Chinese Chews
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Friends of ours from Texas just moved down the street. I thought it would be fun and a friendly to welcome them with a pie. The pie had different plans. What should have been a straight forward, chocolate pie, ended with a major fail. Twice. I’m not giving up though. Eventually I’ll get it right.
Until then, in order to regain my confidence in the kitchen (and still take something to our new neighbors) I opted to bake something that I knew I couldn’t mess up, something foolproof, but tasty too. So I decided on Chinese Chews. My mom makes these every year during the holidays, but they’re year round goodness if you ask me – like a blondie but with a crunchy shell, and a chewy inside. Not really sure where the name comes from, because, as far as I know, there isn’t anything inherently Chinese about these. If you know otherwise, please fill me in.
My favorite part, the crunchy edge piece.
It doesn’t get more basic than these ingredients, and the process is swift and sure. Perfect for a chocolate pie-challenged fool like me. Mark my words though, the chocolate pie hasn’t seen the last of me. I will master the chocolate pie! The chocolate pie will bend to my pie making prowess…just not this week.
Chinese Chews Recipe
Chinese Chews
Simple dessert bars with a crunchy outside and chewy center. Adapted from Carole Radford's Hearts Go Home for the Holidays.
Ingredients
- 1 pound brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened (salted or unsalted – remember it's foolproof y'all)
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour*
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (I used pecans.)
- optional: powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.
- In a mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add chopped nuts.
- Spread evenly in a 9x13-inch baking pan and bake at 350-degrees F for about 30 minutes, until crust begins to brown.
- Cool slightly, cut and serve.
- Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Notes
*If you'd rather use self-rising flour, use 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour, and omit the baking powder and salt.
I could chew myself straight into bliss, good grief! y.u.m.
I think its just called chew bread instead of Chinese chews. I’ve been making this for years and its incredible. My best friend calls it sugar bread lol
Actually this is the very same recipe from my old better homes an garden cook book , which I got when I was 13 yrs old, I’m 53 now lol , any way in my book it’s chewy cake, minus the one option of powder sugar, it’s the ecact recipe.
My mom, God rest her soul, made these back in the 50s and 60s and as kids that would eat anyrhing, including dirt (lol) but we loved then and has always been a favorite memory. However she added dates whick even made them more moist and chewy. Just a suggestion. She also referred to them as Chinese Chews…maybe the name came from one of her old Betty Crocker baking cook books???
Those look and sound amazing Amy. Your talent as a photographer and chef never cease to impress me!!!
These remind me of my college days. A friend’s mom would always bring them up when she came to visit. So yummy!
These look gooood. I think it’s such a funny name, I really do wonder where it came from. Maybe someone just liked the iliteration : )
The school cafeteria made these on hamburger day..they were so good they were called Chinese Chews…l found a receipe called Raisin Chews which made me look up this receipe. The receipes are basically the same except regular sugar and no butter
Amy those look fabulous! every blondie recipe I try fails. I can’t wait to give these a whirl. Thank you for sharing.
These bars look super delicious! 🙂
I was expecting some Chinese 5-spice in the batter! (which may not be such a bad idea, come to think of it 🙂 )
Oh my goodness, this is what’s going down in my house tonight!
I am sold on the crunchy outside that yields to soft. Can I be your neighbor?
I also love the “crunchy edges.” These look amazing! And I agree with Amanda about your photography skills!
Amy – I haven’t had these in years and years! My grandmother used to make them every year at Christmas. I don’t have any idea why they are called “Chinese’ either or why they were reserved just for the holidays. Year round goodness if you ask me!!
I was sucked in by the name, but stayed for the blondiesque goodness! Putting these on my to-do list 🙂
First of all, these look and sound wonderful.
But.
Let’s talk about these friends. They’re friends from Texas and moved down the street from you?? How stinking cool is that?!
So freakin cool!!!
I’ve made treats called ‘Chinese Chews’ for years during the holidays but they are nothing like these! Mine are chow mien noodles mixed with butterscotch chips that are dropped onto wax paper to harden. So this was a surprise but a good one. I think you would have to fight me for that outside chewy edge piece!
So funny Barb! I have the ingredients for those on my counter right now. We call them haystacks, but I don’t care what they’re called cause they’re good!
~ Amy
Love these things. Yours look scrumptious.
Wish I was moving in down the street from you. For many reasons.
Crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside?! These are my definition of perfection.
Well that was not what I was expecting!! These look and sound like perfection!
We made them with my great grandmother when I was a kid we did with nuts, coconut, or with both. Made them with my daughters now my ex has the recipe. So grateful for this post.
These look so chewy and yummilicious! Pinning so I can make them!
getting very hungry over here 🙂 wish you could send me a crumb or two