Middle-Earth Menu: “Fili’s Honey Almond Bars” by Astrid Tuttle Winegar
Fili and Kili are the sons of Dis, the daughter of Thrain II; therefore, they are nephews to Thorin II (Oakenshield). Both Fili and Kili wear blue hoods and play fiddles. Thorin cuts a fashionable rug by wearing a “sky-blue one with a long silver tassel.” You might recall that Thorin, besides his leadership abilities and his obsession with finding the Arkenstone, also plays the harp. These three also end up being the only members of Thorin’s company who tragically, but heroically, die in the Battle of Five Armies. Besides this distinction, both Fili and Kili are relatively non-descript characters in The Hobbit. The film version, of course, is another story…
“Fili’s Honey Almond Bars”
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon plus ½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup soft salted butter
1 tablespoon half-and-half
½ cup almond butter
½ cup honey
2 ounces sliced almonds; toast lightly, cool, then grind
2 extra large eggs, room temperature
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
Extra powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a heavy 9″ square pan with aluminum foil; extend about 2″ of foil on two sides. Liberally coat the foil and sides of the pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the 1 cup flour, ½ cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, butter, and half-and-half until well blended. Press evenly into pan (don’t bother washing bowl). Bake 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in the bowl, whisk together the almond butter, honey, almonds, eggs, 1 tablespoon flour, salt, baking powder, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Pour over baked crust and bake another 22-24 minutes, until the center is set. Cool completely on a rack, about 2 hours. Lift out by the foil extensions and cut into 24 pieces. Sprinkle liberally with powdered sugar. Store covered at room temperature. Makes 24.
These are called Nutty Honey Bars in my cookbook.
Astrid Tuttle Winegar
Astrid Tuttle Winegar is the author of Cooking for Halflings & Monsters: 111 Comfy, Cozy Recipes for Fantasy-Loving Souls, which is currently available exclusively in e-book form on the Amazon Kindle, but will soon be released by Oloris Publishing! Stay tuned for details. For now, she is mostly telling a culinary Middle-earth story here on Legendarium. Astrid has loved C. S. Lewis since childhood, J. R. R. Tolkien since middle and high school, all Star things, both Trek and Wars, all things Whedon, and many other things besides… She lives in the enchanted city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her husband and dog. She blogs occasionally at . You can check out (and like!) her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/astridtuttlewinegar or visit her Twitter feed at https://twitter.com/astridwinegar.
These sound heavenly!