Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

These were a tasty treat!  The filling is creamy and the cookie layers create a perfect combination.  Make sure you have someone to share with or you will end up eating the entire pan...unless you want to eat the entire pan...and I wouldn't blame you at all!

This recipe makes 12-18 servings.

Cookie dough (this recipe is slightly too much, so I made 1 dozen cookies and used the rest of the dough for the bars):
1/2 C butter, softened
1/2 C shortening
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 C flour
1 C chocolate chips

Cream Cheese Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 C sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350.
Lightly grease a 7"x11" or 8"x8" baking dish.
To make the cookie dough, begin by creaming together the butter, shortening, sugar, and brown sugar.
Stir in the eggs and vanilla.
Add the baking soda, salt, flour, and chocolate chips and stir until just combined.
Set the cookie dough aside.
In another bowl, cream together the cream cheese filling ingredients with a mixer.
Spread 2/3 of the cookie dough into the bottom of the pan.
Cover with the cream cheese mixture.
Flatten the remaining dough into circles and place on the top of the cream cheese mixture (leaving small parts of the cream cheese exposed).
Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cream cheese mixture is firm but still slightly "jiggly" in the middle and the cookies on top begin to look golden around the edges.
Let the bars cool completely before cutting and serving.


This is adapted from recipe I got from an unknown friend a long time ago (if it from you, please let me know!)

Carrot Sheet Cake

 

My memories of carrot cake involve a dry cake with a too sweet frosting slathered on top.  This year for Easter, I decided to do some research and make (what I hoped would be) a delicious, moist carrot cake for dessert.  This recipe did not disappoint!  The cake was moist and the frosting was the perfect balance of sweet and tangy.  I love that it was a sheet cake so it was a little thinner and I wasn't serving up daunting pieces of carrot cake (granted we all went back for seconds and thirds...).

I combined the frosting from one recipe and the cake from another based on what I already had in my pantry and fridge.

When made in a 9"x13" pan, this will serve 10-12 people and when made in an 11"x17" sheet cake pan, it will serve 20-24 people.

Carrot Cake (this recipe is for the 11"x17" sheet cake pan - halve the recipe for a 9"x13" pan):
4 eggs
3/4 C oil
3/4 C unsweetened applesauce
3/4 C water
2 tsp vanilla
3 C sugar
3 1/2 C flour
1 TBSP cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 lbs. carrots, washed and shredded

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
5 TBSP unsalted butter
1 TBSP sour cream
1 1/4 C powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350.
Lightly grease the pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, oil, applesauce, water, and vanilla.
Stir in the sugar, flour, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.  Do not over mix or you will have tough cake.
Gently fold in the shredded carrots.
Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
Bake the 11"x17" pan for 25-30 minutes and the 9"x13" pan for 20-25 minutes (until a toothpick comes out clean with a few crumbs attached).
Let the cake cool completely.
For the frosting, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and sour cream.
Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and mix until the frosting is smooth.
Frost the cooled cake and serve.

The cake recipe is from melskitchencafe.com and the frosting recipe is from Cooks Illustrated via melskitchencafe.com.

S'more Cereal Bars

Last week while grocery shopping my little family went on a cereal splurge.  A lot of cereal was on sale and we go through a lot of cereal in our house.  We may have bought 20 boxes (yes, 2-0) of an assortment of cereals (we decided to see if our collection could last us an entire 2 months...between my snacks and my husband eating it for breakfast, I really hope it works out!).  I am not a fan of Golden Grahams as a cereal (meaning eaten in a bowl with milk), but I thought the idea of this dessert was fun and would be quite delicious.
This was such a fun dessert to make and it ended up being quite tasty.  It hit the spot - easy to make and fulfilled my sweet tooth craving.  These will not last long at our house!

This recipe makes 9-18 servings, depending on the size of the bar.

3 TBSP butter
4-4 1/2 C mini marshmallows (divided)
1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 C Golden Grahams cereal
2 tsp vanilla

Spray an 8"x8" baking dish with cooking spray.
Place the chocolate chips in the freezer in small bowl.
Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium heat.
Add 3 C marshmallows to the butter and melt while stirring.
Add the vanilla and stir in the marshmallow mixture completely.
Combine the marshmallow/butter mixture with the cereal in a large bowl until the cereal is completely coated.
Add the chocolate chips and remaining 1-1 1/2 C of marshmallows to the cereal mixture and stir until all ingredients are evenly distributed.
Pour into the prepared pan and pat down flat.
Refrigerate until the bars are set.
Turn the pan upside down on a cutting board and cut the bars into the desired size.
Keep the extras in the refrigerator and serve them chilled in order to maintain the crunch of the cereal.

This recipe is adapted from www.macaroniandcheesecake.com.

Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

This is a fun alternative to regular banana bread when you have those scrumptious, overripe bananas sitting on your counter top.  They are fast and make a nice large pan to be shared...or not to be shared!

Banana Bars:
1/2 C butter
2 C sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 C mashed bananas
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
2 C flour

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 C butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 C powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.
Lightly grease (with cooking spray) a large cookie sheet with higher edges.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and eggs.
Mix in the eggs, bananas, and vanilla.
Add the baking soda and flour and stir until combined completely (be careful not to over stir the batter).
Pour into the cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the bars are cooked through.
Allow the bars to cool before frosting.

For the frosting, place all ingredients in a large bowl and combine well with an electric mixer until desired consistency is reached.  Feel free to adjust the ingredients to fit your taste (are you more or less of a cream cheese fan) and desired thickness of the frosting.

Once the bars are frosted - cut and serve.  This is a dessert that in my opinion, tastes just as good, if not better, the next day even!

*This recipe is from my mom's collection.

Blondies

These blondie brownies are awesome!  I love the versatility of mix-ins with cookies and brownies.  Try butterscotch chips, white chocolate, mini kisses, or colorful M&M's for a twist on the typical blondie!

2/3 C canola or vegetable oil
2 1/2 C brown sugar
4 eggs
2 3/4 C flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
chocolate chips (to taste)

Preheat the oven to 350.
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Add the oil and eggs - mix well.
Fold in the chocolate chips (or other mix-ins).
Spread evenly in a rimmed cookie sheet.
Bake for about 20 minutes (until just cooked through and light golden brown on the top).
Cool before cutting.

Pecan Pumpkin Butter Dessert Bars

I love Williams-Sonoma (the gourmet cooking store...I am never done shopping there!) and their free samples each time I go in to shop (or drool!).
Last fall, these pumpkin bars were so good and I stocked up on the Pecan Pumpkin Butter!  You can substitute the Pecan Pumpkin Butter with regular pumpkin puree, but you will lose some of the amazing flavor.

18.25 oz. package yellow cake mix, set aside 1 C
1/2 C butter, melted
3 large eggs
13.5 oz. jar of Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter
2 TBSP milk
1 TBSP flour
1/4 C sugar
1/4 C butter, softened
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350.
Lightly grease a 9x13" pan.
Set aside 1 C of the cake mix.
Mix the remaining cake mix with melted butter and 1 egg.
Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan.
Mix the pecan pumpkin butter with milk and the other 2 eggs.
Pour the mixture over the cake mix crust on the bottom of the pan.
Mix the 1 C of cake mix set aside with the flour, sugar, softened butter, and cinnamon until coarse crumbs are formed.
Crumble the mixture on the top of the pumpkin in the pan.
Bake for 25-40 minutes until the top is golden.

*Recipe is from Williams-Sonoma

Pumpkin Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting

This month has been all about the pumpkin!  Pumpkin just screams "fall" to me.  This amazing recipe came from my sister-in-law.  Pumpkin heaven!

Brownies:

4 eggs

1 1/2 C vegetable oil

2 C sugar
14.5 oz canned pumpkin

2 1/2 C flour

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350.

Cream together eggs, vegetable oil, sugar, and pumpkin.

Combine well with dry ingredients.

Put in ungreased texas sheet cake pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting:

3 1/2 C powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 C butter

Blend ingredients until smooth using a hand mixer.

Frost the brownies after they cool!

Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars

Anything toffee is a "yum" for me.  These bars were amazing and so simple to make.  We loved them.  We shared these with some cousins of mine and they loved them.  I took them to work and my coworkers loved them.  You make them and you will love them!

2 1/3 C flour
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 C brown sugar
3/4 C butter, softened
2 eggs
2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
1 C coarsely chopped nuts (optional)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 package toffee bits, divided

Preheat the oven to 350.
Line a 9"x13" pan with foil.  Lightly grease the foil with cooking spray.
Combine the flour, salt, and brown sugar.
Cut the butter into the dry mixture with a pastry cutter or a fork until it is crumbly.
Mix in the eggs until well combined (using my hands was easier than a spoon).
Add 1 1/2 C of the chocolate chips and the nuts if you are adding them in.
Set aside 1 1/2 C of the dough.
Press the rest of the dough into the bottom of the pan.
Bake it for 10 minutes.
Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the cooked dough.
Cover with 3/4 of the bag of toffee bits.
Pinch small pieces of the dough over the milk and toffee layers.
Sprinkle with the last 1/2 C of chocolate chips.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden brown.
Sprinkle the remaining toffee bits over the top.
Let it cool completely before cutting and serving.

This recipe comes from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.