Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

First off, I sincerely apologize for not blogging in such a long time. The end of my junior year in high school was...well - INSANE. But now it's summer! And all my hard work was totally worth it. Now I am officially a senior! 

You wanna know what I'm pumped about the most for this summer? BAKING! So my first post of the summer is this absolutely incredible recipe for cookie dough cheesecake bars. Oh my goodness, are they something magical. These scrumptious treats are the perfect combination of cheesecake and chocolate chip cookie dough. Can you even think of a more amazing pairing? I sure can't. I brought a full pan of these to a cross country party and they literally vanished before I could even blink. I guess you could say my parents were more than a little disappointed that I came home with an empty tray...

The recipe begins with a fool-proof, classic graham cracker crust. Above the crust lies another perfect, creamy layer of luscious cheesecake, wonderfully vanilla-y and delicious. Last but not least, my personal favorite layer is at the top: the cookie dough. Ahh cookie dough....my love...buttery and brown-sugary and studded with chocolate chips....can you say YUM??? This cookie dough is egg-less, so it's safe to eat (yes, by the spoonful if you wish). Together, the three layers form this heavenly dessert that you won't be able to resist.



Yield: about 12 bars

Ingredients:
Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Cookie Dough
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Cheesecake Filling
10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil allowing a little overhang and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Mix the melted butter, cinnamon, and graham cracker crumbs until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes. Remove pan to a cooling rack. Leave your oven on while you prepare the dough.

3. While the crust is cooling, prepare the chocolate chip cookie dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Mix in the flour on low speed, and mix until just incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips. Set aside. (Note: if the cookie dough looks a little dry, it's fine. It will be crumbled on top of the cheesecake layer.)

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla on low speed just until incorporated. Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust. Use your hands to form "clumps" of the cookie dough, smoosh it together and flatten it out.  Distribute the cookie dough onto the top of the cheesecake batter in teaspoon-sized clumps. Be sure to use all of the dough.

5. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top feels dry and firm (the cookie dough) and the entire pan looks set if given a gentle shake. Move bars to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Chill in refrigerator overnight or for at least a couple hours.

6. Lift the bars out by the overhang and cut into squares for serving.

**Note: these taste best at room temperature.

Carrot-Oat Cake Bars

Who doesn't love a yummy, healthy snack?  This recipe was originally submitted from Whole Foods (best grocery store ever!!) and I figured I would try it out because I had been wanting to make a healthy recipe, since my family and I have had a little too many unhealthy things lately. (especially sweets....shocker, right?).  I love the hearty texture of this cake/bar.  It kind of reminds me of the Carrot Cake Lara Bar...only my recipe is wayyyy better.  The only fat in it is the coconut and nuts (which are healthy fats!), and a tiny bit of butter in the powdered sugar frosting - if you choose to use it. Everything else is made with extremely healthy ingredients!  This can be served for breakfast, dessert, or simply an anytime snack.  I had it warm for dessert with a powdered sugar frosting from my heavenly spice cake bars (found here) and at room temperature the next morning for breakfast with my healthy, yogurt glaze from my incredible, healthy carrot cake recipe (found here).  These bars only lasted a few hours in my house!  They are so perfect for on-the-go snacking as well!

Ingredients:

1 cup raisins

orange juice - enough to completely cover the raisins

Cooking spray 

1 cup rolled or quick cooking oats 

1 cup chopped nuts (I used almonds)

1 cup whole wheat flour 

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

2 cups grated carrots 

1/2 cup pure maple syrup 

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup sweetened finely shredded coconut 

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly oil a (9-inch) square baking pan with cooking spray and set it aside. 


Cover raisins with orange juice in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil, simmer for about 20 minutes, or until big and plump.  Drain and cool.


Pulse oats and nuts in a food processor until coarsely ground. Transfer to a large bowl. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt and mix well. In a second large bowl, combine carrots, maple syrup, honey, applesauce, drained raisins, coconut and vanilla. Add carrot mixture to flour mixture and stir until completely incorporated. Transfer to prepared pan and bake until cooked through and deep golden brown, about 40 -60 minutes.  Set aside to let cool before cutting into squares.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Frost if desired.

Warm with the powdered sugar glaze...












Made in muffin tins with the Greek yogurt yogurt glaze, topped with nuts and raisins (chilled)....

English Flapjacks

Have you ever had a recipe you kept around, but never really got around to trying?  That's the situation I was in when I spotted this recipe in my recipe box.  I always thought a flapjack was a pancake, and I thought it was weird how an "English Flapjack" is a dessert/snack oatmeal bar that's very common in England, so I decided to try it.  Besides the rolled oats, it definitely didn't seem like the healthiest thing in the world, but who can go wrong with lots of butter and sugar?  It seemed like a fun recipe worth trying...and I'm very glad I did!  I had never tasted anything like it before...it's chewy, sweet, buttery, and sooo delicious!!  It's one of my new favorite bars! And super duper easy to make.  I altered the saved recipe I had a lot based on the reviews, and the flapjacks turned out awesome!  You definitely HAVE to wait for it to cool completely to actually know what the real taste/texture is supposed to be like.  Even when just a little warm, the consistency is very different than what it should be.  I put my bars in the freezer for about 30 minutes after baking to speed up the cooling process, but the bars didn't reach the final consistency until about 2 hours later (I tasted it often, of course, and they were really really really tasty after each bite - even warm - but tasted best when completely cooled).  These are so yummy as a snack, breakfast, or dessert, and I can't wait to make them again with different variations (chocolate chips, cinnamon, nuts, cinnamon chips, butterscotch chips, dried fruit, etc)!  It's like an oatmeal cookie bar...but way better(:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tablespoons golden syrup or corn syrup
• 2 1/3 cups rolled oats
• 
  

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a saucepan over low heat, combine the butter, brown sugar and golden syrup. Cook, stirring occasionally, until butter and sugar have melted. Stir in the oats and raisins until coated. Pour into an 7 or 8 inch square baking pan. The mixture should be about 1 inch thick.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is just golden (they won't look "done" but do not over bake!  The bubbly/liquidy parts will harden when cooled). Cut into squares, then leave to cool completely before removing from the pan (at least 3 hours).

Blueberry Crumble Bars

 

 

Last night, I was really in the mood for some blueberry cobbler, (and we had fresh blueberries in the fridge)...so I decided to transform it into a bar.  I really wasn't expecting these to be anything special; just something worth trying...and it turned out AMAZING!  I think these may be even better than my blueberry cobbler (here).  These are definitely the best fruit bar I've ever had. Everything about them was just perfect.  A buttery, shortbread like bottom, sweet and juicy blueberries in the middle, and topped with a buttery crumble mixture.  They are wonderfully moist and the crumble mixture doesn't fall of the bars when you cut them, and they're super neat and easy to cut.  I had these warm from the oven with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.  Oh my goodness.  I honestly couldn't stop eating it!!  I swear I ate half a batch on my own (with the addition of ice cream and whipped cream).  They didn't last 24 hours in my house either.  I can't wait to try this recipe with fresh blackberries or raspberries.  I recommend using fresh blueberries for the best taste.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup shortening
• 1 egg
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon
• 4 cups blueberries, rinsed and patted dry
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 teaspoons all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease one 13x9 inch pan.
2. Combine 1 cup of the sugar, the flour, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, shortening, and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of the dough into the prepared pan.
3. Combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, the flour and berries. Place mixture over dough in pan. Crumble the remaining dough over the tops of the berries.
4. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 45 minutes or until the top is slightly brown.

Nutty Shortbread Toffee Bars

These are so easy and delicious! I made these bars for a party at my school, and everybody loved them.  I think it would be really hard to mess these up since the main ingredients are just butter, sugar, and chocolate(:  Those are definitely the three best ingredients ever created. The flavors of shortbread, caramel, nuts, and chocolate go super well together in this dreamy bar.  The bottom layer is a buttery shortbread, and next is a wonderful crunch of nuts, after that is a sweet, toffee-like caramel,  and then the final layer is a delightful mouthful of melted chocolate chips.  It doesn't get much better than that.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1.5 cup pecan halves (or other nuts of your liking...almonds work too)
• 1 1/3 cup butter
• 2 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Combine flour, 1 cup brown sugar and softened butter in large mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Pat mixture evenly onto bottom of ungreased 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Sprinkle nuts evenly over crumb mixture.
2. Combine 1 1/3 cup butter and remaining 1 cup brown sugar in small saucepan. cook and stir over medium heat until entire surface is bubbly. cook and stir 1/2 to 1 minute more. Pour into pan, spreading evenly over crust.
3. Bake in 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven 18 to 20 minutes or until entire surface is bubbly. Remove from oven; immediately sprinkle with chocolate pieces. Let stand 2 to 3 minutes to allow chocolate to melt; use knife to swirl chocolate slightly. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Use sharp knife to cut into 48 bars.

Apple Squares with Cream Cheese Frosting

Mmmm...apple cake.  It's chewy, buttery, sweet, and oh-so-apple-y.  There is nothing I'd rather do than sink my teeth into one of these magnificent little apple cake bars.  Especially with the cream cheese frosting, they are melt-in-your-mouth perfection.  I made these for a Christmas party and let me tell you: these put all the other desserts to shame.  Seriously, these bars were gone instantly, so I had to apologize for not making more.  They look very pretty when you drizzle the cream cheese frosting on them too(:  Just a warning: be careful cutting them, cause they're kind of messy due to their chewy, delicate, amazing-ness. These chunky bars are sure to please.

Yield: about 16 squares (1 9x9 inch pan)

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup apple juice
• 2 cups chopped apple
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x9 inch pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together melted butter, brown sugar, and 3/4 cup of white sugar until smooth. Stir in the egg, vanilla, and apple juice. Blend in the flour mixture until just combined, then stir in the apples. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining cinnamon and sugar; sprinkle over the top of the bars.
3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in preheated oven; finished bars should spring back when lightly touched. Cool in the pan, frost with recipe below, and cut into squares

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Ingredients:

• 1 (3-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons milk

Instructions:

Beat first 2 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Stir in vanilla and 1 Tbsp. milk. Add remaining 1 Tbsp. milk, 1 tsp. at a time, stirring until icing is smooth and creamy.

Drizzle or spread on top of cooled bars.

***I drizzled it by placing the frosting in a zip-lock baggie, cutting a very tiny hole, and squeezing it through.

Almond Streusel-Cherry Cheesecake Bars

The other day, I had some left over Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix in my pantry, so I wanted to use it up.  Of course, I had bake something much more exciting than plain old sugar cookies.  So I went online to the Betty Crocker Website and found these magnificent little bars.  When I saw them, it said they were the prize winning recipe in 2008, so I had to make them.  And guess what?  I was not let down in the slightest.  These have so much flavor! The sugar cookie base, almond extract, and cherry filling transform your average cheesecake into a heavenly baked cherry-streusel bar.  They truly are delicious.  My mom got really mad at me for making them because she was scared she'd gain weight. The base is a delicious sugar cookie, and then there is a layer of creamy cheesecake, topped off with a sweet cherry filling and a touch of almond.  [Absolutely perfect.]
*you can find the recipe here.

Ingredients: 

Cookie Base and Topping

1

pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix

1/4

cup cold butter or margarine

4

oz (half of 8-oz package) cream cheese

1/2

cup sliced almonds

Filling

2 1/2

packages (8 oz each) cream cheese (20 oz), softened

1/2

cup sugar

2

tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1

teaspoon almond extract

2

eggs

1

can (21 oz) cherry pie filling

• 1Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. Place cookie mix in large bowl. Cut in butter and 4 oz cream cheese, using pastry blender or fork, until mixture is crumbly. Reserve 1 1/2 cups mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture in bottom of pan. Bake 12 minutes.
• 2Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat 20 oz cream cheese, the sugar, flour, almond extract and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
• 3Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over partially baked cookie base. Spoon pie filling evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with reserved topping and almonds.
• 4Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until chilled. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

Spice Cake Bars (low fat!)

     This is the best spice cake I've ever had.  There is absolutely nothing low-fat tasting about it.  I was seriously blown away when I had my first bite...I figured it would just be an average, low fat spice bread...nothing special about it - but boy was I wrong.  These were incredible!!!  Not only are they the best spice cake I've ever had, but they're the best cake bar as well.  They taste just like carrot cake but with out the carrots.  They're perfectly moist, and not spongy at all (like most low fat cakes).  The spices are balanced so well, and they make these bars have a fantastic flavor.  They don't even need frosting..you can just sprinkle them with confectioners sugar if you prefer.  But I would definitely recommend frosting.  On a scale from 1 to 10, the frosting transforms these already 10 rated bars to a 20.  I'm not exaggerating.  These are deadly good when still warm from the oven, and the frosting melts all over it.  Mmmm....I am definitely going to make these again very soon.

Yield: about 16 bars (1 9x13 inch pan)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice or ground cloves
•  
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons margarine, melted
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter, brown sugar and egg until smooth. Stir in applesauce. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and spices; stir into the applesauce mixture until well blended. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are golden. Cool in the pan over a wire rack.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the confectioners' sugar and margarine. Stir in vanilla and milk until smooth. Spread over cooled bars before cutting into squares.