Dessert Bars

• 1 cup butter
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 ½ cup flour
• ½ cup cocoa
• ½ tsp baking powder
• Dash of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla

Cream first 3 ingredients. Add dry ingredients and mix together; add vanilla. Stir well. Bake at 350ºF in 9x 13-in pan for 25-35 minutes.

• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
• ½ cup butter or margarine
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1/3 cup chunky or creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• ¼ cup creamy peanut butter

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease an 8-in square baking dish. Melt 1 cup chocolate and butter in a saucepan over low heat, blending well. Beat sugar, eggs and vanilla in a bowl. Blend in chocolate.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add to chocolate mixture; mix well. Stir in chunky peanut butter. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes.
3. Melt remaining chips with 1 tsp oil, stirring continually, in a small saucepan over low heat; set aside. Melt creamy peanut butter stirring, in a small saucepan over low heat.
4. Spread melted chocolate over baked layer. Drizzle melted peanut butter over chocolate; swirl with tip of knife. Chill until firm. Cut into 2x 3 ¼ in bars.

Makes 20 Bars

• ½ cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup chopped nuts (optional)
• Creamy Brownie Frosting

Blend butter, sugar, and vanilla in large bowl. Add eggs; using a wooden spoon, beat well. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually blend into egg mixture. Stir in nuts. Spread in greased 9 inch square pan. Bake at 350 º F for 20-30 minutes or until brownie begins to pull away from edges of pan. Frost when cool.

German Chocolate Brownies

• 2 pkgs (4 oz each) sweet baking chocolate
• ½ cup butter or margarine
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• Coconut- Pecan Frosting

Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease rectangular pan, 13x9x2 in. Melt chocolate and butter in 3-qt saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently, until smooth; remove from heat. Stir in remaining ingredients except Coconut-Pecan frosting. Spread batter in pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely. Frost with Coconut-Pecan Frosting. Cut into 8 rows by 4 rows.

• 4 cups Cheerios
• 2 cups crisp rice cereal
• 2 cups dry roasted peanuts
• 2 cups M & M’s
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup sugar
• 1-1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine the first four ingredients; set aside. In a saucepan, bring corn syrup and sugar to a boil. Cook and stir just until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat; stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Pour over cereal mixture and stir to coat evenly. Spread into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Cool. Cut into 3-in. x 3in. bars.

Yield: 15 bars

• 3 TBL Butter or margarine
• 1 pkg (10 oz, about 40) Regular Marshmallows or 4 cups miniature marshmallows
• 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Melt margarine in large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Add rice krispies. Stir until well coated. Using buttered spatula or waxed paper, press mixture evenly into 13x9x2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cut into 2 inch squares when cool. Best if served the same day.

Yield: 24 squares

• 1/3 lb graham cracker crumbs
• 2 sticks margarine
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 lb powdered sugar
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Combine graham cracker crumbs, peanut butter, margarine and sugar. Press into 9x13 pan sprayed with cooking spray. Melt chocolate chips and spread over cracker mixture. Refrigerate until firm and cut into squares.

Yield: 12 servings

• 2 cups flour
• ½ cup plus 2 TBL confectioners’ sugar, divided
• 1 cup butter
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Mix flour and ½ cup confectioners’ sugar in a bowl. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or 2 knives until crumbly.
2. Pat mixture gently into a 9x 13-in baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned.
3. Beat eggs, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl until smooth. Pour over crust.
4. Bake for 20 minutes longer or until set. Cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with remaining confectioners’ sugar. Cut into bars.

Makes 24 Bars

• 1 ½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7 ½ ounces)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon table salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), melted and cooled
• 1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar (10 ½ ounces)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
• ½ cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup pecans , toasted and chopped coarse

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 º F. Toast coconut on a rimmed baking sheet, stirring 2 to 3 times, until light golden, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl to cool.
2. Line a 13 by 9-inch baking pan with two pieces of foil (see Note below). Spray the foil-lined pan with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
4. Whisk the melted butter and brown sugar together in a medium bowl until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in the semisweet and white chocolate chips, the nuts, and the toasted coconut and turn the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula.
5. Bake until the top is shiny and cracked and feels firm to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Place the pan on a rack and cool completely. Cut into 1 1/2 by 2-inch bars.

Note: Removing Bar Cookies from the Pan

Place two sheets of aluminum foil or parchment paper perpendicular to each other in the pan, pushing the foil or paper into the corner. 2. After the bars have baked and cooled, use the foil or paper to transfer them to a cutting board, then slice into individual portions.

Makes 36 bars. (From Aunt Lynne J.)