It’s been ages since I posted one of my blog steals, that is, ‘stolen’ a recipe from someone else’s blog to bake in my own kitchen. As soon as I saw this post over at Dana Treat, however, I knew I’d found my next attempt. I had recently come back from my pilgrimage to King Arthur Flour, where I had picked up instant espresso powder and cappuccino chips, and I was waiting for the right vehicle for both. And here it was! The perfect recipe, sent from the baking goddesses just for me.
These bars come from a book called With Love and Butter, by the owner of Holly B’s Bakery, which Dana is baking her way through. I’m pretty sure this is Dana’s favourite bakery in the whole wide world (in what must be her favourite place in the world, Lopez Island.) And boy, can I see why. Every single thing that has come from this book, I want to make.
You can find more recipes at barbara-luijckx.com
I’m so glad I started with these. I made the bars just as prescribed, except for substituting my cappuccino chips for half the chocolate ones. While they were a bit too sweet for my liking, I think some of this excess sugariness came from the cappuccino chips, which are terribly sweet. (Next time I would cut down the proportion of cappuccino chips.) The result was nonetheless delicious, kind of like a subtly coffeeish chocolate chip cookie, only daintier and far more elegant.
Non-coffee lovers are divided on these bars, however. Like Dana’s husband Randy, Edward doesn’t like “cold coffee things” (his words). But even Randy loves these bars apparently, while Edward made a face and handed his slice back one bite later. Yay! More for me.
On my own, I am slowly making my way through the batch, enjoying one each afternoon with my post-lunch cup of tea (and, um, another one or two at night). If you like “cold coffee things”, I think you’ll enjoy them, too.
Cappuccino Bars
Recipe at Dana Treat