Karin Wanderer Learns

Hello & Hello Again!

Every so often on this blog, we take a break & share a #recipe instead of talking about art. You can find a complete list of the recipes at the end of this article. Would you like to share a recipe in a future blog post? Let me know!

This week, we’re making Gold Bars!

This is my absolute favorite citrus recipe. I make the filling with lemons,oranges or a combination of both! What really makes this recipe special, though, is the olive oil shortbread crust.

Shortbread Crust

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 325°F 3 (163°C).
• Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking dish & line it with enough parchment paper to hang over two sides. Without parchment paper, lifting the bars out of the pan without breaking them will be difficult.
• Mix flour, sugar, & salt in a medium bowl.
• Add the olive oil & mix just until a lumpy dough forms.
• Put the dough in the pan. pat flat with your hand, & prick all over with a fork.
• Bake for 50-55 minutes, rotating halfway through. You want the crust to be lightly golden brown. Remember that this is going back into the oven, so it shouldn’t get too dark!
• While that bakes, mix up the filling.

Lemon or Orange Filling

This recipe can be made with lemons or oranges or both. For simplicity’s sake, I am just going to say ‘lemon’ & we’ll all agree you can do whatever you want. Let me know if you try limes!

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cups sugar
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 6 large eggs
• 7 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

• Combine the sugar, lemon juice, eggs, flour, oil, zest, & salt in a large bowl. Whisk until it is smooth.
• When the crust is puffed & golden brown, pull it out of the oven. Re-whisk the lemon mixture.
• Pour the mixture onto the hot crust, then return to the oven.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the edges are puffy & the center just barely jiggles when you nudge the pan.
• Cool on a wire rack to room temperature, then cover & refrigerate until cold.

Finish Them

Gold Bars are very tasty as they are, but there are a variety of toppings you can try! I don’t like my sweets to get too sweet- I usually just sprinkle a tiny pinch of salt on my Gold Bars while they cool on the wire rack. Of course, this is dessert. If you want sugar on top, I won’t stop you. Once the Gold Bars have fully cooled, you can dust the top with a bit of powdered sugar. However, if you really like your sweets sweet, you can make a glaze by whisking ½ cup of powdered sugar & 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Pour over the fully-cooled bars. Allow the glaze a few minutes to set- if the Gold Bars are fully cooled it won’t take too long! Once your topping has been applied, lift from the pan & cut into squares.

Past Recipes

• Vegan cake
• Plum tea.
• Wolfe3D shared his favorite pizza recipe in my first collaboration!
• Brownies (very good for beginner bakers!)

We’ll get back to talking about art next week. Is there an author or topic you want me to cover? Let me know on Mastodon or Ko-Fi!

Buy my art on mugs, notebooks, & vinyl stickers in my Shop!

Donate to support my works & get cool perks on Ko-Fi

Join us for #KWPrompts, a biweekly art challenge!

Find me on Linktree

• All pictures posted are my own work.
• All reviews are my own unpaid & unsolicited opinions.