Michele's Morsels Test Kitchen NOW OPEN!

This is my Test Kitchen week......New Recipes, Old recipes revised and Final decisions made and produced. Tonite's Test Recipe is a recipe I found on The Joy of Baking site. It is for Cranberry Shortbread bars. As I absolutely LOVE cranberries, I decided to try this one out first. If it is successful, it will be a Christmas gift for several people as well as a new dessert. I have revised this recipe to make it a little more Diabetic Friendly. I used granulated Splenda in place of sugar, and Brown Sugar/ Splenda blend in place of the brown sugar. Cutting the sugar alone is a big big help. I have to remember its about portion control as well. The bars are baked in a 9x9 pan and recipe says 16 servings. Not large portions! I am trying to find a free online site to give me the nutritional value of the recipes I am re-working, to at least have an idea of what I am eating. I am not sure if my mom and her husband are "Willing" tasters ( subjects ) or if they are going to resent me for asking them to taste everything. Probably NOT! LOL.

Cranberry Shortbread Bars
Cranberry Filling:
8 oz fresh cranberries
2/3 scant ( not full ) cup of granulated splenda
3 Tbs water
Bring to boil and cook for about 5 minutes until thick and syrupy and cranberries have burst. Remove from heat and let cool.

Shortbread Bars:

2 cups flour

2 tbs cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/3 cup packed brown sugar/splenda blend

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and using canola spray or baking spray - lightly coat a 9 x 9 pan. Sift together flour, salt and cornstarch into separate bowl. In mixing bowl cream together butter, brown sugar blend and vanilla until creamy. Slowly add flour mix and beat until all ingredients are just incorporated. Evenly press 2/3 of the batter into the bottom of the prepared pan. Evenly spread the cranberry mixture to the shortbread base leaving a 1/4 inch border around the edges. With the remaining shortbread batter, using fingers, crumble the batter on top of the cranberry filling and lightly press into the filling.  Bake for about 30 minutes in a 375 degree oven or until top is golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack. While still warm, cut ito 16 squares. Allow to cool completely in pan. Makes 16 bars. Well I dont need to find out the nutritional information to know they are delicious. Mom thinks they are absolutely terrific and wanted more!  Cranberry Shortbread Bars - Pass!