apples with maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon to create a delicious dessert, worthy of enjoying alongside a hot cup of coffee.
Course Dessert
Keyword apples, bar cookies, brown sugar, cinnamon, fall dessert, glaze, Granny Smith apples, maple syrup, powdered sugar, vanilla

Ingredients

Filling Ingredients

  • 2 large apples diced (I used Granny Smiths)
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

Bar Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

Glaze Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Prepare an 11-by-seven-inch baking pan (I actually used an eight-by-eight) by spraying it with cooking spray, and set it aside.
  • For the filling, combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan, and heat over medium-low, stirring regularly. Once it comes up to temp and the butter and sugar are melted together, cook for another three or four minutes, and then set it aside to cool.
  • For the bar layer, cream the butter, brown sugar and regular sugar together. Beat until everything is combined and the mixture is light and fluffy.
  • Beat in each egg, one at a time, and then beat in the salt and vanilla.
  • Finally, beat in the flour, baking powder and cinnamon until the dough is well combined.
  • Spread half of the dough evenly into your prepared pan.
  • Spread the apple filling evenly over the dough layer.
  • Spread the other half of the dough on top of that. (This is easier said than done. I ended up doing rough dollops all over the top and lightly spreading them out with a scraper. Don’t worry about not getting 100-percent coverage.)
  • Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Let the bars cool while you make your glaze.
  • Add the butter, syrup, vanilla and cinnamon to a saucepan and heat it over low heat, stirring regularly. Once everything is melted and well-combined, remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar until all of the lumps are gone. (You can speed that process up by sifting the sugar into the pan.)
  • Allow the glaze to cool for about 10 minutes so that it thickens, and then pour it over the bars. Once the glaze and the bars are fully cooled, slice them and serve.
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container.

These were delicious. They were soft and flavorful. I love the combination of maple, cinnamon and apples, and these bars were a great dessert to share with friends.

I’m sorry if these sugar-filled, delicious bars mess with any of your resolutions going into 2026. But if it’s any consolation, there is a really nice empty space in my freezer.

This piece first appeared in print Jan. 8, 2026.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Dessert

Fudge recipe is one in a million holiday treat

Million dollar fudge is a rich treat, made with fluffy marshmallow crème and featuring lots of crunchy walnuts to create a wonderful texture.
Million dollar fudge is a rich treat, made with fluffy marshmallow crème and featuring lots of crunchy walnuts to create a wonderful texture.

Over the years, I have had a few kitchen disasters that resulted in major cleanup afterwards.

There was the time I dropped my flour container, spilling it all over the floor.

There was another, when I accidentally turned my mixer on too high and exploded chocolate cake batter all over my backsplash and cabinets.

The worst one was knocking a two-liter of pop off the counter. That one resulted in cleaning the ceiling.

This week, it was as sudden overflow on my stovetop, burning a mixture of sugar and evaporated milk into a thick, impenetrable mess and filling the kitchen with smoke.

Luckily, that was the only part of my cooking experiment that was a disaster, as the recipe for million dollar fudge that Carolyn Doyle of Newton submitted for our holiday recipe guide turned out absolutely delicious, and as long as you keep an eye on what you’re doing, you’ll end up with an excellent holiday treat without the big mess I had.

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Million Dollar Fudge

Million dollar fudge is a rich treat, made with fluffy marshmallow crème and featuring lots of crunchy walnuts to create a wonderful texture.
Course Dessert
Keyword candy making, cookie exchange, fudge, Hershey, holiday dessert, marshmallow creme, milk chocolate, semisweet chocolate chips, vanilla, walnuts

Ingredients

  • 2 7.56- ounce Hershey bars chopped
  • 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 7- ounce jars marshmallow crème
  • 4 tablespoons margarine
  • 4 1/2 cups sugar
  • 12 ounces evaporated milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups chopped walnuts
  • whole walnuts for decorating

Instructions

  • Prepare a nine-by-13-inch baking dish by greasing it with butter. (This will give you about two-inch tall pieces. Use two dishes if you want something thinner.) Set it aside.
  • In a large, heat-proof mixing bowl, add the chopped Hershey bars, chocolate chips, marshmallow crème and margarine, and set it aside, as well.
  • In a medium-sized saucepan, add the sugar and evaporated milk, and heat it over medium-low heat, stirring regularly, until it reaches soft ball stage (240 degrees). (Be careful to watch it, because it can overflow easily.)
  • Pour the hot sugar mixture over the ingredients in the mixing bowl and beat until everything is well combined. Beat in the vanilla, and fold in the chopped walnuts.
  • Spread the mixture out evenly in your prepared pan(s), and press a whole walnut into each spot where you’ll want to cut a piece of fudge.
  • Let the fudge cool completely on the counter or in the refrigerator, and then slice into one-inch pieces.
  • Store in an airtight container.

This was extremely rich and decadent, exactly what you want out of a holiday treat.

The inclusion of walnuts throughout the fudge adds a nice crunch, and the marshmallow fluff keeps it from being overly dense.

It’s also pretty, which makes for a great addition for a treat table or a cookie box.

And I suppose my stovetop needed a really good deep clean anyway, so maybe my sugar mess was really just the universe letting me know it was time to get to scrubbing. At least I had some excellent sugar-filled treats to enjoy while I did so.

This piece first appeared in print Dec. 25, 2025.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

Categories
Cookies Dessert

Don’t let this tasty recipe go in one ear and out the other

Raspberry lime hamantaschen has a light flavor of lime in the cookie part of the dessert and the rich flavor of raspberry jam in the filling. A traditional treat for the Jewish celebration of Purim, its pretty red color makes for a great Christmas cookie, too.
Raspberry lime hamantaschen has a light flavor of lime in the cookie part of the dessert and the rich flavor of raspberry jam in the filling. A traditional treat for the Jewish celebration of Purim, its pretty red color makes for a great Christmas cookie, too.

I have loved our new tradition of sharing holiday recipes from readers in our annual guide that inserted into our newspapers last week.

It’s so interesting to see what dishes everyone makes for their own friends and families this time of year.

One dish that really intrigued me came from Rachel Hindle of Yoder. It was for hamantaschen, something I wasn’t familiar with, but it sounded delicious. (Despite the fact that we messed up and put the wrong ingredients list in the holiday guide. Sorry, Rachel. Don’t worry, everyone, you’re getting it here.)

I decided to look up what hamantaschen is, and while there are several stories about its origin (read the article on the Anu Museum’s website for a deep dive), the most common is that the name comes from an evil character in the Book of Esther named Haman.

In the story, Haman sets out to try to get the king to destroy the Jews, but Esther, the queen, swoops in and saves the day.

Now, many Jews enjoy hamantaschen, or “Haman’s ears,” on Purim, a celebration of Esther’s bravery.

But these are also going to be a delicious addition to your Christmas treat table, so be sure to save this one for later.

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Raspberry Lime Hamantaschen

Raspberry lime hamantaschen has a light flavor of lime in the cookie part of the dessert and the rich flavor of raspberry jam in the filling. A traditional treat for the Jewish celebration of Purim, its pretty red color makes for a great Christmas cookie, too.
Course Dessert
Keyword Christmas cookie, cookie exchange, easy cookies, fresh lime, holiday cookie, lime zest, Purim treats, raspberry jam, raspberry preserves, vanilla

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 sticks butter room temperature
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 egg room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon grated lime zest
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 teaspoons water if needed
  • 3/4 cup red raspberry jam

Instructions

  • Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla extract and lime zest; beat to combine.
  • Add flour and salt; beat until combined and crumbly. Knead the dough into a smooth ball (if the dough is too dry, add water, one teaspoon at a time. Be careful that the dough does not become sticky).
  • Form the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for about 30 minutes until the dough is firm enough to roll; chilling for too long will make the dough hard to roll out.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Lightly flour a smooth surface; roll dough out to 1/4-inch thick. Dust with flour and flip. Roll out more, if needed.
  • Using a cookie cutter or other round object about three inches in diameter, stamp out cookies. Lay cookies on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
  • Place about one teaspoon of jam in the center of each cookie. Fold each circle inward on three sides to enclose the jam, forming a triangle with a small opening in the center. Pinch the corners and smooth out the seams to ensure the jam doesn’t leak out.
  • Bake for about 18 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies are light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

“The original version of this recipe came from a magazine and turned out to be so good that I make these cookies at least once a year for Christmas,” Rachel wrote when she sent this in.

I see why. They are a pretty cookie, even though several of mine overflowed a bit. (In my normal enthusiasm, I may have added rounded teaspoons of jam.)

I don’t think these really look like ears—or at least it’s a pretty loose interpretation—but I do love the idea of honoring Esther’s faith with a delicious cookie, whether it’s during the March celebration of Purim or during the Christmas season. Either way, these are best eaten alongside a good cup of coffee or cocoa and a great group of friends.

This piece first appeared in print Dec. 4, 2025.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.

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