Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares

So good - these are best kept in the fridge because of their cakey texture (and they will last longer too). I used dark chocolate morsels in place of the chocolate chips.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares

Slutty Blondie Brownies

I must confess, I have no idea why this recipe has "slutty" in the title, but I don't care! This is a delicious layered bar of sugar cookie dough, Golden Oreos, and blondies. I made the exact recipe in  a 13 x 9 dish instead of the recommended 9 x 9 to stretch the amount of bars it would make. It came out fine - just watch the baking time, as it will probably take a little less.

Slutty Blondie Brownies

Homemade Twix Bars

Delicious!

Homemade Twix Bars

S'mores Gooey Cake Bars

Another great dessert! Although I love white chocolate I didn't understand the need for it here and substituted milk chocolate chips for the white.

S'mores Gooey Cake Bars

Gooey Chocolate Chip Sandwich Bars

One of THE BEST desserts I have made recently. Plenty of chocolate - I decreased the amount of chips in the top layer to two cups and there was still almost too much. Best when stored in the fridge.

Gooey Chocolate Chip Sandwich Bars

Peanut Butter Fudge Oatmeal Bars

Peanut Butter Fudge Oatmeal Bars

Cookies and Cream Double Chocolate Cake Bars

I chose this recipe to make to bring to a barbecue because A. it looked super easy and B. it looked super delicious. And I was right on both counts! I mean, how can you go wrong with Oreos, chocolate cake, and chocolate chips?

The only note I have on this recipe from Picky Palate is that once I reached the prescribed baking time, my bars were still rather jiggly in the oven. ;) I needed about 15-20 minutes more, to make sure the middle was set, but then the bars were on the dry side. I am notorious for underbaking so I was nervous about them but next time I won't overbake quite as long. So basically what I am telling you is just to watch the oven!

Cookies and Cream Double Chocolate Cake Bars

Raspberry Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

You really can't go wrong with a dessert that has cheesecake, chocolate, and raspberry in it. And these little bars definitely did not disappoint. A delicious layer of dark chocolate brownie is topped with a layer of creamy cheesecake swirled with raspberry jam.

The recipe calls for chopped dark chocolate, but you can just as easily use dark chocolate chips. Other than that, the directions were perfect, so the link is below!

Raspberry Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

Chocolate Zucchini Snack Cake

I was hosting a little ladies' lunch with some friends and saw this in a recent issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray. There is a zucchini bread I make that I really like, so I figured if you add chocolate it just gets even better!

This was a very tasty little snack cake, but personally I would stick with serving it at lunch and not after a fancy dinner party. It was a pretty dense cake, with a nice chocolate taste, and the only way you could tell there was zucchini in it was the texture. A little on the dry side, I would definitely recommend serving it with the vanilla yogurt as pictured and suggested in the recipe. If you don't have espresso powder, ground coffee will do just fine; and I used the more neutral-tasting canola oil instead of olive oil. Enjoy!

Chocolate Zucchini Snack Cake

Oreo Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

This is a great, classic dessert bar with a made-from-scratch brownie foundation and a delicious sweet cream cheese topping. And don't forget the Oreos! They kind of reminded me of the Princess Brownies I have blogged before, but more delicious (and more time-consuming). This is a perfect dessert to bring to a party or to keep in the house and devour yourself.

A few notes: 1 1/2 cups of Oreo cookies is about 18 cookies (although if you have leftovers, they make a perfect topping for ice cream). I also baked this for way longer than Annie directs, about 38 minutes in my oven; and although Annie suggests storing these in the fridge, I think it dries the bars out, so try them at room temperature. Otherwise, these are perfect - enjoy!

Oreo Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

Chocolate Toffee Delights

These delicious bars received rave reviews from everyone who ate them. The most frequent comment is that they taste like Girl Scout Samoa cookies. So if you like caramel, chocolate, and shortbread, you must make these cookies soon! I kept them in the fridge so the base held together better and it was a crisper bite.

The original recipe called for almonds mixed with the coconut, but I am not a huge fan, so my changes are below. To see the original recipe, you must become a member of the Taste of Home website.

Chocolate Toffee Delights

slightly adapted from Taste of Home

Makes 24-30 bars

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

3/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup flaked coconut

1 jar (12.25-ounce) caramel ice cream topping

3/4 cup dark chocolate chips or chocolate pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 x 9 baking dish.

Cream butter and 1/2 cup sugar in bowl of electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in extracts.

Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in medium bowl; gradually add to the butter mixture and mix well.

Press into prepared baking dish and bake for 10 minutes. Prick crust with a fork all over; sprinkle with remaining sugar and bake 15 minutes more or until set.

Combine caramel topping and coconut in small bowl. Spread over warm crust. Bake 5-10 minutes or until edges are bubbly. Cool.

Melt chocolate chips in microwave at 1-minute increments until smooth. Drizzle over cooler bars. Let stand until chocolate is set and cut into bars.

Best Dang Thing EVER Bars

No arguments here about the name of these bars. They certainly live up to their name with a crumbly chocolate crust, a buttery caramel layer, topped off by some more chocolate crumbles and chocolate frosting (and nuts, if you wish). And since this uses a cake mix as a base, fairly simple to make!

The original recipe calls for German chocolate cake mix, but my wonderful supermarket didn't have that in stock, so I chose Devil's Food with great results. I also did not add the pecans since nuts are not my favorite, but I am sure they would add a nice crunch. Other tips - unwrap the bag of caramels before you start anything, since melting the caramel takes longer than the crust takes to bake. And don't add too much water to the frosting - it doesn't harden up in the fridge, so don't make it too runny. Otherwise, make these soon!

I didn't make any other changes to this recipe (other than only cutting them into 32 bars) so I will link you right to Beantown Baker with the original!

Best Dang Thing EVER Bars

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

Whew, with a name like that you know this dessert HAS to be out-of-this-world and it certainly delivered! I thought this would be very time consuming to make with all the steps it calls for, but it was surprisingly quick to make and the end result certainly made it all worth it.

You start with a layer of graham cracker crumbs mixed with chocolate chips, then top it with a sweetened cream cheese layer, then top with a layer of crumbled cookie dough and bake. How can you go wrong here?

Other than not finishing these off with the chocolate drizzle and only using 8 ounces (1 bar) of cream cheese instead of the called for 10 ounces, I didn't make any changes to the original recipe so I will link you below. If you make these in an 8x8 pan, like I did, just bake a few minutes longer until the center is set. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

Note: Ok, sooo it has come to my attention that these were posted last year (at almost the same time, which is odd) but they were so good I want you to try them again!

Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars

These bars were delicious - a chunky oatmeal layer topped with a creamy chocolate layer, and crowned with more chunks of the delicious oatmeal. And if that isn't enough, peanuts and raisins running throughout! I must warn you though that this dessert is a bit labor-intensive (I even wrote that next to the title in my cookbook). There are a lot of different steps and bowls that have to be used! So, while they are worth the effort, just make sure to save some time to make these!

Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars

from Baking: From My Home to Yours

Makes 32 bars

For the Oatmeal Layer:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup salted peanuts, coarsely chopped (I used my mini-chopper)

For the Chocolate Layer:

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup moist, plump raisins

3/4 cup salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or butter a 13 x 9 inch baking pan and place on a cooking sheet.

Oatmeal Layer:

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Beat the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the brown sugar and beat for 2 minutes, then add eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce mixer speed to low and add dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Stir in the oats and peanuts by hand.

Set aside 1 1/2 - 2 cups of the mixture, then turn remaining dough into the prepared pan. Gently press dough evenly over the bottom of the pan. Set aside.

Chocolate Layer:

Set a heatproof bowl over (without touching the water) a saucepan of simmering water. Combine the condensed milk, chocolate chips, butter, and salt in the bowl and stir occasionally until milk is warm and chocolate and butter are melted. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in vanilla, raisins, and peanuts.

Pour the warm chocolate over the oatmeal crust, the scatter remaining oatmeal over top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until topping is golden brown and chocolate layer is starting to come away from the sides of the pan. Cool for about 2 hours.

Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting. I recommend serving them chilled as well.

Mounds Bars

Mmmm, these dessert bars were so easy to make and so delicious. The hardest part was crushing the graham crackers! I did that by putting them in a large Ziploc bag and running my rolling pin over them until they reached the consistency I wanted.

The end result is a chocolate, coconut deliciousness on a buttery graham cracker crust. You really can't taste the peanut butter in the chocolate layer, so if you like the peanut butter flavor, I would definitely recommend adding more. Additionally, you can see my chocolate layer is pretty thin - I was actually worried there wouldn't be enough to cover the whole dish - so if you want a thick layer you may want to double the topping amounts.

Otherwise, I didn't change anything from the original so I will link you right to it on Priscilla Bakes!

Mounds Bars

Pumpkin Blondies

I know it's not really pumpkin season, but I have a ton of canned pumpkin puree in my pantry from when I stocked up in the fall. Obviously, I didn't get a lot of baking done then, so when I needed a little treat for my mommy group, these looks easy enough and I had all the ingredients.

These were delicious - nice and moist from the pumpkin, but sweet enough to make a great little dessert. I subbed in semi-sweet chocolate chips for the white chocolate in the original recipe but otherwise didn't change a thing. Here is the original from Dinner & Dessert:

Pumpkin Blondies

Princess Brownies

I have no idea why these are called Princess Brownies; all I know is that my mom has been making them as long as I remember. They are super easy to make since they use a brownie mix, but they taste delicious every time.

If you like chocolate and you like cheesecake, you will love these! They are great for the upcoming holidays as well!

Princess Brownies

from Jo's Kitchen

Makes 24 brownies

1 package brownie mix, your choice

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 13 x 9 glass baking dish with cooking spray for baking.

Prepare brownie mix in large bowl as directed on box. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar; mix well with hand mixer. Beat in egg and vanilla.

Spread 1/2 of the brownie batter over the bottom of prepared baking dish. Cover with cream cheese mixture. Spoon on remaining brownie batter. Cut through with butter knife to marbelize.

Bake 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely and cut into 24 bars.

Chocolate Chunk Butterscotch Bars

I was searching for an easy dessert that didn't need to be refrigerated and could be eaten easily, and this one popped up on Dinners for a Year and Beyond - perfect! This was an easy and delicious bar cookie to throw together...kind of tasted like a chocolate chip cookie, kind of tasted like a butterscotch bar...you can't go wrong!

The only thing I changed from the original recipe was to use a bag of chocolate chunks instead of the dark chocolate chips. This was mainly because I couldn't find dark chocolate chips in my always-stocked grocery store (*sarcasm*), but in the end I am glad I went with the chunks, it added a nice texture to the finished bars.

Since I didn't change anything else, I will link you right to Amy's recipe:

Dark Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Bars

Oreo Fudge Bars

I have had this recipe saved for awhile now and once I finally made these, I was kicking myself for not making them sooner! There are basically three steps involved in putting this together: crust, filling, and topping. Then bake and you have a delicious, fudgey bar filled with that fabulous Oreo taste.

These are definitely better chilled because then you get more of that "fudge" taste; so just keep them in the fridge until you are ready to serve!

Oreo Fudge Bars

from Baking Blonde's Weblog

Makes 24-36 bars

1 (16 ounce) package of Oreo cookies

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick butter, melted

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Coat a 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray (preferably the kind with flour).

Coarsely chop 6 Oreo cookies and set aside.

Put the rest of the cookies into a food processor, add the salt, and process until you have fine crumbs. You can also do this by placing the cookies in a sturdy plastic bag and crushing with a rolling pin.

Melt the butter and gently stir into the Oreo mixture. Press firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Combine the semi-sweet chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave, uncovered, for one minute. Stir together until the chips melt. Microwave at 15 second intervals if chips are still not melted.

Spread evenly over the prepared cookie crust. Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips and the Oreo cookies chunks over the top of the filling. Press down gently into the chocolate topping.

Bake for 20-22 minutes, until set. Allow to cool on the counter for 1 hour. Chill in fridge until completely cold and then cut into bars.

Apple-Cranberry Oatmeal Bars

I was looking for an easy bar that included some healthy oatmeal (like how I did that? healthy oatmeal counteracts butter, didn't you know?) and found this in what seems to be my cookbook of the week, Better Homes and Gardens.


You end up with a nice, chunky bar with a buttery crust and a fruity filling. These are great for dessert, but also a nice sweet treat for breakfast!


Apple-Cranberry Oatmeal Bars
from Better Homes and Gardens
Makes 24 bars


1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking or old fashioned rolled oats
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes


Filling:
1 cup (chunky or smooth) applesauce
2/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
dash ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


In a medium bowl combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and baking soda. Cut in butter using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1/2 cup of the crumb mixture.


Press the remaining crumb mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 11 x 7 baking dish. Make sure you press firmly into the pan - you are making a crust.


Combine all filling ingredients in small bowl. Spread over crumb mixture in baking dish. Sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup crumb mixture.


Bake 30-35 minutes, until top is golden and filling is set. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.