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. 
Those are some very lovely cookies! I want these for breakfast! They have blueberries right?
beantownbaker — July 26th, 2013 @ 9:44 am
I could totally justify eating them for breakfast. They have oats too!
I love using fresh berries in cakes and breads – I don’t know why I have never tried them in a cookie! Yours look delicious, thanks for the inspiration!
beantownbaker — July 30th, 2013 @ 5:48 pm
Any time! It’s rare to see fresh fruit in cookies.
I never would have though of putting fresh blueberries into cookies…I gravitate toward scones/muffins/cake, but these just may have convinced me to try cookies!
beantownbaker — July 30th, 2013 @ 8:43 pm
I know – you just never see them in cookies. Definitely give these a shot.
Oh goodness, these cookies look incredible 🙂 I love blueberries!
LOVE the idea of fresh blueberries in a cookie like this. Have any tipes to keep from smashing the blueberries when adding them? 🙂 Pinning now!
beantownbaker — August 4th, 2013 @ 6:44 pm
Thanks for pinning this 🙂 Just be careful when you stir the berries in. They shouldn’t smash unless you’re really heavy handed.
Had to comment on these, I made some earlier in the week as I had some fresh blueberries to use up – they were so easy and quick to make and delicious. Definitely worth a go.
beantownbaker — August 16th, 2013 @ 8:19 am
So glad you made them and enjoyed them. I love an easy cookie recipe!
These cookies look fabulous! I can`t wait to get my hands on some blueberries and trying this out!