Cheesecake Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I brought these cheesecake stuffed cookie bars to our neighbor’s this year for our annual spaghetti feed. 

They were a huge hit and we really enjoyed them. 

The original recipe called for a 9x9 baking dish, but having made them that way, I’d recommend an 11x7 baking dish.  The bars were quite thick, so I think baking them in the 11x7 pan will help. 

I used all whole wheat flour in this recipe, and it was delicious. 

Hope you enjoy them!

Cheesecake Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars – Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Café

Ingredients

• 6 T butter, melted and cooled
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 1/8 C sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 C white whole wheat flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 3/4 C dark chocolate chips
• 6 oz. cream cheese, Neufchatel preferred
• 1/4 C powdered sugar
• 1 egg white
• splash of vanilla

Directions

Melt and cool 6 T butter.  Mix in 1/2 C brown sugar and 1/8 C sugar.  Then, mix in 1 egg and 1 tsp. vanilla. 

Sift together 1 C white whole wheat flour, 1/4 tsp. baking soda and 1/8 tsp. salt.  Add to the sugar mixture, mixing until just combined. 

Stir in chocolate chips. 

Arrange just over half of the cookie dough in the bottom of an 11x7 cake pan, lightly greased and/or lined with tinfoil.  Note: I used a 9x9 baking dish, and you can also do that but your bars will be very thick and you won’t get as much cheesecake in each bite.

Then, whip the 6oz. of cream cheese with 1/4 C powdered sugar.  Whip in the egg and a splash of vanilla and beat for 3 minutes until fluffy. 

Pour the cream cheese mixture over the top of the cookie crust. 

By the tablespoon, flatten the dough into a small circle.  Arrange these small dough circles over the top of your filling layer. 

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.  Check that the edges are lightly browned.  Cool on a cooling rack.  When completely cooled, transfer the pan, covered, in the refrigerator. 

Cut into bars. 

Serve & enjoy. 

Store remaining bars in the refrigerator. 

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Ingredient Spotlight: Cream Cheese & Fruit

Cream Cheese & Fruit is a really fun combination of ingredients, and perfect for summer. 

No-Bake Mixed Berry Cheesecake

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Squares

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Lemon Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast

What ways do you pair cream cheese & fruit? 

An InLinkz Link-up

Join us next week for recipes featuring Balsamic Vinegar.

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Blueberry Rhubarb Cinnamon Rolls

I mentioned last spring that I discovered the blueberry rhubarb combination!  I love it – even more so than strawberry rhubarb.  Last year I made 3 recipes using this combination: crisp, baked oatmeal, and muffins. 

This year, I decided to use up the last of my rhubarb in the freezer and make some blueberry rhubarb cinnamon rolls. 

These were amazing. 

In fact, if the cute little bunnies hadn’t shown up for Easter, I think this would have been the favorite from the meal. 

Whole wheat dough, sweet and tangy blueberry rhubarb middle with delicious cinnamon and cream cheese frosting. 

Better yet – they are a no rise recipe! 

Blueberry Rhubarb Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 C frozen or fresh blueberries
• 1/2 C frozen or fresh rhubarb, sliced
• 1 T corn starch
• 2 T water
• 2 C white whole wheat flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 T butter, softened
• 1 C milk
• 1-2 tsp. cinnamon
• Cream Cheese Frosting

Directions

In a medium saucepan, combine together 1 C blueberries and 1/2 C rhubarb.  Add in 1 T corn starch and a pinch of sugar, if desired.  Stir to coat. 

Then, add in 2 T water.  Set the pan on the stove and heat on medium until the mixture begins to boil.  Stir often.  Once the mixture boils, reduce the heat to low and allow it to cook for 5-7 minutes until blueberries pop open and rhubarb breaks down. Stir often.  Then, remove from the heat to cool. 

Next, in a large bowl combine 2 C white whole wheat flour with 3 tsp. baking powder and 1/4 tsp. salt.  Whisk together. 

Add in 3 T softened butter, cutting in with a fork until integrated into the dough. 

Then, slowly add in 1 C milk, stirring as you go. 

Knead the dough into a ball in the bowl, and then place the dough ball onto a lightly floured surface. 

Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 12 x 17 inches in size. 

When the sauce is ready and slightly cooled, place 3 scoops (about 1/2 C each) on the dough. 

Spread the sauce out so that it’s really close to 3 of the four sides.  I typically roll my dough along with longer side, so I recommend putting the sauce nearly all the way to the end on both 12 inch sides and one of the 17 inch sides.  You’ll want a thin layer. 

Then, sprinkle liberally with cinnamon. 

On the long side that has sauce all the way to the edge, begin rolling the dough.  Continue until you’ve rolled up the dough into one large log.  Use caution as you go as as to not squish out all the sauce.  Seal. 

Then, using a sharp knife, slice the roll into 1 1/2 inch – 2 inch segments.  Place each into a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish or a 2 quart casserole dish. 

Place each cinnamon roll about 1/2 inch away from each neighboring roll. 

Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned. 

Meanwhile, make up the cream cheese frosting. 

When cinnamon rolls are done, remove from the oven and allow them to cool for 2-3 minutes. 

Remove from the pan and cover with cream cheese frosting, as well as with additional blueberry rhubarb sauce, if desired. 

Serve warm. 

Enjoy!

*Note: store extra cream cheese frosting in the fridge along with excess blueberry rhubarb sauce.  To reheat, warm them cinnamon rolls in the oven at 200 for 10 minutes.  Or, individually, reheat in the microwave. 

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Loaded Baked Potato Dip w/ Potato Dippers!

March in my life used to be synonymous with the start of the synchronized swimming season and I honestly never cared about basketball. 

Then, I met and married Frog Prince. 

As our pastor stated this weekend – marriage is 10% compatibility, 90% work.  Part of that 90% work for me was learning to enjoy basketball. 

I believe that was largely helped by living in Green & White territory for 5 years while a grad student at Michigan State University. 

Now, March rolls around and I know what’s coming.  We’re rooting for the Spartans and the Syracuse Orange from here until the end. 

Necessity during March Madness? Good food, of course!  Last year it was Pizza Dip. 

This year, loaded baked potato dip with potato dippers!  Perfect addition to any game. 

Loaded Baked Potato Dip with Potato Dippers – Adapted from BHG

Ingredients

• 6 oz. Neufchatel cream cheese
• 1 heaping cup diced broccoli florets
• 2 T cooked, crumbled bacon
• 1/2 C finely chopped spinach
• 1 T minced onion
• 1/2 C extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 T salsa, if desired
• 6-8 Russet potatoes, washed & unpeeled
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• Olive oil spray

Directions

Cube up the cream cheese and place that into a small crockpot. 

Add in 1 C (heaping) diced, steamed broccoli florets. 

Sprinkle in 1 T minced onion, 1/2 C finely chopped spinach (we used frozen), 2 T crumbled cooked bacon and stir well. 

If desired add in 2 T salsa. 

Turn on the crockpot to low/medium and heat for 1 hour until cream cheese is melted, stirring occasionally. 

Stir in cheddar cheese.  Then, reduce the heat to low or “keep warm”; your cheese dip is ready. 

About 40 minutes before you are ready to enjoy your appetizers, use a mandolin slicer (watch those fingers!) and thinly slice the potatoes lengthwise into thin slices. 

Place the potatoes onto a cookie sheet covered in tinfoil (trust me, they will come off much better on the tinfoil than just the cookie sheet).  Spray the tinfoil with olive oil and then layer the potatoes over the top, watching to make sure there are not overlapping potatoes. 

Spray with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 

Bake at 450 degrees for 25-35 minutes until potatoes are lightly browned and crunchy. 

Use the potatoes as a dipper for the loaded baked potato dip! 

Go Green! 

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No-Bake Mixed Berry Cheesecake

This cheesecake would be a fun and wonderful dessert for your family this Valentine’s Day.  It’s easy to make (don’t let the ingredient list fool you) and tastes incredible. 

If you’d prefer, use cherries for the sauce, or perhaps just raspberries.  We really enjoyed the mixed berry approach, but the topping preference is flexible.  The cinnamon in the crust adds a depth of flavor that really set this dessert over the top. 

Elegant, yet simple. 

That’s a win in my book!

No-Bake Mixed Berry Cheesecake – Adapted from Cooking Classy

Ingredients

• Base
  • 1 package graham crackers, crushed
  • 3 T butter
  • 2 pinches of cinnamon
• Filling
  • 8 oz. Neufchatel cream cheese, softened
  • 2/3 C powdered sugar
  • 2/3 C whipping cream
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp. corn starch
• Berry Topping
  • 2 C frozen mixed berries (raspberries, blackberries & blueberries)
  • 1 T sugar or honey
  • 1 T corn starch
  • 1/3 C cold water
  • 1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Directions

*Note: this dessert is best assembled right before eating, and the whipped topping keeps in the refrigerator for 1-2 days, so keep that in mind before making up the dessert. 

Combine the graham cracker crumbs with 2 pinches of cinnamon. 

Melt 3 T of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Toss in the graham cracker crumbs and stir until coated.  Remove from heat and set aside. When cool, store in an airtight container until ready to assemble.  

To prepare the berries, combine 1 T sugar and 1 T corn starch in the bottom of a small saucepan and mix well. 

Slowly add in 1/3 C cold water, stirring as you add in the water to avoid clumps with the corn starch.  Add in 1/2 tsp. lemon juice. 

Pour in the frozen berries and place the pan on the stovetop over medium heat.  Stir almost constantly until the mixture comes to a slow boil. 

Reduce the heat to simmer and stir frequently while letting the berries simmer for about 5 minutes.  Then, remove from the heat. 

Using a strainer that has thin mesh, carefully pour small amounts of the berry mixture into the strainer.  Using a spoon, squish the berries around until the berry pulp remains in the strainer and all the good syrup runs through.  Repeat until you have removed all the seeds from the sauce. 

Cover and store the berry sauce in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the dessert. 

Finally, prepare the cream cheese filling.  In a medium bowl, whip the cream cheese with an electric hand mixer for 3 minutes until smooth and well whipped.  Add in 2/3 C powdered sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla. 

Whip again until smooth.  Scoop the cream cheese mixture out into a container that you will store the cream cheese filling into.  Then, in the same bowl add 2/3 C whipping cream.  Using your mixer, whip the cream until stiff peaks form.  Then, add in 1/2 tsp. corn syrup (this will help the whipping cream keep its form).  Whip again. 

Carefully fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.  Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container until you are ready to serve. 

To assemble, gather up 6-8 small serving glasses or bowls.  Place 3-4 T crushed graham crackers in the bottom of the dish and lightly press with the back of the table spoon. 

Scoop 1-2 T of cream cheese filling over the top. 

Drizzle over 3-4 T of the berry sauce over the cream cheese filling. 

Serve chilled. 

Enjoy!

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