Wednesday, July 10, 2013

White and Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese Chocolate Cake Bars

My dear husband loves rich desserts and the more chocolate the better, so he is always keeping his eyes open for something new online to have me give a try in my kitchen. Hence, how I came by this recipe with the ridiculously long name, but not ridiculously difficult to make at all because the recipe starts with a packaged cake mix. These are the easiest kinds of recipes to do, even if you don't enjoy working in the kitchen, but love to eat dessert. I do not know who to credit for this recipe because there is absolutely no information on my computer copy, but whom ever created this recipe gets our thumbs-up! Blessings...

Recipe:

1 box devil's food chocolate cake mix (or your favorite boxed chocolate cake mix)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 to 2 tbsps. cold brewed coffee or water, if necessary (I needed 1 tbsp. liquid)
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 can (14-oz.) sweetened condensed milk
4 oz. cream cheese, softened (I used light)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9 x 13-inch baking pan by lining it with aluminum foil and then spraying it with cooking spray. (I did not line the baking pan with foil. I greased the pan and the bars came out fine, so use your own discretion with this step).
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, butter, egg and vanilla and mix on low speed until thoroughly combined. The mixture will be very thick so you might need to add the tablespoon or two of liquid at this point. Increase the speed on the mixer to help this along.
3. Press the dough into the prepared pan with your fingertips. It will be tacky so this will take a few minutes to get the dough spread evenly over the pan.
4. Sprinkle the white and dark chocolate chips evenly over the top.
5. In another mixing bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese and the 1/2 tsp. vanilla beating until smooth and completely combined. Pour mixture evenly over dough, using a spatula to gently spread and even it out, if  necessary.
6. Bake for 24 to 27 minutes, or until edges of bars begin to barely brown and pull away slightly from the sides of the pan, or until the middle has barely set, taking care not to overbake. The middle will not seem very well set and will be jiggly upon removing from the oven and that is okay, you want to keep these gooey. They will continue to set as they cool. (I had no problem with this at all, so don't let it keep you from trying this recipe).
7. Allow bars to cool completely on a wire rack before cutting. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze for up to three months.

Yield: 24 to 36 bars
24 bars= 250 calories each
36 bars= 167 calories each


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