Tag Archives: Cookie Bars and Brownies

Gingerbread Cookie Bars

Posted by Brenda K. Agresta in Cookie Bars and Brownies and tagged with , , ,

Gingerbread Cookie Bars

No time for cutouts? Here’s a delicious alternative that will surely satisfy your gingerbread cravings.  And even better, it’s slathered with a dreamy, orange, cream cheese frosting. These bars are moist and chewy and quite tasty on their own, but that tangy topping really makes them rock.

Gingerbread Cookie Bars

adapted from SixSistersStuff.com

Cookie Bars

  • ½ cup butter, melted
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • ⅓ cup molasses
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

    • 8 ounces cream cheese
    • ¼ cup butter, softened
    • 3 cups powdered sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • 1 teaspoon orange zest
    • 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 9×13″ baking pan with Pam cooking spray and set aside.
Using a stand or hand mixer, cream melted butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and molasses.Add egg and beat until completely incorporated.

In a separate mixing bowl, add baking soda, flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and salt and mix until well combined. Add flour mixture to butter mixture in 3 additions. Mix well after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Press dough evenly into the bottom of prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Do not over bake.  Cool completely in pan.

Cream butter and cream cheese together in a large mixing bowl. Add powdered sugar, juice, zest  and vanilla and beat until smooth and creamy.

Spread the frosting evenly over the top of the cooled Gingerbread. Garnish as desired with colored sugar, cinnamon or nutmeg. I used Wilton Royal Icing decorations.

Cut into squares. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. Remove from refrigerator 1/2 hour before serving.

Double Delicious Cookie Bars

Posted by Brenda K. Agresta in Cookie Bars and Brownies and tagged with , , , ,

Double Delicious Cookie Bars

Simple to make and simply irresistible.  Peanut butter and chocolate swimming in a sea of sweetened condensed creaminess atop a buttery graham cracker crust and capped with Reese’s Pieces for added crunch in another yummy version of Eagle Brand’s ‘magic cookie’ goodness.

Double Delicious Cookie Bars
adapted from Eagle Brand

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 cup (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup (6 oz.) Reese’s peanut butter chips
1 cup Reese’s Pieces

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F (325°F for glass dish). Line a 13×9 inch baking pan with foil leaving an overhang on 2 sides. Lightly coat with a non stick cooking spray.

In a small mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs with melted butter and mix well. Press crumb mixture firmly into bottom of pan.

Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Evenly spread peanut butter and semi-sweet chocolate chips and press into condensed milk.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and top with Reese’s Pieces. Cool.  Lift from pan using foil overhang. Cut into bars. Store in a single layer in an airtight container.

 

Magic Cookie Bars

Posted by Brenda K. Agresta in Cookie Bars and Brownies and tagged with , , ,

Magic Cookie Bars

This old favorite has been around for ages and it never disappoints.  Another Eagle Brand original, so sweet and gooey. It just doesn’t get any easier than this.

Magic Cookie Bars

½ cup butter

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 6 oz package semi sweet chocolate morsels

1 3 ½ oz can flaked coconut (1 1/3 cups)

1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 for glass dish)

Note: Original recipe calls for a 13 x 9” baking pan, but I used an 11 x 7 nonstick rectangular tart pan with a removable bottom, which made removing and cutting a breeze. If using glass or a pan that is not non stick, you’ll want to spray with non-stick cooking spray. For easier removal, line the pan with foil or parchment, extending over the edges of the pan. Lift out of pan when cooled and cut.

Melt butter and mix with graham cracker crumbs in a medium size bowl.  Press into bottom of 13x 9 pan or into bottom an up sides if using a smaller pan. Pour condensed milk evenly over crumbs. Layer semi-sweet morsels, nuts and coconut; press down firmly.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool thoroughly before cutting. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days – if they last that long!

Magic cookie bars 2 Magic Cookie Bars 3

Black Raspberry Chocolate Bars

Posted by Brenda K. Agresta in Cookie Bars and Brownies and tagged with , , , ,

Here’s a recipe that a former co-worker shared with me years ago.  This delicious cookie bar has a buttery shortbread crust layered with gooey sweet jam, chocolate chips and an almond crumb topping. Now who wouldn’t like that?

Black Raspberry and Chocolate Cookie Bars

Black Raspberry Chocolate Bars

For the Crust:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup softened butter

For the Crumb Topping:

2/3 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/3 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons softened butter

For the Filling:

1 cup seedless black raspberry jam

6 ounces milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 375 Degrees

Line a 9 x 9 inch baking pan with foil

Combine crust ingredients in a medium bowl with a pastry blender or fork

Press mixture firmly into pan

Bake for 20 minutes- top should be slightly firm

Combine crumb topping ingredients until blended & set aside

Remove baked crust from oven

Top hot crust with jam spread within 1/4 inch from the edge

Sprinkle with chocolate chips, pressing them into the jam

Add crumb topping and chocolate chips, (press chips into crumbs and jam) top with sliced almonds and bake an additional 20 minutes until chocolate chips are softened.

 

Blackberry Crumb Bars

Posted by Brenda K. Agresta in Pie Bars and tagged with , ,

Blackberry Crumb Bars

Blackberry Crumb Bars

Just thinking about blackberries takes me back to my childhood. They remind me of hot summer days, growing up on the farm in Fairhope Alabama where blackberries grew wild along the fence rows. We’d pick giant bowls of berries and my mother would make glorious jars of jam and pans of warm, gooey cobbler. Those days are long gone, and my berries come in 5 ounce plastic containers from the grocery store. Still I love to have them often and in myriad ways- in smoothies, yogurt, pie and cake.

These blackberry crumb bars from Everyday Food are moist, buttery and just sweet enough to take me back to those summer days once again.

Blackberry Crumb Bars 2

Blackberry Crumb Bars

6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
1/2 cup (1 stick), room temperature
1 tablespoon room temperature butter for pan
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon flour for pan
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 containers (5 ounces each) blackberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare an 8 inch square baking pan. Butter the sides and bottom, then line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides. Next, butter and flour the parchment paper.

For the topping, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add 1 cup flour, and mix with a fork until large moist crumbs form. Refrigerate topping until ready to use.

In another medium bowl, whisk together remaining 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat room-temperature butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low; mix in flour mixture. Spread batter evenly in pan; sprinkle with blackberries, then chilled topping.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until golden. Cool completely in pan. Using paper overhang, lift cake onto a cutting board and cut into squares.