Foodness Gracious - Week 73

Recipes

Every Christmas my wife and children schedule a "baking day" where they have a tradition of baking a variety of different cookies. One of my favorites is what we call "mass produced sugar cookies."

Just because Christmas is months from now doesn't mean you have to wait until December to enjoy a twist on this recipe.

This week we are highlighting Easter Sugar Cookie Bars that shoot my taste buds right back to December, but with an April Easter twist. These are definitely bars that the whole family will enjoy making together.

Because this is not meant to be a perfectly “pretty” dessert, you can even allow the kids to take on the task of frosting the whole sugar cookie sheet.

Grab your favorite Easter candies and sprinkles. It's almost impossible to mess up the decorating portion of the recipe.

Some might even say the messier the better!

Reviews

You can expect a mess when kids are working with sprinkles.

We love sharing the latest and greatest tools that you can add to your kitchen that will take your cooking and baking to the next level.

What we tend to forget is that the clean up is the worst part of our cooking and baking adventures.

When you have crumbs and flour (and sprinkles) all over the ground, there is a new tool to add to your home kitchen that just might make the clean up more fun as well.

Check out the EyeVac Touchless Vacuum that can turn clean up from a mundane and annoying task into something that could fall into the "fun" category. Your children might even want to help and watch as it cleans the crumbs with ease (and no hands).

You can see all of our home kitchen product reviews too!

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Responsibility

In our new article on "snacking" we share some insight on the criteria that makes a snack more healthy.

We provide you a guide to smarter snacking, which includes looking at protein, fiber and good fats.

Check it out to learn how you can keep adding more healthy snacks to your diet and continuing your evolution to being more food-responsible.

Learn more online at Foodness Gracious in our Responsibility section.

Foodness Fun - Trivia

Last week we asked you which country is believed to have created the first version of creme brulee.

If you chose England, you’ve cracked the case! While France may have perfected crème brûlée, its earliest known ancestor hails from 17th-century England, where it was called "burnt cream" or "Trinity Cream" after its association with Trinity College, Cambridge.

Legend has it that a student or chef accidentally discovered the dessert when a hot iron was used to caramelize the sugar topping. The dish became a favorite at the college, and the tradition stuck.

Of course, Spain has its own claim to fame with crema catalana, which predates French crème brûlée by at least a century. This version uses milk instead of cream and is thickened with cornstarch rather than eggs.

Meanwhile, the French refined the recipe into the rich, vanilla-infused custard we adore today. No matter which version you prefer, one thing is certain—nothing beats the thrill of cracking into that perfectly torched sugar crust!