Cheesecake Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

 For the Cookie Dough Portion

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup chocolate chips (mine were mini chips)
1/3 cup caramel bits
1/3 cup toffee bits

For the Cheesecake Portion

1 8-oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

 Prep a 9 x 13 pan by lining it with parchment paper.  Set aside.

Cream together the butter, sugars, salt and vanilla.  Beat in the egg, then the baking soda and flour.

Stir in the chocolate chips, caramel bits and toffee pieces.

Divide mixture in half.  Spread half of the dough evenly into the prepared pan.  I use my fingers to do this.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and white sugar until fully blended.  Beat in the egg and vanilla.  Mix until completely smooth.

Pour and spread cheesecake layer over the pressed cookie dough layer.

Using your hands, press pieces of the remaining dough into flat discs.  Lay on top of the cheesecake layer.  You don't have to have the entire cheesecake layer totally covered.  In fact, leaving a bit of the cheesecake layer peeking through in spots looks good once the bars bake and cool.

Bake for 20 - 30 minutes or until the bars are cooked through and top is lightly brown.

Allow to cool completely before removing from pan by way of the parchment paper.

Once cooled and removed from pan, cut into twelve equal bars.

Store in refrigerator.

NOTE:  If you use the caramel bits in this recipe, allow the bars to come almost to room temperature (after refrigerating) prior to serving.  The caramel bits harden up a bit in the fridge.

Source:  joyouslydomestic

Oreo and Peanut Butter Brownie Cake

Ingredients:

1 box brownie mix, 8x8 inch size
24 Oreo Cookies
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 12 muffin cup baker with paper liners.

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. For each cupcake cup spread 1 teaspoon of peanut butter over 2 Oreo cookies and stack them on top of each other. Place Oreo stacks into the cupcake lined muffin cups. Spoon 2 tablespoons of brownie batter over each stacked Oreos and let it run down the sides of the cookies. If you have left over brownie batter, bake separately in a separate baker or muffin tin. Bake cookies and brownies for 18 to 20 minutes, until brownies are cooked through. Let cool completely then serve.

Makes 12 servings

Glazed Lemon Cookie

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat until combined. With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture.

Drop dough by heaping tablespoons, 1 inch apart, onto two baking sheets. Bake until edges are golden, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool 2 minutes on sheets, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Spread cookies with Lemon Glaze and let set, about 1 hour.

Lemon Glaze:

Ingredients:

2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest, and 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice until smooth.

Cook's Note

Always zest the lemons (preferably with a Microplane tool) before juicing them. For orange- or lime-flavored cookies, substitute the zest and juice of those fruits.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Ingredients:

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
48 miniature Reese's peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

3. Beat together the butter, peanut butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the egg and vanilla and mix for another minute or so to combine. Reduce the mixer speed to low, add the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Give the dough a final mix with a rubber spatula to ensure all of the flour is incorporated.

4. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls (about 2 teaspoons worth of dough) and place in the cups of a miniature muffin pan (keep the dough in balls - do not press into the pan).

5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until light golden brown and slightly puffy. Remove from the oven and immediately press a miniature peanut butter cup in the middle of each cookie, pressing down so that the top of the peanut butter cup is even with the top of the cookie. Cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from the pans, and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.