Prune Espresso Butter Sandwich Crumble Bars
Thats That Me Prune Espresso.
Los Angeles is getting its first real relief from summer heat waves. Over eager angelenos everywhere this week are bundling up in sweats and puffy jackets to combat the harsh 71 degree weather.
My fiance bought our 3 month old a PSL as a joke. It must be Fall.
Fall comes with it a perceived heightened complexity to baking. Spring and summer lend themselves to easy desserts featuring fruit and cream. But with fall we want melting butter layers, crispy moments and warming spices. It’s all about cookies, pies and cakes as the many holidays start to march towards us. I’m not quiet ready to give up summer’s lazy and delicious approach to desserts, while still like most overeager to indulge in the depth of flavor that comes with autumns chills.
I’ve been making these crumble bars for some years. What started as cute treat for staff and a way to use excess pie topping, has become a treat crave-able all on its own. SUPER EASY TO MAKE - you just press everything into a pan. ADDICTIVELY CRUNCHY AND WHOLESOME - from all the mixed whole grains. TRAVEL APPROVED - these are great cut into a variety of shapes to eat on the go.
Gardening: Vegetables to plant this month by seed or seedlings - beets, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, chervil, chives, collards, endive, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, green onions, short-day bulb onions (like Walla Walla), parsley, parsnips, peas, radishes, spinach, and turnips.
Flowers to plant - bachelor's buttons, begonias, calendulas, carnations, chrysanthemums, clarkias, columbines, coreopsis, gloriosa daisy (aka rudbeckia, or black-eyed-susan), Shasta daisy, delphiniums, forget-me-nots, foxgloves, gaillardias, gerberas, hollyhocks, impatiens, larkspur, lobelias, pansies, penstemons, phloxes, Iceland and California poppies, salvias, snapdragons, statice (sea lavender), sweet peas, verbena, and violas.
Reading: I did a lot of traveling this past week and consumed two incredible books, currently with a young infant my go to is audio. I adore when an audio book utilizes voice actors to make the medium as captivating as the words on the page. Check out Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin and This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar. Both works by incredible female authors working in worlds of tech and science fiction.
Obsessed: @childrensbookclub is my new favorite account on instagram, I love looking at all the vintage images from children’s books over the decades. Especially when it features children’s books centered on food. Totally adore this recent post about vegetables, mud pie or this tiered mouse cake.
Streaming: I loved KAOS on Netflix. It is the cleverest update on Greek Mythology I have (ever?) seen. The casting was brilliant, and every reveal was delightful. It is so incredible to see such ancient myths stay alive. Told from the perspective of Prometheus, it is full of easter eggs for a scholar but an equally fun romp if you don’t know anything about the Greeks. I really hope this gets another season. Want to learn more about Greece and Greek Mythology? Join me IRL in Greece October 2025 with Modern Adventure.
Necessary Poetry:
With all the jammy goodness I have shoved in the center of these snackable bakes, this prune espresso butter takes the blue ribbon. It eats like the best part of a coffee cake - the ripple and the crumb. I have always loved prunes, snacking on them with many of the older ladies my mother called clients in her work as a therapist. I loved how they were only slightly sweet and so sticky I could lick their syrup off my fingers slowly savoring the tannic fruity flavor. I became obsessed with them while pregnant as a dependable snack and a delicious treat - straight out of hand, swimming along duck confit, to layered in a trifle. So many ways to enjoy a prune. I use California Prunes, because they are simply the BEST. This prune butter is a versatile way to fall in love with prunes, great here - but also spread on toast, swirled into batters, glazed over protein or muddled into your morning brew.
Prune Espresso Butter
Makes roughly a pint of prune butter.
2-4 shots of espresso
8oz water
8oz of prunes
3oz brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
To Make: Brew espresso to your liking. I find this works best with a very strong brew. Add the amount of espresso to your taste. You can also add more at the end.
Combine all ingredients in a medium pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Hold at a simmer stirring occasionally for 20 minutes till prunes are plum and fragrant. Turn off the heat and use an immersion blender to blend everything to a smooth paste. Adjust texture and flavor with more water or more espresso. Move to an airtight container and store in your fridge for2-3 months.
Sandwich Crumble Bars
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