Strawberry Cheesecake Ooey Gooey Bars

Sometimes you just want something sticky and well, ooey;) these bars do just the trick. And they're so easy to make. I'm obviously completely a wee bit obsessed w/the ooey gooey butter cookies and this is the "cake" version that the cookies were based on, with a slight variation: strawberry! Yum. I've made a few and while the red velvet is my favorite to date, this offers a "summery" flavor temptation that the red velvet lacks. Who am I kidding...I will eat red velvet whenever(and wherever!)

So here is the adapted version of Paula Deen's Ooey Gooey Bars

Ingredients

Cake:
1 box stawberry cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened 
2 eggs 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
8 tablespoons butter, melted 
1 16-ounce box powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer.  Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter and beat together. 

Next, add the powdered sugar and mix well.  Spread over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes.  Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.

**** I actually used two 8x8 pans and baked for around 35 minutes. But I normally follow her directions. and I like this better when it's a few hours old, I didn't refrigerate it but I imagine if it wasn't all eaten that you should overnight.

whoopie pie wednesday: strawberry cream

I made these for a friend who loves her some strawberry and these do not disappoint. You just better love you some too...if not, you may have a complete slight aversion to these. They are the perfect treat for the long summer nights.

Ingredients

1 box strawberry cake mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil

1/4 cup water

filling

strawberry cream pudding

4-6 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tbsp heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350'

Mix together dry cake mix, oil, eggs and water

I normally use a round TBSP to place on cookie sheet, but you can also use a round TSP to make them bite size and get more out of it. Bake 8-9 minutes

For the filling

Cream softened cream cheese on low for 1 minute to get fluffy, add the pudding packet and 2 tbsp whipping cream, beat until fully incorporated and slowly add the remaining whipping cream and beat until peaks begin to form. or for alternate version, prepare the pudding w/1 cup cold milk and mix w/cool whip. Place in fridge for hour to let either version set up.

Once the cookies have cooled, lay one cookie flat, top it w/the filling and then place it's partner on top. 

I think next time I may incorporate fresh strawberries into the filling. May as well make use while they're still in season.

Strawberry Lemonade Cookies

My ooey gooey butter cookie phase has been full throttle lately. My most recent adventure involved strawberry. I have odd tendencies when it comes to food.  Take for instance the fact that I hate coffee, but heart coffee ice cream. I adore strawberries, but wouldn't eat strawberry cheesecake if you paid me. I always cringe when I spy a pink cupcake b/c more often than not...it's strawberry(which is uber sad b/c pink is my favorite). This then, makes little sense, that of all the flavors of cake mix I've dabbled in to make these cookies...strawberry captured me the easiest. As I said: odd tendencies.  Oh well, I am a woman, it's inherent in my nature to not make any sense whatsoever. Moving on...

Ingredients

1 8 oz brick cream cheese, room temperature

1 stick butter, at room temperature

• 1 egg

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 (18-ounce) box moist strawberry cake mix

• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

DIRECTIONS-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg. Then beat in the lemon juice. Beat in the cake mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up so that you can roll the batter into balls. Roll the chilled batter into tablespoon sized balls and then roll them in confectioner's sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 10- 12 minutes. The cookies will remain soft and "gooey." Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioners' sugar, if desired. 

 hope y'all enjoy these as much as I have. They're quite delightful and easily put you into a "springy" kinda mood. Especially when you've abstained from carbs for 2 weeks as I have. Yes, you read that right. 14 days of 25 carbs or less. Today was cheat day and c.h.e.a.t. I did. and guess what, my body hates me. Sugar is the evil one, why do I love it so. Now this week is 30-40 carbs a day. 12 of which will be chic fil a nuggets. hey, if I get them three meals a day...I'll still stay in my allotted amount. Hmmmmm?!?!haha kidding, or am I? only time will tell.

*Origin*

this is another of my adaption's of Paula Dean's Ooey Gooey Butter Cookie