Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

These are super good. So good, in fact, that my husband said "these are a keeper" as he was finishing off what the kids didn't eat on their plates (only because they were full). Then he told me they must "go into the rotation." That's pretty high marks around here.

Keep in mind, this makes a 9x13 pan. That's a LOT! You'll wanna plan on sharing this one with a good friend or neighbor. Would be great for a potluck too.

Adapted from this recipe. http://www.southernplate.com/2013/01/revel-bars-amish-romance-and-korean-tv.html

Ingredients

Crust:
1 cup butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups oats

Filling:
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups chocolate chips

Instructions
Take 2 tablespoons of butter and set aside to use in filling.
In large mixing bowl, place remaining butter and brown sugar. Beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Add all other dough ingredients and mix again until well combined.
Pat 2/3 of mixture into bottom of greased 9x13 pan.
Place all filling ingredients (including the 2 tablespoons of butter you set aside in step one) in a microwave safe bowl and cook at 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until chocolate is completely melted. Pour over crust and spread to the sides.
Drop remaining dough in teaspoon sized drops over the chocolate.
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

Oatmeal Fruit Bars

1 package yellow cake mix
2 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
3/4 cup softened butter
1 egg
2 cans Solo Cake & Pastry Filling

Preheat oven to 375F.  Grease a 13" x 9" x 2" pan.  Combine dry cake mix and oats.  Add butter and egg and stir until crumbly.

Put 1/2 of mixture in pan.  Press down lightly.  Spread filling over mixture in pan.  Top with remaining mixture.  Press down lightly.

Bake for 22-26 minutes.

Cool before cutting into squares.


My notes:

I got this recipe from the label of a can of Solo Raspberry Cake & Pastry Filling.  I bought it at Kroger a while back just because it looked good and it said it had recipes inside the label.  It was a really easy recipe and I would think you could get very similar results with just a jar of your favorite preserves or lemon curd or some sort of cream cheese filling...oh my, my mind is racing.  Nonetheless, there were several different flavors that sounded pretty darn good.

In my oven, I had to bake it for 27 minutes.

Frosted Zucchini Bars

Ingredients

BARS

3/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups shredded zucchini

1 cup flaked coconut

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

FROSTING

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons milk

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla.  Combine flour and baking powder; gradually add to the creamed mixture.  Stir in zucchini, coconut and nuts.

2. Spread into a greased 15 x 10 baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire wrack.

3. In a bowl, combine sugar and sinnamon.  Stir in butter, vanilla and enough milk until frosting reaches spreading consistency.  Frost cooled bars; cut.

My notes:

I had one pretty large zucchini on hand and, when shredded, it produced about 1/3 cup more than what the recipe called for.  I used it anyway and these turned out just fine.

I did not put coconut in mine.  The reason is two-fold: none on hand and hubby doesn't care for it.

I used pecans instead of walnuts.  Again a two-fold reason: it's what I had and we love them.

I failed to include the cinnamon in the frosting.  Just wasn't paying attention I guess...and it was late.

These were really good and made just a few more than 2 dozen 2 inch bars.  Great if you needed a treat for a crowd.  Would make 60 or more if you cut into bite-size pieces.  I made them because I had a zucchini I needed to use and I haven't found a good zucchini bread recipe yet.

Glazed Honey Bars

Photos courtesy of LuLu Photography

Ingredients•2/3 cup vegetable oil

•1/8 cup honey

•1/2 cup granulated sugar

•1 egg

•1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

•1 cup self-rising flour

•1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Glaze

•1 cup confectioners' sugar

•1 tablespoon mayonnaise

•1 tablespoon milk

•1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8 by 8 by 2-inch pan.

In a mixing bowl, beat the oil, honey, granulated sugar, and egg until well blended. Stir the cinnamon into the flour, then stir this into the egg mixture and mix well. Stir in the nuts. Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let stand while you make the glaze. In a bowl, stir together the confectioners' sugar, mayonnaise, milk, and vanilla. Pour the glaze over the cake and spread it with a metal spatula. Let cool, then cut into bars.

My Notes:

This is another Paula Deen recipe, but very closely resembles a dessert I had at Cherry's Soda Fountain when I was a teenager.  She would serve the most delicious deli-style sandwich and every order had a single bite of a some decadent dessert she had whipped up.  This dessert was one of my favorites.

The recipe calls for walnuts - I used pecans because I have them and I love them.  (o:

One thing I love about this dessert is that is only makes an 8x8.  Made it one morning, I cut it into 16 equal squares (just a bit larger than bite-size) and it was gone later that night.  Don't get me wrong, I love big beautiful cakes and such, but sometimes you get sick of those before they are gone.

Hope you make this one.  It was SO quick & easy and my friends that I shared it with said it was good too.  We all agreed it has a very "fall" taste to it.  It was suggested to add some chopped apple to it next time.  I look forward to making this one again (maybe in September) and sitting on my back deck with a cup of coffee while I nibble on it.  YUM!

Please leave me a comment if you whip this one up.  Would love to have your thoughts!

Lemon Bars

Yes, brace yourself, I use mixes. And this is one I highly recommend. When I make it, I usually add the zest of one lemon to the crust before pressing it into the pan. And I add 1 or 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice to the lemon mixture. This mix is one that I try to keep on hand at all times. Usually I don't make it unless I am taking it somewhere because my husband is allergic to citric acid and stays FAR away from citrus desserts. The kids aren't huge fans of tart things. BUT, I LOVE anything lemon flavored, so it's best that I don't make this one unless I'm taking it AWAY from my house. Otherwise, I will eat all of it...by myself!

Toffee Gooey Butter Cake

Cake:

•Vegetable oil cooking spray
•1 (18.2- ounce) package yellow cake mix
•1 large egg
•1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Filling:
•1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
•2 large eggs
•1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•1 (1 pound) box confectioners' sugar
•1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
•1 cup toffee bits

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan with vegetable oil cooking spray.

In the bowl of an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well. Pat evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan and set aside.

In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, eggs, vanilla extract, confectioners' sugar and butter. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Fold in the toffee bits with a spatula.

Pour the filling over the cake mixture and spread it evenly. Bake until the center is just a little bit gooey, about 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into pieces and serve.

My notes:

I think there are about a million different variations of this recipe.  I got THIS one from Paula Deen.  But I have gotten the same recipe from friends in the past and it has a variety of names including, but I'm sure not limited to, Gooey Butter Cake, Neiman Marcus Brownies and Chess Bars.  This is the first time I recall seeing one with the toffee bits stirred in.  And there are also variations that include using a chocolate cake mix in the bottom layer.  I failed to get a picture before they were all gone and I didn't actually eat one this time around.  But trust me, they are GOOD!

Mincemeat Bars

I know, I know...most people cringe at just the thought of mincemeat, but I (and several family members) love it. Made this over the weekend while I was visiting my family so we had several different tasters. Everyone enjoyed it and it was a nice change from the traditional mincemeat pie. So, if there are any mincemeat pie lovers in your family, you might try substituting bars for pie this year for the holidays. My mother found this recipe in one of those newspaper inserts. There are several other dessert recipes from the same insert that I plan on trying. And yes, we forgot to take pictures. So sorry.

3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 (27-ounce) jar mincemeat

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch-square baking pan.

Combine sugar, molasses, flour, oats and salt in a large bowl. Using 2 knives or a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Press half the oat mixture into prepared pan. Spoon mincemeat over top. Crumble remaining oat mixture evenly over mincemeat. Bake 25 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.

Mincemeat is a spicy preserve made of chopped fruits, nuts, beef suet, spices, and brandy or rum. Originally it was made with cooked lean meat that was finely chopped or minced. Most modern recipes do not include the meat. Check the ingredient list on the label. We used the "NoneSuch" brand and it did list beef as an ingredient.