Tag Archives: squares

Desserts and Sweets

Wheat Germ Squares

This is a fabulous recipe using pure wheat germ and no regular flour at all. The taste is nutty and delicious.

This recipe is originally from the New York Times Natural Foods Cookbook by Jean Hewitt and became one of our favorites in the 1970s. Carob is not a common ingredient in Mexico and the recipe in our hands suffered ingredient adaptations. Cocoa was used in place of carob, sunflower and sesame seeds were often mixed in with the nuts, toasted wheat germ used instead of raw, and vegetable oil used interchangeably with the melted butter.

Ingredients for Wheat Germ Squares

  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups raw sugar
  • 2 T carob or cocoa
  • 1 T melted butter
  • 2-1/2 cups raw wheat germ
  • 1 cups chopped nuts (or combined with sunflower and/or sesame seeds)
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 2 t vanilla

Beat eggs until thick and fluffy. Beat in sugar. Dissolve carob/cocoa powder in butter and add to eggs. Stir in wheat germ, nuts, salt and vanilla. Pour into a buttered 13 by 9″ pan.

Bake 20 to 30 minutes at 375 F.

Allow to cool in pan. Cut while warm.

Carob or chocolate is used in these wheat germ squares

Desserts and Sweets

Walnut Squares

  • 2 cups flour
  • 3/4 cup margarine
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1-1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup coconut
  • 2 T flour
  • 1 t baking powder
  • 1 t vanilla
  • pinch salt

Cream together the margarine and sugar. Add the flour. Press into lightly buttered 8″ pan and bake at 300F for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Beat eggs with sugar. Add walnuts and coconut.

Mix flour with baking powder and salt and add to egg mix with vanilla.

Pour on top of base and bake at 300 F for 40 minutes more.

Desserts and Sweets

Plum bars

Pflaumenkuchen

  • 2 T butter
  • 1 T sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 t lemon rind
  • 1 t baking powder
  • 1/4 t salt
  • 1 cup wholewheat flour
  • 3 cup halved prune plums

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg. Stir in milk and lemon rind. Sift together baking powder, salt and flour. Combine with butter mix. Spread in a greased pan.

Cover with halved plums and bake at 325 F for 20 minutes. Cut into squares.

Desserts and Sweets

Date Squares

Also known as Matrimonial Cake, these date squares were one of Mom’s standby desserts that we all loved.

  • 1-3/4 cups rolled oats
  • 1-1/2 cups flour
  • 1 t baking powder
  • 3/4 cups brown sugar
  • 3/4 cups margarine (use 2/3 cups coconut oil instead for an easy vegan version)
  • 3/4 lb. chopped dates, pitted
  • water
  • 2 T brown sugar
  • 1 t vanilla

Mix oats, flour, baking powder, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and salt. Rub in the margarine. Press 2/3 of mix firmly into bottom of greased 8″ pan.

Boil the dates with a little water and 2 T brown sugar until soft. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Spread carefully on top of the oat and flour base in pan. Cover with rest of the oat and flour mix, this time pressing it only very slightly into dates.

Bake at 300 F for about 40 minutes.

Cat, by Talon
Cat, by Talon,Dec 2008 after seeing one of Kati’s drawings