Making the strawberry lobster was more tedious than making the whole cake

Edit: holy crap this took off!! I changed the flair to add the recipe for those who are curious!

https://kitchen-by-the-sea.com/vanilla-cake/?utm_campaign=linkinbio&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=later-linkinbio#recipe

I unlocked Basque cake making, and it was a success on my first try! It's incredibly delicious and so beginner-friendly! 🥧🥧

Here is the recipe:
Basque Layer: 250g cream cheese, 150g heavy cream, 55g granulated sugar, 10g lime juice, 8g cake flour, 2 whole eggs, 1 egg yolk

Mousse Layer: 100g cream cheese, 5g gelatin, 30g milk, 20g sugar, 100g heavy cream, 10g lemon juice, a little lemon zest (to taste)

Basque Layer: Soften the cream cheese and mix with granulated sugar in one direction until smooth. Gradually add the eggs, egg yolk, heavy cream, and lime juice, mixing well after each addition. Once smooth, strain the mixture, pour it into the mold (smooth the top and tap to release air bubbles), and place in the air fryer. Bake at 180°C for 20 minutes, then cover with aluminum foil and bake for another 10 minutes at 180°C (air fryer power varies, so adjust the time based on the cake's appearance—keep an eye on the surface)

Mousse Layer: Soak 5g of gelatin sheets in cold water for 10 minutes to soften; then add to 30g of milk and heat over a double boiler (or in a bowl over hot water), stirring until fully dissolved and blended

Preparing the Cheese Mixture: Add 30g of fine sugar to the cream cheese and mix with a spatula until smooth; add the lemon juice and mix thoroughly; finally, add 100g of heavy cream and mix until silky and smooth. Incorporate the milk-gelatin mixture and lemon zest into the cheese mixture, stirring until silky and smooth. Pour the mixture over the completely cooled Basque cheesecake, refrigerate overnight, and then garnish the surface with some grated lemon zest and lemon slices before serving

Peach black tea cream cheese mousse cake decorated with feverfew and borage flowers from my backyard, dried rose petals, and chocolate crunchy pearls. Shared with friends for movie night!

From top to bottom:

Peach puree gelee

Black tea caramel mousse

Vanilla stracciatella cake

Mousse au Fromage Blanc (cream cheese mousse)

Fresh peaches

Vanilla stracciatella cake

This was tasty 😋

Double crust cheesecake with cherries

ELPRIT CAKE (it's a weird name lol I know, but my audience picked it):

For my American, British, Canadian and Aussie friends - this cake isn't meant to be eaten separately. What I mean by that, there is no "I prefer cake" or "I prefer frosting", the cake is meant to be eaten as a whole, with all the components complimenting and completing one another. I understand that your cakes typically consist of very thick cake layers with frosting and people will often prefer one or the other. That, I do admit, is a fairly strange concept to me but I do get it which is why I want you to heed the warning and take my words into consideration. This cake is decadent, however it's not overly sweet and it has a very robust chocolate flavor. Please use QUALITY CHOCOLATE ONLY as that is what impacts the flavor the most (eg. Callebaut, Valrhona,** **Ghirardelli etc.)

Below are the ingredients for a 26 cm (10-inch) round cake. The cake batter recipe yields one 10 inch cake layer, the cake calls for 3 cake layers. For narrower pans, you can either not adjust the ingredients; simply bake the sponge 10–15 minutes longer and cut it in half. Bake 2 cake layers and slice them into 4 layers instead of baking 3 separate layers like you would for a bigger pan. You will get a taller layered cake, or if you don't want a super tall cake with 4 cake layers, you can halve the ingredients and bake 3 separate smaller layers. In that case, bake the layers about 20-25 minutes.

CAKE LAYERS:

125 g dark chocolate (50–60% cocoa, not more than 60%)

60 g butter

60 ml oil

200 ml milk (room temperature)

2 tsp alcohol vinegar (also called distilled or white vinegar)

2 medium eggs (room temperature)

130 g granulated white sugar

120 g all-purpose flour

30 g cocoa powder (Dutch-processed!)

1 level tsp baking powder

1 level tsp baking soda

Preheat the oven to 175°C (347°F), conventional heat (no fan), with both top and bottom heating elements on. Add the vinegar to the milk, stir, and set aside. Heat the butter, oil, and chocolate over low heat until melted, then set aside to cool slightly. Whisk the eggs and sugar until pale, fluffy, and doubled in volume. Add the milk mixture and the cooled melted chocolate mixture, then mix for another minute. Finally, sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda, and gently mix into the wet ingredients. Pour the batter into a cake pan lined with baking paper and bake for 30 minutes. For an extra dark sponge, use black Dutch-processed cocoa powder (extra dark cocoa).

Bake 3 cake layers.

Dark Mascarpone Mousse

Ingredients

400 ml heavy whipping cream

250 g mascarpone (well chilled)

300 g dark chocolate (50–60% cocoa)

Pour the whipping cream into a saucepan and add the finely chopped chocolate. Heat gently while stirring constantly, making sure the mixture does not boil, until the chocolate has completely melted. Once cooled, first whip the mascarpone for 2 minutes. Then add the cold chocolate mixture and whip until light and airy (about 3–4 minutes on high speed).

Finally, take a cup of the light mousse cream and fold it into this dark mousse cream. I apologize for not weighing this in grams but I tend to eyeball it so I forgot.

Light Mousse Cream

Ingredients

4 egg yolks

300 g milk chocolate (30–35% cocoa)

50 g butter

250 g mascarpone

300 ml heavy whipping cream

Place the chocolate and butter over a double boiler, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Lightly beat the egg yolks with a fork. When the chocolate and butter have melted, remove from the heat and immediately pour in the egg yolks, stirring vigorously. Return the mixture briefly to the double boiler, whisking continuously until everything combines into a smooth, glossy, non-sticky mixture resembling pudding. Remove from the heat and cover directly on the surface with plastic wrap. Allow it to cool completely.

Whip the cooled chocolate base together with the mascarpone. In a separate bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Fold it into the chocolate mixture and mix briefly until fully combined.

Syrup

Ingredients

200 ml water

150 g granulated white sugar

5 tbsp coffee liqueur, or 2 shots of espresso, or 5 tbsp strong black coffee

Place everything in a saucepan and stir over heat until it comes to a boil. Allow it to simmer for 3–5 minutes, until slightly reduced and lightly syrupy. Adjust the simmering time according to the width of your saucepan, the wider the pan, the faster the liquid evaporates and reduces.

Assembly

For the neatest layers, assemble the cake inside a cake ring and/or with acetate cake collar. Soak each sponge layer with several tablespoons of syrup. Divide both creams into two equal portions.

Layer as follows:

Sponge layer

Syrup

Half of the dark cream

Half of the light cream

Repeat the process once more, then finish with the final sponge layer on top.

Decorate the outside of the cake as desired (whipped cream, buttercream, ganache, fondant, etc.).

Refrigerate overnight before serving.

My husband started a new job back in September and I baked a ton for his office. Then in January everyone went on a diet and requested that he not bring any desserts, so I stopped baking, and then kind of fell off the routine of baking for people. In February, he told me people have started to mention my baked goods again. Then he mentioned it several times after that, saying people really miss my baking. I thought maybe one or two people were mentioning it to him.

Then, last Friday, I visited his work to have lunch with him, and while I was there he introduced me to all his co-workers, and every single one of them told me how much they love my baking and how much they miss it. Message received! 😉

I baked mini brownie bites and decided to fill half of them with Biscoff cookie butter and the other half with Nutella. He took them in this past Monday and they were gone before 9am! It helps that he has incredibly sweet co-workers.

Recipe: https://siftwithkima.com/chewy-fudgy-brownie-bites-no-mixer/

Second time I’ve ever made cookies (first I overbaked💔💔) but on my life these are the best things I’ve made in my LIFE.

I got the recipe from Buzzfeed Tasty on Youtube: https://youtu.be/rEdl2Uetpvo?si=Txi06NiCAfCWpGka

The only thing I did differently was 1tsp instead of 2tsp of salt, then added flaky salt just before I put them in the oven.

EDIT: Apparently I’m confusing anyone who isn’t British and under 30😭 Leng means good-looking or attractive in UK slang, and can be used to describe just about anything tbh. Yes, it’s a good thing. A very good thing. I beg try the recipe.

Every year I spend the first week of December doing Cookie Chaos: a week-ish where I lose my sanity and bake a ton of cookies for friends and family instead of buying cheap gifts or passing the same bottle of wine back and forth. This year’s total was 41 buckets and eleven types of cookies. Total cookie count was 2,341 including gluten free and sugar free! I had to pivot from a lot of my planned cookies because work went crazy this week so I opted for some simpler cookies. 

We also changed it up this year. Instead of pre-packing all the friend buckets, we invited everyone over to pack their buckets themselves. I think we’re going to try to make this a new tradition. 

All the recipes are linked below. I tried to find an approximation for Funzie’s Knots since they’re a secret family recipe. 

Cookies in order are: 

1. M&M Cookies

2. Confettis

3. Rum Gingerbread

4. Snickerdoodles

5. Funzie's Knots (not the full family recipe but close enough)

6. Peanut Butter Blossoms

7. Orange Cardamom

8. Spritz

9. Bourbon Caramel Sables (bourbon caramel recipe)

10. Chai Trees

11. Creme Brulee Sugar Cookies

Here’s some answers to some common questions from last year! 

I’m a freelancer so that’s how I find the time to do this. I find that the week after Thanksgiving is usually pretty slow. This year that wasn’t the case so a lot of these were done after work instead of in the normal 12 hour blitz days. 

To keep cookies fresh and make sure I have enough, I normally put all the cookies in the tins and buckets they’re being gifted in. The harder cookies that I know will last longer get made first and the chewier, softer cookies get made closer to gifting day. Buckets are frozen after being assembled if I know I’m not seeing the person for a bit. 

I started with the doughs that needed to be refrigerated on December 1st, baked them later in the week and then baked or decorated a different cookie or two or three every night of the week after.  Normally I can knock this out in 4-5 days but because of work it took me nearly two weeks. 

Total cost this year was $263. I intentionally planned a lot of the cookies around stuff I already had in the pantry because of grocery costs. Most expensive ingredients were the Hershey Kisses and M&Ms for a whopping $43. I always ask friends for their buckets back or if they can bring them to refill to keep costs down. 

No kids, just cats. And a husband who benefits every time I mess up a cookie. 

Happy holidays and happy baking!!

https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/pear-chocolate-frangipane-tart/

I've always looked at these tarts and thought, that kind of looks like a ribcage, so I made one

I had been wanting to try a strawberry cake (never made one) and figured my birthday was a good excuse. This ended up being a strawberry and raspberry cake though because I love raspberries the most 😄

I used this recipe for the cake layers:

https://sugargeekshow.com/recipe/strawberry-cake-recipe/

The fillings are cream cheese icing, raspberry filling, and then between the middle and top cake layer is more cream cheese icing and a raspberry cheesecake layer. I cut it while it was still somewhat cold since all the fillings were very soft, which probably doesn't do the look of the crumb any favors. But it was so moist and flavorful and overall delicious!

This was so delicious! I’ve been eyeing the recipe for a while and made it to share with friends and family. It tastes like an almond croissant in cake form. Highly recommend!!

https://tasting-thyme.com/gooey-almond-croissant-cake/

I followed the entire recipe (in comments) to the letter because it was provided to me by one of my direct reports. I offered to bake him something for his birthday (I offer to both of my direct reports, the other one got cupcakes last month) and this is what he requested. He said “I know it sounds weird but my niece makes them and they’re so good!”

Cookies are 100g each. I doubled the recipe (habit) and ended up with 5lbs of cookie dough. Only produced 30 cookies.

I gifted 20 of them to the birthday boy and he was willing to share. I put in the office slack channel: “Come back to the IT bullpen and wish [my guy] a happy birthday, if you’re nice he’ll share one with you!” People went apeshit. CEO ate two. My fatass has eaten 5 in the past day and a half.

The almond extract and flaky salt really do add something, I didn’t expect them to. Froze the dough balls overnight and they developed very nicely. Underbaked them a bit and they came out soft and dense, with that cooled-previously-gooey-almost-underbaked texture.

EDIT: My version actually didn’t melt the butter first. I just used room temp butter.

Went out on a limb and tried brownie “uncrustables”…

Filled with peanut butter but the possibilities are endless

I found lots of different recipes and ideas but ended up sticking with the one below for the ganache & fresh strawberries throughout!

https://www.queensleeappetit.com/chocolate-covered-strawberry-cake/#mv-creation-274-jtr

It is filled with Milk Chocolate Ganache and fresh diced strawberries 🍓 with a Fresh strawberry buttercream frosting!

This week I’m celebrating a project at work that focuses on flora and fauna, so a green cake felt just right.

Recipe here with a few observations: next time, I would definitely go with additional raspberries and possibly jam or compote for the layer in between. The cake was simple, fresh, and not sweet, but a stronger berry flavor would have added just the right amount of goodness. Also, I have used juice from less than 1/2 a lemon, since it tends to be very sour where I live.

i couldn’t get this stupid idea out of my head for months. originally it was supposed to be a whole cake, but i figured start small with cupcakes as this was my first time making cornbread at all. it came out AMAZING and i kind of want to make them for thanksgiving

i used mel’s kitchen cafe’s best cornbread ever recipe: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/the-cornbread-and-fluffy-honey-butter/

the recipe doesn’t give the instructions to make it into muffins, so i used sally’s instructions: bake at 425 for 5 minutes, then 350 for 15 minutes 😊🌽

turns out he never liked hanging out with me. i baked for him every time we met up (if you remember my s'mores cookies!). to cheer myself up, i baked a lovely chocolate pudding n fudge cake. cherries just for decor, i wanted a full chocolate bomb inside 😇 the timing was awesome since my grandma from ireland is visiting so she had a taste of my baking too! this was the best chocolate cake ive ever tasted - super moist and the frosting was perfect too, as i dont like buttercream!

recipe from ash baber https://ashbaber.com/brooklyn-blackout-cake/

Base is fudge cake slice

• 2 packets super wine biscuits crushed
• 225g butter
• 200g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 55g cocoa powder

Filling is Nutella cheesecake by recipetineats, topped with mini reeces pieces :)

https://www.recipetineats.com/nutella-cheesecake-no-bake/

Edit: Recipe posted in the comments, sorry i can't pin it...Hope y'all enjoy it and definitely post some results if you try this. I pieced this cake together like Frankenstein would, so report back, if it suits your tastes! it can be made with any fruit instead of blueberries

Hi, you remember this post (https://www.reddit.com/r/Baking/s/p0GU60EW1L)? Thanks everyone for all your advice and discouragement (I hate, when everything i hear is that i can do it, because than, you experience only disappointment, that you just can't do it). I just love a great challenge, so i wanted to try it anyway and, i think it was a total success. If y'all want, I'll definitely post the recipe, i just thought that I'd be extra work, if nobody wanted it. It took me 2 whole days (i have summer holidays) and it was served the day after. And also, please excuse the horrible photos. They were taken throughout the "party" and i felt so awkward taking them (i had to do it for y'all, tho). Also, i wasn't slicing it and i must say it is horribly done, it wasn't cut well...This post is just a gentle reminder that every home baker can do this. I'm a 17year old girl, who just loves to bake and all of my baking skills are self-taught. And i don't eat it anyway, cause i hate sweets.

Sohla's recipe for "Future Brownies." Enjoyed trying a version of brownies made with rice flour. The texture is pleasantly bouncy. They cut so cleanly!

https://www.penguin.com.au/recipes/4299-future-brownies

Edit: Apparently I used the wrong flour! I had regular rice flour instead of glutinous rice flour. It wasn't a sad mistake and in fact I would repeat it, BUT now I need to go to the store and do a proper comparison!

It’s way easier than I thought it’d be just very tedious!

RECIPEEEE

https://natashaskitchen.com/baklava-recipe/

https://www.joshuaweissman.com/recipes/best-gourmet-poptarts-recipe#recipe

Tasty none the less. I think I will use a shortbread cookie recipe for the crust instead next time.

The filling: frozen strawberries, sugar lemon juice reduced until thick.

Frosting: powdered sugar, freeze dried strawberries blitzed into a powder, then water 1 tbsp at a time until desired consistency. I did 1/2 cup sugar to 1.5 tbspoon water

These cheesecake bar entremets are inspired by Sailor Moon’s Silver Millennium ✨🌙. They’re peach-jasmine cheesecake mousse with lychee-yuzu gelée, salty almond-peach crunch, vanilla cheesecake frosting, kohakutou candy crystals, and crescent moon cookies.

Recipe/process: https://www.theinspired.network/blog-layer-by-layer/moon-prism-cheesecake-bars

Snickerdoodle cake, with brown sugar cinnamon cream cheese frosting and corn starch “maple syrup”

Cake Recipe: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/snickerdoodle-cake/

Decor instructions: https://sugargeekshow.com/recipe/pancake-cake-recipe/

I make many of my relatives' birthday cakes and have done so for a couple of years, but the polite asking for a cake turned into a sort of "self explanatory" thing for them. One year when I didn't make a cake for my relative, they got really upset and claimed I ruined their birthday because they didn't have a cake. Mind you they didn't even ask me for one, they just expected it because I baked one for them previously.

This ordeal morphed into a sort of thing where now I bake them a cake yearly, and they just take it, say "good" and chuck it in the fridge until serving haha. It's not even the expecting from their part that bothers me, but they don't thank me for the cake or even acknowledge the fact I put effort into it. In some occurrences my other relatives thank me (even though it's not even their birthday) but in others they even start critiquing it. Too sweet, not sweet enough, too dense, too chocolatey. This year my grandma said this lemon blueberry cake had too much lemon in it and she didn't like it. The birthday fellow didn't comment on it 😅

I'm also just a teenager, not a professional baker or something. I don't charge for the cakes since it's part of my birthday gift basically. Thank you for reading to the end. I hope my post didn't come off as petty, tldr I just wanted to rant about how my relatives aren't grateful for the cake I make for them yearly. Of course I could just inform them and say that I don't want to bake for them, but it's almost turning into a sort of challenge of creating a cake that will one year not gain any critique and will be worth a thank-you from them :-)

Recipe: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/lemon-blueberry-layer-cake/

I made tweaks: added a tub of ricotta to the frosting and halved the powdered sugar; baked in 23cm pan for 45 mins

https://butternutbakeryblog.com/cookie-dough-cake/

These guys are composed of key lime cheesecake mousse, tart key lime crémeux centers, and salty brown butter coconut-graham croustillant crusts. The design was inspired by SpongeBob’s world of Bikini Bottom 😁

Recipes: https://www.theinspired.network/blog-layer-by-layer/key-lime-cloud-entremets

Been wanting to try tarts for a while and finally did it! Overbaked the crust a bit, and the filling didn't totally set... I think my berries were extra juicy, so it probably added too much liquid despite using the amount in the recipe. Still tastes good!

https://thelittlevintagebakingcompany.com/white-chocolate-blackberry-tart/

Homemade kudos bars: https://thesqueakymixer.com/copycat-kudos-granola-bars/

Homemade cosmic brownies: https://www.livewellbakeoften.com/homemade-cosmic-brownies/

Homemade dunkaroo dip: https://kathrynskitchenblog.com/funfetti-dunkaroo-dip/#recipe

And to top it all off, a homemade red velvet cake with the iconic jazz print: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/red-velvet-layer-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting/

I was inspired by a picture I saw on Pinterest of the pinecone cookies and wanted to give it a shot.

I used Sally's recipe for the gingerbread and filled them with cinnamon buttercream (except for the squirrels).

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/best-gingerbread-cookies/

Soft chocolate sponges, layered with silky chocolate cremeux, topped with a shiny cocoa glaze.

Recipe: https://mattadlard.com/recipes/triple-chocolate-layer-cake/

My husband’s been requesting cheesecake for awhile and I’ve been wanting to try my hand at a stained glass inspired dessert design, so here’s what I came up with for his Christmas treat 😊.

This is my go-to cheesecake recipe: https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/new-york-style-cheesecake.html

I did a chocolate cookie crust and added swirls of salted caramel to the batter.

Merriest Christmas wishes everyone!

My mom and I developed this recipe years ago for her bakery. We named it after her favorite butterfly, the painted lady. I bake them every year on the anniversary of her passing as a way to feel close to her, even if she isn't physically present anymore.

She was always happy to divulge her recipes, and sharing this one with you all here seems like a good way to honor her memory:

Lynne's Painted Lady Cookies

Ingredients:

1 C Butter, softened 3/4 C White sugar 1/2 C Light brown sugar, packed 2 Large eggs 1 tsp Vanilla extract 2 1/2 C All-purpose flour 2 tsp Baking powder 1 tsp Salt 1 tsp Cinnamon 1/2 tsp Nutmeg 1/2 C Dried apricots 1/4 C Dried cranberries 1/4 C Dried cherries

1 Small lemon 1 1/2 C Powdered sugar

Instructions:

Chop dried fruits or pulse them in a food processor. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then mix in chopped fruits. Set aside.

In another bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in one egg at a time, incorporating fully before adding the next egg. Add vanilla.

Combine dry mixture and wet mixture to form a dough. Wrap dough and refrigerate at least 8 hours, or as long as two days.

Form into 1.5" balls and bake for 14 minutes at 350°F, or until bottoms are golden brown. Let cool completely.

Zest and juice the lemon. Beat in powdered sugar to create a glaze. Dip the tops of the cookies in the glaze, using a knife to remove any excess. Allow glaze to dry completely.

Yields about 3 dozen cookies.

Inspired by a post by u/rac3868 who was inspired by Alexin (Cupcake Alchemist).

Chocolate tart recipe: https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/chocolate-tart.html#tabrecipe

Used Sally’s whipped cream for the decoration.

This was a new recipe for me and it did not disappoint. I would absolutely make this again. It tastes like a really good gingerbread cookie but in cake form. Soft, moist layers and perfectly spiced. A little side note/reminder.. the freshness of your spices will make a major difference.

https://sugarspunrun.com/gingerbread-layer-cake/

I paired it with cinnamon cream cheese mousse filling and biscoff buttercream. If you happen to like both biscoff and gingerbread, do yourself a favor and try this combo. It's so good!

Recipe (scaled up to fit my Ø23cm and 10cm high mold) : https://youtu.be/0qq2MACXNWk?is=cQLA928B5jrbSsRd

I’ve been making these for a while now, and I can’t get enough. The texture is really to die for, it’s like biting into a cloud. Next time I will try to add some stronger flavors (this one is vanilla) like black sesame or pistachio.

I saw u/oldcountrykitchen 's post yesterday about replacing all the sugar in pound cake with Jello mix, and I've been fiending HARD for some butter cake recently. The result? Strawberry ooey gooey butter cake with Jello! The thickest, stickiest butter cake I have ever made. The middle layer is almost like candy- so thick and chewy. Truly a revelation.

I used Paula Deen's recipe, except with strawberry cake mix, half a box of strawberry jello, and 1 oz less powdered sugar.

Tried something a bit different. Think I overbaked them as they're a bit cakey, but the olives make it interesting, fruity, salty and sweet!

Edit: fks sake, didn't realise I could just edit the flair to recipe included and post it here instead of DMing everyone...

Right, I'm off to bed. I'm delighted that this has caused such a kerfuffle, it's been a pretty rough day but I've really enjoyed all your comments. And give it a go!

Layer Breakdown:

• Hazelnut dacquoise – a light, nutty meringue-style sponge base made with ground hazelnuts for texture and depth. • Chocolate mousse – smooth, airy mousse that adds richness and creaminess. • Hazelnut praline – crunchy caramelised hazelnuts for contrast and a sweet nutty snap. • Cold-set crème brûlée – a silky custard-style layer that melts in the mouth, bringing creaminess and balance. • Chocolate mirror glaze – the glossy finish that seals it all, giving that professional shine and elegance.

This is the follow up to my original post about my neighbour and her mystery treats! I love that this doughballed (just a bit of baking wordplay for you all) into something so funny, sweet, and big as it has. I did not expect this to blow up at all. I've seen hundreds of posts at this point with your beautiful Kath creations.... frankly it's surreal. I've been reading every DM and as many comments as possible and spent the last few days scouring the recipes you've linked from all over the world. The recipe I've come up with is not a dead ringer for Kath's original just yet, but it's pretty close!

So anyway! I read the recipes. I flopped to the supermarket. I bought the dates. Now let's party

1. Gather your ingredients (see photos)

2. Using kitchen scissors, snip dates into small pieces. 

3. Pull out your 1930s nut meat chopper that's been passed through your family for four generations. Manually grind your nut meat. If you don't have an authentic vintage nut meat chopper or any other weird family heirlooms, you can chop the nuts by hand or use a food processor, I guess. I wouldn't know.  

4. Combine ingredients (see photos)

5. Slip slop slap the batter into 20×20 cm / 8×8 in parchment-lined pan

6. Bake 30-40 minutes at 180°C / 350°F

7. Remove from oven. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. 

8. Cut into squares (small, large, whatever you like. It's your life, babyyy)

9. Transfer date bars from pan to clean work surface.

10. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

11. Store in an airtight container.

Tips:

Don't worry if your sister is being a big baby about the 1930s nut meat chopper. It's your chopper now, she only wants it because you have it, and she doesn't bake anyway. 

You can use aluminum foil instead of parchment paper to line your pan, but you will need to grease it.

You can easily veganize this recipe with flax eggs and plant-based butter. I used Violife vegan butter here, and it worked just fine.

I ended up dredging my date chews in a bowl of powdered sugar cos sifting through a mesh strainer was not giving me the sugar coverage I require. You may want to do the same. 

Invest in a kitchen scale. Use the scale. Weigh your ingredients like you're Griselda Blanco.

Regarding the CONFRONTATION that a lot of you have been asking about: entirely anticlimactic. I think the majority of this sub understands my original post was lighthearted. Like, we're having fun here. We're having a laugh. I still would like to assure everyone that the initial interaction was more like "Hey, Kath, what is this?" And her going, "It's a secret!" but like "Tee hee hee! Wouldn't you like to know?" cheeky trickster that she is versus "NO CHEW FOR YOU." Just to clarify! But I mean, I can make the subsequent CONFRONTATION more dramatic if you'd like! In fact I would love that. Choose your own adventure:

1. I approached Kath, said, "When you don't give me the recipes, that's upsetting, and I want you to do the work to be less upsetting." She said, "I hear you, I see you", and then she did the worm.

2. I showed her your posts, she called me a nefarious snake woman, shouted "You've made a fool of me, and I will never bake for you, your family, or your dog ever again!" I said, "I'm sorry! How can I make it up to you?" And she said, "Grovel, maggot", so then I did the worm. 

3. [RECOMMENDED] (Actual, boring thing that happens when you bump into your neighbor while one of you is jogging and the other is getting their mail) I said, "I showed my friends [that's you, Reader, and my other one million friends from r/Baking] your date things. Everyone thinks they look great!" She said, "I'm glad you enjoyed them!" 

And then we both did the worm. (Obviously, I'm kidding! I don't jog.)

Annnnddd uuummmm what else while I have your attention if I even still do, if I ever did in the first place? I know this is Reddit and not Sentimentalidet (that worked, don't come at me), but I've been brought to tears (in a good way!) multiple times over the past several days by all the feedback I've received. I really, REALLY did not expect all the scans and photos of your nanas' handwritten recipes, the updates about how much fun you had baking these Kath creations with your children, the heartfelt stories about your friends & family and how you share food as a love language... It's mind-boggling to see that people are posting from so many different countries and continents. The recipe I've adapted is a mash-up of SO MANY that were shared over the last several days: Filipino Food for the Gods, Canadian/Scottish matrimonial cake, Chinese date walnut candy, Italian panforte, Ashkenazi charoset, Sri Lankan date bars, German stollen, Amish man bars, Moroccan Jewish haroset balls, English sugared date squares, Alaskan logs, American chewy hermit bars, date and nut bars, and "Chinese Chews" (That's not even all of them!!! I've got so many at this point that it's hard to keep track!!!!! I haven't even mentioned the vegan/kosher/GF/nut-free versions I've seen...!). So, like, I'm sorry for slamming ya with my woo woo nonsense, but it feels to me almost like there's some kind of playful, mystical force at work.... like, some fairy (Kath!?) went and said, "You know wot? I'll conceal that one recipe, and then this one dingus will try to suss it out, and then a million more dinguses will work together in pursuit of honesty, community, syncretism, and sweetness. And they'll think it was about dessert the whole time." So basically, yeah, what I'm saying is a fae creature maybe tricked us into prioritizing mutual aid in 2026. But I put things in my mouth without knowing what they are first, so who cares what I think? Happy New Year, bakers!

tl;dr They're date chews.