German Bienenstich Bars: A Sweet Recipe by Tori Avey

Bienenstich Bars – The Monday Morning Cooking Club shares a recipe for sweet Bienenstich Bars inspired by Lena Goldstein, a survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto.

Last week, I received an advance copy of a cookbook called the Monday Morning Cooking Club. I’m often sent books by publishers in hopes of a mention/blurb on the site, though lately I haven’t had as much time to cover cookbooks as I’d like. I was about to add this book to my (very large) “to do” pile when something told me to flip through it. I vaguely remembered the story, conveyed in an email or website comment a few years back, about a group of Jewish women in Sydney, Australia. In 2006 they started a group, which they named the Monday Morning Cooking Club. Inspired by the strong connection between food and the Jewish people, their goal was to create a collection of recipes to represent the diversity of Jewish culture. Over the course of several months calls were made, emails were sent, and eventually a list of cooks was developed. These cooks were asked to contribute recipes for the dishes they were best known for – the ones that had been passed down through the generations by family and friends.

The group began their Monday morning meetings in Lisa Goldberg’s kitchen. They shared cups of tea, cooked together and discussed which recipes deserved to be in the pages of their book. After three years of testing, the chosen recipes were compiled and published in a book in Australia. An American version of the book is being released on September 17. As I looked at the recipes, I realized that the book was something special and worthy of sharing with you all. Each recipe includes a brief family history– where the recipe came from, how it evolved within the family, etc.– which makes it a fun (and often touching) read. A business card was attached to the book from Lisa Goldberg, asking to meet with me when she comes to Los Angeles in September. Sadly, I’ll be out of town shooting a new sci fi TV series that I co-wrote (yes, at the moment I write recipes and sci fi, which has proved to be quite a balancing act!). Since I won’t be able to meet with Lisa, I figured the least I could do was share one of the lovely recipes from Monday Morning Cooking Club with you all.

This Bienenstich recipe that appears in the book comes from Lena Goldstein, whose family grew up in Poland. Lena spent the majority of WWII in the Warsaw Ghetto before escaping to a hidden, overcrowded bunker. When the war ended, she believed she was the only member of her family left. While working for the Jewish Committee, a group that worked to reunite families, she received word that her sister and brother-in-law had also survived. Lena married in Poland and relocated to Australia with her husband in 1949. The recipe was given to her by a German friend who had moved to Sydney before the war, and it has since become a family favorite.

In German, bienenstich translates to “bee sting” (because of the honey used in the topping). More often bienenstich refers to a layered cake with caramelized almonds and vanilla custard. Here, the same concept is applied to simple dessert bars with the cream layer omitted. I thought it would be an appropriate recipe to share for Rosh Hashanah, given the honey element. It turned out delightful– crunchy, chewy, rich and caramelized.

One thing to note– this book, being Australian, has metric measurements. While some ingredients offer converted American ratios within the recipe, others do not, which means you’ll need to use the conversion index at the end of the book (or some simple math) to help you convert certain things. Of course, I’ve already converted this recipe for you. Overall I’d say it’s worth the extra effort, as the recipes are truly special.

All proceeds from the sale of this cookbook benefit charity, making this a very worthwhile project.

Recommended Products:

Mixing Bowls

9×13 Baking Dish

Sauce Pan

Bienenstich Bars

The Monday Morning Cooking Club shares a recipe for sweet Bienenstich Bars inspired by Lena Goldstein, a survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto.

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COURSE: Dessert

Kosher Key: Dairy

Servings: 24 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Ingredients

Crust

• 4 1/2 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature (1/2 cup + 1 tbsp)
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup self-rising flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Topping

• 1 cup almonds, chopped
• 4 1/2 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature (1/2 cup + 1 tbsp)
• 1/2 cup sugar (3 1/2 oz)
• 2 tablespoons honey

NOTES

You will also need: Mixing bowls, 9x13 baking pan or dish, saucepan

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To make crust, combine butter, egg yolks, flours, sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.
  
• Mix and squeeze mixture together with your hands until a smooth dough is formed.
  
  
• Evenly spread the mixture into the bottom of a greased, 9x13 baking pan. Set aside.
  
  
• To make the topping, melt the butter, sugar and honey in a saucepan.
  
  
• Once melted, add the chopped almonds and stir to combine.
  
  
• Pour topping mixture over the crust and spread evenly.
  
  
• Bake for 40-45 minutes. Allow to cool completely in the baking dish before slicing with a sharp knife.
  
  
• Use a thin spatula to carefully pop the squares out of the baking dish. Store in an airtight container.
  

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Bienenstich Bars

Amount Per Serving

Calories 170 Calories from Fat 108

% Daily Value*

Fat 12g18%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Cholesterol 38mg13%

Sodium 2mg0%

Potassium 50mg1%

Carbohydrates 14g5%

Sugar 7g8%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 285IU6%

Calcium 21mg2%

Iron 0.5mg3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

tried this recipe?
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