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. 
YUMMY!! That’s so cool you made both at once!! I’m soooo going to have to try this! If the pears and the cranberries were very ripe there should be no problem. Ours was almost too sweet! lol! Maybe the cranberries or pears were still not fully ripe? That’s my only guess. But you can always add more sugar if you like a sweet pie. So cool!
I did sprinkle some sugar on top, but I didn’t measure. I probably didn’t have enough… Like I said the pear bites were amazing, but when you got a bite of cranberry you made that sour face. I just bought cranberries that come in a bag. I didn’t know they could ripen? Is that the right thing to use?
love the fact there’s two-in-one 🙂 they both look lovely!
I am hitting up a Farmer’s Market near L.A. Sunday…I think I am going to pick up ingredients to make both pies and take them to a get-together that I am attending Monday! I’ll tell you how it goes! THANKS for the inspiration!
Let me know if you want the recipe Loan.
Hello Jen,
Just discovered your site, it’s awesome! The squash pie sounds wonderful, do you think I could have the recipe Jen. Thank you so much for your time and consideration.
Marie