Gooey Bars (aka Cream Cheese Bars)
I have no idea what these bars should actually be called or where this recipe really came from… It’s likely to have come on the back of a cream cheese box for all I know. (Actually, Google helped me to find this recipe which is the same). This is another recipe that my family loves. My sisters practically know this recipe by heart. Similar to the “best dang thing ever bars”, my sisters also prefer to underbake these bars, hence the name gooey bars. I tend to like my bars fully cooked so they hold their shape better. If you prefer an even gooier texture, take these out of the oven a couple minutes early.
I know some of you will shudder at the thought of using a box cake mix. I agree that in general, I would much rather make a cake/cookie/brownie from scratch. For starters, it’s a lot more fun as a baker to measure everything out and follow a recipe that has more than two steps. Not to mention knowing exactly what is in your food (and being able to pronounce it all!) I do however believe that boxed cake mix has a time and a place. One of those places being in this bar.
These bars taste almost like a cheesecake with a great chewy shortbread crust. Everyone that tried one really enjoyed them and Hubby ate an embarassingly large number of these bars.
Gooey Bars
Yield: 30
Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 eggs
1 pound powdered sugar
1 8-oz package cream cheese
Directions:
Mix cake mix, margarine & 1 egg with fork. Press into bottom of greased 9 x 13 pan, set aside.
Beat powdered sugar, cream cheese and 2 eggs for 4 or 5 minutes. Pour over cake mixture.
Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Cool completely. Cut into bars.
Recipe from my step mom
Don’t forget – I’m offering a chance to win a cute tote if you donate $5 or more to my Avon Walk by the end of January. See details here.
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
Hmm it seems like your blog ate my first
comment (it was super long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I had written and
say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I too am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to everything.
Do you have any points for beginner blog writers?
I’d really appreciate it.
They sound awesome! Everything I like–hubby has good taste! You might want to edit–it says chocolate chips and I assume you mean butterscotch chips. Can’t wait to try them. Thanks a lot.
beantownbaker — February 12th, 2014 @ 12:46 pm
Thanks for the heads up. I have fixed the typo.
I must admit that in reading this post I turned to my fiance and asked him what his favorite kind of cookie was (we’ve been together 5 1/2 years). His response: peanut butter chocolate chip. You learn something new every day 🙂
I too love butterscotch (and coconut and toffee for that matter!) but it is such an overlooked flavor!
beantownbaker — February 12th, 2014 @ 12:46 pm
Isn’t that funny?!? Crazy how you can be with someone so long and still be surprised by them!
In the recipe you, you say to add chocolate chips(?) and there is no reference to when you add the toffee or the coconut…
beantownbaker — February 12th, 2014 @ 12:45 pm
They go in with the butterscotch chips. I have updated the recipe to reflect this. Sorry about the typo.
Thank you for the nice recipe.
kind of amazing/awesome that there’s still more to discover about him after all these years! 🙂
Wow, what a combination! These cookies sound heavenly 🙂
Yes yes yes! Butterscotch and coconut together! It works it does.