Thursday, June 28, 2018

Oreo Cookie Bars


This past Tuesday was my dad's birthday. I went out to his house loaded with meals for his freezer, a delicious dessert, birthday goodies, and lunch for us both to enjoy. It took me an entire day, well into the night, and two runnings of the dishwasher in order to prepare all that I took. At one point, early in the day, I had entertained the idea of making a homemade German Chocolate Cake. It’s my favorite, and one that my mother used to make me every year on my birthday. But after some thought, I realized that, it alone, would take me too much of the day, so I opted for something simple.

As you all know, I don’t bake. I do, however, print out and save recipes for various baked goods that I think might please one person or other. This recipe for Oreo Cookie Bars, looked simple enough, and tasty. As it turned out, they were both. Because I made these late in the day, and was too exhausted to thoroughly read the instructions, I made the mistake of trying to cut them before I chilled them. Do not do that! The filling squished out and I had a right mess. Fortunately, I only attempted to cut a couple before I realized the error of my ways, and shoved the whole pan right into the fridge.

Personally, I think these taste better the second day, so I’m going to file these under the categories of
easy and make ahead. My dad enjoyed them, as did my number one son and his family. In fact my son reported that “The kids heard choirs of angels when they took their first bites.” How could a recommendation possibly be any higher than that? So, if you have a dad to please, children, or grandchildren, this appears to be a winner! And that “make ahead” thing is always aces in my book.
Oreo Cookie Bars
Adapted from Your Cup of Cake

1 box chocolate cake mix, any brand
2 large eggs
1/3 cup canola oil

Cream cheese filling:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9“ x 13“ pan with parchment paper. Spray parchment paper with Pam or Baker’s Joy (I used the latter).

In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix, eggs, and oil. Beat until blended. Dough will be thick. Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, drop globules of dough, evenly spaced, into the bottom of your prepared pan. Using moistened hands (I ran mine under cool water, and shook them off) press dough evenly along the bottom and into the corners of the pan. (If you used too much water on your hands, blot excess with a dry paper towel.)

Place pan into the middle of your preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven to a wire rack and allow to cool.

Meanwhile prepare filling: Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla and powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Set aside.

Invert cooled cake onto a parchment-lined cutting board. Measure and mark 6 1/2 inches in from the side on both top and bottom so as to provide a guide for cutting it in half evenly. Frost one of the halves with cream cheese filling. Carefully place the other half on top and press down gently. Put in the refrigerator to chill for one hour, and then cut into bars. These are very rich, so you might want to cut them into smaller rather than larger squares. You can, after all, always have two!

Store, covered in the refrigerator, and serve cold. These are very refreshing on a hot day. Kids love them!

Another delicious kid pleaser is this recipe for easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Éclair Dessert Squares.


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5 comments:

Rustown Mom said...

Those look to die for! What a nice daughter you are to care for your dad by cooking and cleaning! I am visiting my mother this weekend to do something similar and while I can't run the oven (100 degree days here) I will file this recipe away for future use!

Linda said...

So yummy looking. Do they taste at all like Oreos? I just clicked on your other suggested recipe at the bottom and remembered that I must make your Chocolate Peanut Butter Éclair Dessert Squares!

Joanne said...

Those sound so delicious! I love desserts that taste better the next day as preparing them ahead of time is usually so much easier! Pinned.

Pattie @ Olla-Podrida said...

Linda, despite their name, they don't taste all that much like Oreos to me, but they are sure good. I think they remind me more of those Hostess cupcake things that are chocolate cake sandwiched together with a cream filling. My little granddaughter thought it was melted marshmallows sandwiched between cake. LOL!

sandy said...

yum