Get your sweet tooth fix with these delectable squares
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: baking season! Full disclosure; it’s always baking season at our house. I love experimenting with new recipes and learning to master new techniques. But sometimes I have less time to spend in the kitchen than I would like, and this is when I need to streamline the process and multitask in order to get maximum output for minimal time.
Here, we make one versatile shortbread base and turn it into three 8x8-inch pans of squares. I’ve found that the most effective way to assemble the squares is to prepare the base; while they are in the oven you can quickly prep the toppings for the Pecan Pie Squares and the Kryptonite! Squares.
Once the bases come from the oven these two recipes can be assembled and put back in to bake. While they are in the oven, the caramel for the Caramel Oat Cinni Squares can be cooked and the crumble made; then, when the first two pans come out, the third can go in. Following this method I was easily able to produce three varieties of squares in just under an hour.
All three recipes will double very well and can be made in 9x13-inch pans. They will also freeze well, so feel free to do them ahead of time when you’re feeling more relaxed and less rushed. That way when the hectic Christmas rush arrives (you know, the one we all complain about, but that we wouldn’t change for anything!) you can escape the warmth of the kitchen and step into the warmth of the holidays.