Ingredients
CRUST
6 tbsp butter or margarine - softened
3/4 cup c and h powdered sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp milk
TOPPING
2 eggs
1 cup c and h granulated sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)
1 cup chopped almonds or pecans
Directions
CRUST: Cream together butter and powdered sugar. Blend in 1 cup flour
and milk. Spread evenly in bottom of ungreased 9-inch square pan.
Bake in 350 degree oven 10 to 12 minutes.
TOPPING: Beat eggs slightly; combine dry ingredients and add to eggs.
Blend in vanilla and almond extract; fold in almonds. Spread over hot
baked layer; return to oven and bake 20 minutes longer. Cool; while
warm, cut into 24 bars.
Reprinted with permission from _From our Private Collection_ From the
C and H Sugar Kitchen Electronic format by Karen Mintzias
Servings: 24 bars
Cocoa Bars Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Beverages; Cookie
The History of Recipes
We are able to read the history of meal recipes back into distant history, at least as far back as the Egypt of the Pharoahs, and possibly even further than that. In practice though, mostly, these ancient cookbooks were just simple pictorial recipes for meal preparation.
The truth of the matter is, the most ancient recipe found, according to food historians is a collection of tablets in ancient Sumerian which show the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made drinkers feel exhilarated and blissful. As we move into The time of the romans around 25BC a roman called Apicius assembled a collection of documents showing how to cook the recipes prepared by wealthy roman citizens. In his publication, he describes how the meals were separated into appetizers, main course and desserts, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. This early Roman chef informs us how the Roman chefs made use of a wide range of aromatic flavors, including some that we all recognise like thyme, mint and dill. Later, in the fifteenth century, knights returning from the crusades brought back many new foods, spices and herbs from the East, including spices like coriander, parsley, basil and rosemary. These new spices and herbs led to a torrent in books on cooking, the majority of which still exist in private collections. During the next few centuries, the upper-class families of Europe strove to lay on the most exotic banquets, and as a result the best chefs and their collection of recipes could command a high salary. Even so, it was during the nineteenth century that fine cooking and cookery books really came of age. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, dedicated the best years of their lives to assembling, trying out, and writing down recipes to allow everyone to enjoy them. The revolution that is television brings us celebrity TV chefs and the accompanying recipe books. Which brings us neatly up to date and the invention of the internet, allowing us all to search through massive numbers of recipes just like those on sites such as the one you are reading now. |
We hope you enjoy this Cocoa Bars recipe.
