Monday, November 8, 2010

Congo Bars





Congo Bars

2 cups flour (for this I used 1 cup unbleached white and 1 cup white whole wheat)
2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
5.4 oz butter (or 2/3 cup)
3 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (if desired...I skipped it this time)
2 tsp vanilla

Soften butter. Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well blended. Spread mix in a rectangular baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Top will look golden and slightly cracked.

Slice while still warm but not hot. Serve cooled (but who can resist eating one while it's still gooey right?)

Tofu Corn Dogs





I'll start this by declaring that while these were loved by the children, there is definitely room for improvement. To start, the batter was too thin. I should have made the batter a little thicker. Also, I fried these and I should have either used a less shallow pan, or I should have baked them. As you can see, they tended to widen a bit when they cooked.


We used "smart dogs" veggie protein links. They do look, smell, and taste a lot like hot dogs. The texture leaves something to be desired. As the only carnivore in my spousal relationship, what I really miss is that snap of biting into a real hot dog. These are a bit..."soft". That being said, the kids ate a ton of them and my better half would have enjoyed them more if I had baked them instead.

Next time I will try making the batter thicker to hand form it around the dog and baking it to help keep it's shape.