My law school BFF’s birthday was a few weeks ago. I told her that I’d make her any treat she wanted and she picked these. I know what you may be thinking: isn’t there just a little too much going on in these bars? Butterfingers AND cookie dough AND cheesecake AND a cookie layer?! But trust me, it somehow all works and works beautifully. The cheesecake and Butterfinger flavors dominate, so if you don’t like either of those these may not be for you!

Butterfinger Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
Recipe source: bakersroyale.com
Print Recipe

For the chocolate chip cookie layer:
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup flour plus 2 tablespoons
1 cup mini chocolate chips + 1/2 cup for top
5 Butterfinger bars, king size [I used the mini versions – worked fine!]

For the cheesecake layer:
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Create a sling by lining an 8×8 inch pan with foil so that there is a one inch overhang on each side. Cover foil with bake spray. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Make the chocolate chip cookie layer: Melt butter and let cool to warm. Add in brown sugar and mix to combine. Add in egg and vanilla extract and mix to combine. Add in flour and fold to combine. Add in 1 cup of mini chocolate chips and fold to combine. Pour mixture into pan; set aside.
3. Make the cheesecake: Add all the above listed cheesecake ingredients in a bowl and beat until blended. Set aside.
4. Assemble: Press 3/4 of cookie mixture into pan. Place Butterfinger bars side-by-side on top of cookie dough. Pour cheesecake mixture on top. Crumble remaining cookie dough sprinkle on top of cheesecake layer along with remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips all over top.
5. Transfer pan to oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes at 375 degrees F. Remove from oven set on wire rack to cool.

Note: Keep these bars refrigerated because of the cream cheese content. I think they taste better when cooled anyway!

Here’s the Easter idea roundup for 2013!

1. Tuxedo Peeps
2. Bunny Ear Cupcakes
3. Hot Cross Buns
4. Peep Cookies
5. Butterscotch Birds’ Nests
6. Coconut Easter Cupcakes
7. Cadbury Creme Egg Cupcakes
8. Homemade Peanut Butter Eggs
9. The Best Carrot Cake
10. Cadbury Mini Egg Cookies
11. Peep Cupcakes
12. Carrot Cake Cupcakes
13. Cadbury Mini Egg Blondies
14. Anniversary Peep Brownies
15. White Chocolate Jelly Bean Cupcakes
16. Easter Thumbprint Cookies

This year marks the 60th anniversary of Peeps! Aren’t these anniversary peeps the cutest things? I love the speckled colors — and the fact that they are vanilla flavored, as opposed to just tasting like stale sugar. I didn’t really know what to do with these and decided to make brownies. I figured that most people don’t like Peeps, but most people love brownies! I used a box mix for the brownies because I was short on time. I made a batch of homemade buttercream to look like grass and placed a Peep on top.

PS: The only place I’ve seen the anniversary Peeps is at Target. They come in a special silver package with three Peeps in each.

Anniversary Peep Brownies
Print Recipe

1 box brownie mix (plus required oil and eggs)
Ingredients for your favorite frosting (I used white buttercream)
Green food coloring
Pastry bag + tip
Peeps

1. Make the brownies according to box directions and allow them to cool entirely. Cut the cooled brownies into squares.
2. Make the buttercream icing and use a few drops of coloring to dye it green. Using a small star tip, pipe a bed of “grass” on the top of each brownie.
3. Place a Peep on each brownie.

Makes about 9 brownies.

Happy first day of spring! It doesn’t feel like spring here in Wisconsin, as it’s still in the 20s. But the green grass and warmer weather will be here before we know it. Hopefully!

Jelly beans seem to be a polarizing candy – you either love or hate them. I’m in the hate them camp. But they’re so cute and they epitomize Easter and springtime. So I decided to make mini cupcakes decorated with jelly beans — which can be easily removed and thrown out if you’re not a fan of the little beans.

White Chocolate Jelly Bean Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from: epicurious.com
Print Recipe

8 ounces high-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina), chopped
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk (do not use low-fat)
3 large egg whites

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line mini muffin pans with paper liners.
2. Place white chocolate in metal bowl set over pan of barely simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth.
3. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, and vanilla in large bowl until blended. Add hot white chocolate to sugar mixture; stir to combine. Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with coconut milk in 2 additions, beating batter just to combine between additions.
4. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gently fold egg white mixture into batter in 3 additions.
5. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 10 minutes. Cool completely.

I made a batch of my favorite white buttercream icing and topped each cupcake with two jelly beans. I bought the pastel and speckled jelly beans at Target.

One of my baking goals has always been to make perfect little thumbprint cookies. These are not those cookies. My cookies always crack – anyone know why? But perfect-looking cookies don’t really matter as long as they taste good. And these definitely did.

Apologies that my posts are not particularly wordy lately. I’m finishing up another semester of school and I try to balance school with my baking hobby. Sometimes I just don’t have time to write much. Which is probably alright because most of you just want the recipe, right?! Hope you’re all having a great spring :)

Easter Thumbprint Cookies
Recipe source: A Bowl of Mush
Print Recipe

10 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (chopped)
1 tablespoons butter

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. With an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt until smooth. Beat in the flour slowly until the dough has formed.
3. Roll teaspoonfuls of dough into balls. Place on an un-greased baking sheet and bake for 10 mins. Then remove from the oven and press thumb prints into the center of the balls. [I used the end of a large spoon]
4. Place the tray back in the oven for a further 7-9 minutes or until lightly golden. Allow the cookies to cool fully on a rack.
5. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler until smooth. Allow to cool slightly, then pour the chocolate into the cookies little thumbprints.
6. Add a chocolate mini egg on top for a cute Easter look.