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!
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