Product Description

Delectable treats for every occasion-100 of the best holiday, special-occasion and lunchbox favourites from homes across Canada.

Who can resist a delicious home-baked cookie, bar or square? Nobody! That's what CBC Radio discovered when they invited listeners to share their recipes for these tasty treats. Dessert lovers everywhere rolled up their sleeves, dug into their family archives and sent in their sweetest offerings, each one accompanied by a story about what makes it special.

This collection brings together the best and most delectable of these treats. Whether it's a nostalgic recipe passed down through generations-Grammi's Fantastic Lemon Squares, German Jam Cakes, Christmas Brownies, Mazurek, Easy Almond Squares-or a new concoction that will ensure fame in the family tree-Marpole Bars, Best-Ever Fruit Bars, Barb's Peanut-Butter Cup Squares, Sue's B Squares-there is something here for every age and palate. All of the recipes have been fully tested, and their everyday ingredients and step-by-step instructions put them within easy reach of even occasional bakers.

The best desserts, like the best stories, are made for sharing. Whether you're celebrating with family, surprising your co-workers or simply having a good friend in for coffee, these delectable cookies, bars and squares are sure to delight.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #342683 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-01
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

Amazon.ca
Great Canadian Cookies, Bars and Squares is a populist approach to the national sweet tooth. Thankfully, compilers Sheila Peacock and Jennifer Abrams haven’t edited out the personalities of the contributors. Some recipe introductions confabulate about the ways in which recipes have been passed down; others offer enticing short stories. For instance, Barb Wallington advises us to drop the main-ingredient layer of her Peanut Butter Squares "by spoonfuls on top of the cookie layer, spreading it evenly. This is a very sticky process! Lightly press the peanut butter mixture into place by hand--you will need to wet your hands to keep the mixture from sticking to you, but a little water won’t hurt the bar!" Many a terser, more uptight cookbook fails to reveal tricks as helpful as that.

So what’s served forth in these pages? Instructions for making sweet nothings round, square, and oblong, in several major categories. There are little-known recipes as well as classic Canadian sweets, including three variations on the Nanaimo Bar and a take on the butter tart that formats the gooey little wonder into a square. Raisin Bars don’t use the flaky pastry topping and bottom of days past, but rather a crumbly version of the oats, flour, sugar, and butter mix. Famous Caramel Squares couldn’t be richer, with two layers on the pastry crust: first, the expected caramel goo, then on top a swirl of mixed, melted chocolate and butterscotch chips. If such a decadent collection causes worry, remember the wise words in the introduction to Lemon Squares: “A true treat counts no calories.”--Ted Whittaker

About the Author
Sheila Peacock caught the baking bug early from her mom, who can whip up the best Lemon Squares in no time flat. Then, as a producer for Vicki Gabereau, one of her specialties became food and wine interviews. Because of that beat, Sheila became a master at recipe contests with a twist. When she returned to CBC Radio, she couldn't resist opening the oven door again.

Jennifer Abrams grew up in a family of food lovers who cooked and ate together to catch up at the end of the day. Never one to miss a meal, Jen spent hours in the kitchen learning, watching and enjoying. When fellow food lover and colleague Sheila Peacock asked her to help create this cookbook of CBC Radio listeners' favorite recipes, only one question came to her mind: "How many treats do we get to sample?"