Cheesecake Bars

Raspberry Mango Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:
Crust
1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick butter melted
1 egg
Filling
12 ounces cream cheese softened
8 oz powdered sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
¼ cup raspberry sauce
¼ cup mango sauce
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, butter and egg. Stir together until it is a crumbly texture.
3. Spray with non-stick coating and press the dough into a 9×13 pan.
4. In a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese for two minutes.
5. Add the powdered sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix for 2 minutes.
6. Pour the batter over the crust in the pan and even it out.
7. Now is the decorating part! Draw lines for the logo of your favorite team with the fruit flavored sauces.
8. Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes.
9. Remove from oven, let cool to room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate until ready to serve. Best if made the day before to ease the cutting. Also, use hot running water and a thin knife when cutting this cold.
10. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.

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Chocolate Pie Pecan Bars

Ingredients
• 3 cups pecan halves
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 3/4 cup cold butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Arrange pecans in a single layer of a shallow baking pan. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Stir halfway through baking.
Line bottom and sides of a 9″x 13″ baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on two short sides. Grease foil.
Whisk together flour, confectioners’ sugar, and cocoa. Add cold butter, and combine with a pastry blender* until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press mixture into bottom and about 3/4-inch up sides of prepared pan.
Bake crust for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over crust. Allow to cool on a wire rack at least 30 minutes.
Place eggs in a large mixing bowl, and beat lightly. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and melted butter. Whisk together until smooth. Stir in coconut and pecans. Pour evenly over partially baked crust.
Bake 28-34 minutes, or until edges are golden and filling has set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Then, refrigerate for an hour.
Using foil overhang, lift bars from pan and place on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut into bars.
Notes
*You can also mix crust ingredients in a food processor, but I prefer mixing this way.
Recipe adapted from Southern Living, September 2012.

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Lemony Lemon Brownies

Doesn’t this look like spring?

Lemony Lemon Brownies
Ingredients:
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
For the tart Lemon Glaze:
• 4 tbsps lemon juice
• 8 tsps lemon zest
• 1 cup icing sugar
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease an 8×8 inch baking dish with butter and set aside.
3. Zest and juice two lemons and set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, salt, and softened butter until combined.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice until combined.
6. Pour it into the flour mixture and beat for 2 mins at medium speed until smooth and creamy.
7. Pour into baking dish and bake for 23-25 mins, should turn golden around the edges.
8. Allow to cool completely before glazing. Do not overbake, or the bars will dry.
9. Filter the powdered sugar and whisk with lemon zest and juice.
10. Spread the glaze over the brownies with a rubber spatula and let glaze set.
11. Cut into bars and serve.
I got this from http://www.bestyummyrecipes.com/lemony-lemon-brownies

Home Made Granola Bars

How to Make Homemade Granola Bars
Makes 8 bars

These are really yummy. I carry them for a quick snack.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup crispy rice cereal, puffed millet, high-fiber cereal mix (like Kashi Go Lean), crushed pretzel sticks, or any other crispy grain or cereal
1/2 cup chopped nuts, like walnuts, peanuts, almonds, or pecans
1/2 – 1 cup dried fruits like cranberries, raisins, or cherries
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 – 1 teaspoon spices, like cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (optional)
3 tablespoons peanut butter or 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (optional for firmer bars)
Equipment
Large mixing bowl
Spatula
Measuring cups
8″x8″ baking pan
Parchment paper

Instructions
1. Prepare for Baking: Heat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the middle of the oven. Line the baking pan with parchment, leaving extra parchment to hang over the sides. Lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray or butter. If desired, toast the nuts and grains for 10-15 minutes until toasted and fragrant. For softer dried fruit pieces, soak the dried fruit in very hot water for 10 minutes and drain before using.

2. Mix the Dry Ingredients: Mix the oats, cereal, nuts, and dried fruit together in a mixing bowl.

3. Warm the Rice Syrup: Warm the rice syrup for 10-15 seconds in the microwave or in a small saucepan over medium heat. It should be just loose and liquidy enough to pour. Mix in the vanilla extract, salt, spices (if using), and peanut butter or cocoa powder (if using).

4. Stir the Rice Syrup into the Dry Ingredients: Pour the rice syrup over the dry ingredients. Use a spatula to scrape the last of the syrup. Stir the rice syrup into the dry ingredients until the ingredients are completely coated and start to stick together in clumps.

5. Press into the Pan: Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Use wet or lightly oiled hands to firmly press the mixture into the pan.

6. Bake the Granola Bars: Bake the bars for 20-25 minutes for chewy granola bars or 25-30 minutes for crunchy bars. As soon as you remove the bars from the oven, press them again with the back of a lightly oiled spatula. (This will give you more compacted granola bars.)

7. Cool the Granola Bars: Let the bars cool completely in the pan. They will firm up as they cool. Once cooled, cut into 8 bars in the pan with a very sharp knife, then lift the bars by the flaps of parchment to remove from the pan. Store between layers of wax paper in an airtight container for up to two weeks. To make them easier to slip into back packs and lunch boxes, you can also wrap each bar individually in wax paper or plastic wrap.
Favorite Combinations:

• Pecan Cranberry Bars: 1 1/2 cups oats, 1 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal, 1/2 cup pecan pieces, 1 cup dried cranberries, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (Pictured above)

• Tropical Fruit Bars: 1 1/2 cup oats, 1 1/2 cups Kashi Go Lean cereal, 1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts, 1 cup diced dried pineapple and mango pieces

• Cherry Almond Dark Chocolate Bars: 1 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup crispy rice cereal, 1 cup chopped almonds, 1 cup dried cherries, 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate pieces, 1 teaspoon almond extract (in place of vanilla extract)

• Peanut Chocolate Bars: 1 1/2 cup oats, 1 1/2 cup crispy rice cereal, 1 cup chopped peanuts, 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate or mini chocolate chips

• S’Mores Bars: 1 cup oats, 1 cup crispy rice cereal, 1 cup crushed graham cracker pieces, 1/2 cup dark chocolate pieces or mini chocolate chips, 1/2 cup mini marshmallows