German Chocolate Cookie Bars

I have so many recipes "pinned" that I want to try, but often don't get around to trying them because I haven't planned well enough that I have the items on hand.  These little bar cookies were a hit for my family! I had everything but the box cake on hand so it was easy enough to pick up one ingredient to give it a whirl! (This recipes came from www.favfamilyreipces.com)


German Chocolate Cookie Bars

Crust:
1 box Devil's Food cake mix (not the kind with pudding added)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg

Filling:
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk (fat free works great too!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 cup milk chocolate chip

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Greased a 9 x 13-inch baking pan; spray with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix together the cake mix, butter eggs, and press into the bottom of the prepared pan.  The crust should not come up the sides. Bale for 7 minutes and remove from oven. The crust will not look done.

While the crust is baking, mix together the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, eggs, pecans and coconut.  Pour evenly over the warm crust and sprinkle evenly with the chocolate chips.  Bake for 24-30 minutes, until the top is  light golden brown.  Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting into squares.

Watch them disappear!

Scotcheroos

My little sister that lives in New York keeps me on my toes. Oh how I love her! We live far to many miles apart, which makes me forever grateful for the technologies of todays day and age. Am am grateful that she makes me feel so good by occasionally using my blog. She is a great editor by the way! She catches all my little mistakes and I love it!

We both inherited the "sweet tooth" gene! This morning she was asking for some good cookie recipes to take to her weekend filled with parties.  I starting thinking of all the yummy cookies and  bar cookies. Then I thought thats the last thing someone 36 weeks pregnant wants to do is stand in the kitchen making batches and batches of cooks.  So I gave her all my favorite no bake options.  I am grateful that she actually uses my blogs because she helps me discover my favorites that I don't have on her yet! So today I will post a few cookie recipes for her. These are always a huge hit no matter the occasion. I can't make them very often because I can eat the whole pan by myself one sliver at a time in about 24 hours! Serious.

Scotcheroos

1 cup Sugar
1 cup Peanut Butter
1 cup Corn Syrup
6 cups Rice Krispies (of Corn Chex for a gluten free version)
1 (6 oz) bag chocolate chips
1 (6 oz) bag butterscotch chips

In a large saucepan, combine sugar and corn syrup. Heat to dissolve sugar and bring to a boil; remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter. Add Rice Krispies and mix well until blended. Press into a buttered 9 x 13 inch pan. In small saucepan, melt together chocolate and butterscotch chips. Spread combined mixture over top of Rice Krispies mixture. Cut into 36 bars. More like 16 if I am eating them! 

Easy S'more Brownies

I got this idea from a Betty Crocker e-newsletter. I didn't follow their recipe exactly, but I am sure you could find it on their website. I simply made our favorite brownies from a box. I used the new flat and square marshmallows (the original recipe used mini marshmallows and covered the entire pan) I thought it would be easier to cut if the marshmallow was seperated. These square marshmallows worked great each brownie had its own and it worked great. Chop or break up some graham crackers and chocolate, then sprinkle on top of the toasted marshmallows while still warm.

To toast the marshmallows I simply turned the oven to broil after the brownies were completely cooked to insure that I wouldn't over bake the brownies and still end up with a tasty toasted marshmallow. I will say that I did not put enough chopped chocolate on the top, so next time I will be adding more. Can you ever have to much smooth and creamy chocolate?

Salted Peanut Chews

These are one of Jack's favorite bar cookies--I haven't made them in a couple of years. Again they were made for the thank you plates to add variety, but we had to keep half of them because Jack and the boys love them. Jack wishes I would make them more often. I agree they are pretty darn good. So give them a try for your next pot-luck gathering.

Salted Peanut Chews

Crust:

1 1/2 cups flour

2/3 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 egg yolks

3 cups mini marshmallows

Topping:

2/3 cup corn syrup

1/4 cup margarine or butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 (10 oz) package peanut butter chips

2 cups Rice Krispies

2 cups peanuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all crust ingredients except marshmallows at low speed until crumbly. Press firmly into bottom of ungreased 9 x 13 pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with marshmallows. Return to oven and bake an additional 1-2 minutes or until marshmallows just begin to puff. Cool while preparing topping.

In a large saucepan, combine all topping ingredients except cereal and peanuts. Heat just until chips are melted and mixture is smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in cereal and peanuts. immediately spoon warm topping over marshmallows: spread to cover. Refrigerate until firm. Cut into bars.

Fudge Nut Bars-Family Favorite

These wonderfully rich bar cookies have been made in my home for as long as I can remember. They always seem to show up on special gatherings and disappear as quickly as they arrive. They are what we always took to missionaries-homecomings and farewells of family and friends a like. They have been a cookie that Jack has fallen in love with! When you marry into my family you marry into a sweet tooth group and are bound to catch the bug after too long! So I made some of these famous bars to take to friends who have been so generous in helping us with their time or resources with the construction of our new home. It is the only safe way for me to make this recipe or I would end up eating the entire jelly-roll sized cookie sheet by myself. (Not exactly the best thing for weight gaining during pregnancy! ;-0)

Fudge Nut Bars

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup margarine or butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 cups quick oatmeal

Cream butters and sugars together. Add the eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Cover a prepared cookie sheet with dough-saving some dough to crumble over the top of the chocolate filling.

Filling:

1 (12 oz) package chocolate chips (my family loves milk chocolate, but I've made it with semi-sweet because Jack likes those best in his choco-chip cookies so that's what I keep on hand. The semi-sweet seems to make them richer because the chocolate is darker.)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

Chopped pecans (optional)

Put all ingredients together in a sauce pan and stir until chocolate is melted. Spread over the top of the prepared dough in cookie sheet. Crumble reserved dough on top. Bake at 350 degrees until edges are lightly browned about 20-25 minutes. ***Do not over bake or the oatmeal crust will be and taste dry.***

Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

If you love peanut butter and chocolate these are a must try brownie for you. Warning they are very naughty--You just want to keep snitching; they call to you "EAT ME!".  It is like a chewy Reese's Cup! YUMMO!! I want to believe that if you are generous enough to share and send plates of these goodies home with your company that they have little if any calories in them! ;-)

If you try these little gems you won't be disappointed. Take them to your next potluck party and watch them disappear!

Brownie Base

1 box (1lb 6.5 oz) Betty Crocker Original Supreme brownie mix, water, vegetable oil ad eggs called for on the brownie box. (I used whatever Box Brownie I had on hand that was for a 9 x 13 pan)

Filling

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

2 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons milk

Topping

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup butter (I used about 2 Tablespoons and I think it worked fine. Got to try to cut out some of the fat so I don't feel SO GUILTY (he he haha) right?!

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of 13 X 9-inch pan with cooking spray or shortening. For easier cutting, line pan with foil, then grease foil on bottom only of pan.

In a medium bowl, sir brownie mix, pouch of chocolate syrup, water, oil, and eggs until well blended. (I just made my box of brownies as it instructed!) Spread in pan. Bake 28 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from the side of pan comes out almost clean. Cool completely about 1 hour.

In a medium bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over brownie base.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave topping ingredients uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds; stir until smooth. Cool 10 minutes; spread over filling. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until set. For Brownies cut into 9 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator (If you are lucky enough to have any left over to store call us we will be right over!)