Walnut Slice . . . the impossible to resist slice. Sigh . . .

    

I have to say that these are my all time favourite cookie/bar/square/slices!  I haven't made them in a very long time, and I don't know why.  I used to bake these quite often when my children were growing up.   They are absolutely gorgeous and therein lies the clue.  When the children were around I had lots of hungry mouths to help me eat them . . .  with only two people in the house now, it's a huge temptation that I don't need to indulge in overly frequently!  They are THAT good! 

 

I was recently sent some new products from Bacofoil to try out.   A box of their new Foil Lined Parchment Paper and one of their new Non-stick Kitchen Foil.   I thought the parchment lined foil would be perfect for these squares!  

BacoFoil Lined Parchment is the perfect combination of BacoFoil on one side to insulate and promote even heating and non-stick baking parchment on the other to help protect your food from sticking.  How often have you started to bake something, only to discover that you don't have the required size of pan in the cupboard?  Happens to me a lot. I normally take a risk, cross my fingers and bake it in another size pan, but with this new parchment BacoFoil Lined Parchment that will no longer be a problem . . .



You can fold this special foil to create the right sized pan you need!  It was really easy to do!  I did lay it onto a baking sheet to give it support, just like you would with a silicone baking pan.

 

The results were fabulous!  Not only did my Walnut Slices bake up beautifully, but they did not stick (this can be a problem with meringue toppings) and they were the perfect size.



Once they were cooled, I was quickly able to just pull the foil from beneath them as I lay them on top of a cutting board and then I was able to cut them into lovely perfect slices.  I was well impressed with the performancof the BacoFoil Lined Parchment.  I would buy this.  10 out of 10!  And there is no pan to wash up afterwards.  A real bonus!



These are a beautiful slice to serve as a teatime, coffee break or elevensies treat!  With their buttery cookie like base . . .

 

And their chewy, almost butter-tart like topping, they just cannot fail to please!  I replaced some of the brown sugar this time with some maple sugar that my sister had sent me, for a bit of a maple walnut flavour.  We are nuts about the flavour of Maple and Walnuts together in our house!



If you love walnuts, then you will quite simply adore these delicious bars!  They are incredibly moreish, that's the only danger . . . very difficult to resist.  I hope you will give them a go.  Then you'll see exactly why they are my all time favourite slice!  Perfect with that break-time cuppa, or a nice cold glass of milk.  ☺




*Marie's Favourite Walnut Meringue Slice*

Makes one 8 by 12 inch pan

(How many servings you get out of it is up to you)

Printable Recipe  

These have long been my absolute favourite bars.  I've been making these since my kiddies were kiddies!  Delicious brown sugar cake base, gooey brown sugar and nut meringue topping.  From the old Fannie Farmer Cooking School Book.

Gorgeous.  

114g butter, softened (1/2 cup)

400g soft light brown sugar (2 cups packed), divided

2 tsp vanilla, divided

1/2 tsp salt

2 large free range eggs, separated

175g of plain flour (1 1/4 cups)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

115g of chopped walnuts (1 cup)  

Preheat the oven to 160*C/300*F/ gas mark 3.  Butter an 8 by 12 inch baking tin really well.  Set aside.

Cream together the butter and half of the sugar (200g/1cup) until light and smooth.  Beat in the salt along with half of the vanilla and the egg yolks. Sift together the baking powder and flour.  Stir this into the creamed mixture to combine well.  Spread into the prepared pan.  

Whisk the egg whites with an electric whisk until soft peaks form.  Continue to whisk, whilst adding the remaining brown sugar a bit at a time. Whisk until all is incorporated.  Stir in the chopped walnuts and remaining 1 tsp of vanilla.  Spread this mixture over the cake base in the tin.  

Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes.  Allow to cool completely in the tin before removing and cutting into bars.  (The suggested size of the bars is 1 inch by 4 inches)  

BacoFoil, non-stick kitchen foil is a smart and simple solution for when you are cooking a meal that had a tendancy to stick to the pan.  Nothing sticks to it.  It's great for grilling, baking, roasting and even freezing.  There is less mess.  (Don't you just HATE HATE having to clean a pan that food has stuck on to.  Especially sticky barbeque sauces, etc.)  It saves on the washing up and it is food safe and hygenic.  It also aids in controling the calories as there is no need to add oil or butter.



I did us simple Hobo Dinners.   There is no recipe really.  You just simply take as many large squares of foil as there are people you are wanting to feed.  Layer on sliced potatoes and onions into the middle of the square.  I used a mix of new and sweet potatoes.   I topped with a mixture of onions and shallots.   Seasoned with some salt, black pepper and a few dollops of harissa paste.  I placed a frozen burger patty on top of each pile of veg and then I sealed it all shut in the foil, like a little pressie, waiting to be opened.

 

After that you can place them onto a tray and bang them into a 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4 oven, or onto the barbecue grill to roast/grill.  About 35 to 40 minutes later . . . open the foil a bit and top with some cheese, bang them back in to melt the cheese and this is what you end up with . . .



A delicious compact meal for one, or two, or three, or four  . . .  with no washing up required.  That is unless you are a Toddster.  His sensabilities would not allow him to eat out of the foil.  (Isn't that the best part of camping???)

  

He had his on a plate with some coleslaw on the side.  What a wuss!  ☺ 

My mixture did stick a bit so I wasn't 100% impressed with this foil.   Just so you know. 

Many thanks to  Chloe and the people at BacoFoil for sending me these new products to try.

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Although I was sent these poducts to try for free, any and all opinions are completely my own and unbiased.