Aunt Agnes Chewies Recipes

BROWN SUGAR CHEWIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 °F. Spray an 8-inch square pan with vegetable oil cooking spray.
• In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Turn off the heat, add the brown sugar and stir until smooth. Stir in the egg. Stir together the flour and baking powder and stir into the brown sugar mixture. Add the vanilla and pecans. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes. When cool, dust the top with a sifting of confectioners' sugar.

CHINESE CHEWS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300° F. Grease and flour an 8 x 12-inch pan - if you use a smaller pan, the baking time will be longer. Note: If you grease the pan, but don't flour it, the squares will stick to the pan and be difficult to remove after baking.
• Combine flour, sugar (not confectioners sugar), baking powder and salt. Sift with a sifter or fine mesh sieve into a medium sized mixing bowl. If you don't have a sifter, whisk dry ingredients together well to combine.
• Stir the dates, nuts and well-beaten eggs (I beat the eggs separately with a hand mixer for about 1 minute until fluffy before adding them), into the dry ingredients. It is not necessary to beat the eggs with a mixer, you can beat them by hand with a fork. Make sure ingredients are well combined - the batter will be sticky.
• Spread the batter out as thinly as possible into the prepared pan.
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the pan comes out clean.
• Let cool completely, and cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch squares. Note: Many recipes call for cutting the squares while still warm. In my experience, they are much easier to cut after they've cooled.
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar, using sifter or sieve, as desired. Links: The Hunt for "Chinese Chews" Chinese Chews from She Wears Many Hats

PECAN CHEWIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
• Melt butter, add sugars, and blend well by hand (no mixer). Add beaten eggs, stir well. Add flour and stir until all lumps are gone. Add pecans and vanilla.
• Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13 baking dish.
• Bake approximately 40 to 50 minutes being cautious not to over cook. You want them to remain chewy, hence the name! Cut upon cooling.