24 Days of Christmas: Day 22. Deam bars/Angel bars.

Oh my, these are awfully good. And easy to make. Dangerous stuff, that.

(I am going to need to undertake one of those crazy detoxes in January where you drink, like, nothing but mushroom juice for three weeks)

The recipe is from the Joy of Cooking; I made these following the recipe exactly, except I omitted the nuts it called for. Also I wonder if there's an error in the recipe. It calls for an 11 by 7 pan, but using one made these quite thin bars. I'm going to try another batch in a square pan to give a thicker bar, and I think they will be even better.

The taste is like a caramel-y macaroon. SO YUMMY. I think I might drizzle a bit of chocolate over the top of the next batch, too.

Dream bars (Angel bars)

Line pan with foil and grease lightly.

Blend together until very fluffy:

4 tblsp butter
2 tblsp sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 tsp vanilla

Stir in and knead until well blended and smoother 3/4 all purpose flour.

Firmly press dough into pan to form a smooth, even layer. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 and set aside to cool.

Beat on medium speed until well combined:
2 large eggs
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Stir in 1 cup flaked or shredded sweetened coconut. Spread mixture evenly over the baked layer. Bake until top is firm and golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool slightly

While cooling, stir together:
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla

add enough milk to yield a spreadable consistency. Spread evenly over the bars; allow to stand until complete set. Cut into bars.