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
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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. 
There is absolutely a time and place for everything! I totally agree. This is such a classic dish, and you’ve made it beautifully. 🙂
Such a great dish. My only complaint is when people use canned green beans. The taste and texture can be killed with canned green beans. I don’t like to hear my green beans screeching while I chew them.
This picture looks delicious, by the way.
I love green bean casserole. It’s one of my favorite holiday recipes. Sometimes we spice things up and add browned ground beef to the green bean mixture and top it with mashed potatoes. This makes it more like a dinner casserole and then I can justify eating plates and plates of it…hahaha.
Ya know, this looks good, but I’ve never been anywhere this was served. Seems I might be missing out?
I completely agree with Joe. I always use fresh or frozen green beans.
We make this every year too at Thanksgiving and Christmas.My 4 kids hate mushrooms so we use cream of celery or cream of chicken.
I completely agree, this recipe is perfect (and very nostalgic) just the way it is on the package. It just wouldn’t feel like a holiday meal without this dish!
This is one of my favorite holiday side dishes! Canned green beans, soup, and all! I agree with you about having the time and place for such ingredients; it’s such a classic and familiar recipe.