Winstead Wandering

Prone to Wander

Frosted Heath Cookie Bars

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Skip the bore and the time suck of rolling individual cookies and make these chewy and decadent toffee-studded Frosted Heath Cookie Bars instead.

Skip the bore and the time suck of rolling individual cookies and make these chewy and decadent toffee-studded Frosted Heath Cookie Bars instead.

Frosted cookie bars are one of my favorite easy desserts. I love that, instead of spending a ton of time in the kitchen rolling out and baby-sitting individual cookies, I can plop the dough in a pan, set the timer, and come back to a finished product. These Frosted Heath Cookie Bars are wonderful on their own; they’d be great even without the frosting. Everything is better frosted, though, and this homemade vanilla frosting takes the bars over the top.

Skip the bore and the time suck of rolling individual cookies and make these chewy and decadent toffee-studded Frosted Heath Cookie Bars instead.

I made these a while back for J to take to a party. Over the next few days I got multiple requests to share the recipe and to make them again. It isn’t tough to see why; these Frosted Heath Cookie Bars are thick and chewy, with a moistness and a richness you won’t find in regular cookies. The homemade frosting is fluffy, light, and the perfect complement to the toffee-studded bars.

Skip the bore and the time suck of rolling individual cookies and make these chewy and decadent toffee-studded Frosted Heath Cookie Bars instead.

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Easy Key Lime Bars

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With an easy graham cracker crust and a creamy three-ingredient filling, easy key lime bars are rich, sweet, and perfectly tart.

With an easy graham cracker crust and a creamy three-ingredient filling, easy key lime bars are rich, sweet, and perfectly tart.

Last summer, I had this crazy idea to take three MBA classes over an eight-week period and, oh yeah, I decided to have a baby right in the middle. It quickly became clear to me that I was in over my head in my economics class because of pregnancy/new mom brain, sleep deprivation, and the fact that economics is really freaking hard.

Luckily for me, I have a smart and patient tutor living right next door: my father-in-law. He gave up plenty of evenings and weekends to help me understand the material and, without his help, I likely wouldn’t have passed the class. But I did pass, and I decided to celebrate and show my appreciation in the best way I know how: through food. My father-in-law loves all things key lime, and I’d already been toying with the idea of tweaking my lemon dream bars recipe, so the decision was made.

Unlike my economics class, these bars are easy. That creamy key lime filling has only three ingredients, and the graham cracker crust is simple to make. The resulting bars are equal parts light and rich, a combination that isn’t usually so easy to achieve, and the key lime flavor is perfectly tart without being overpowering. It may only be January, but these easy key lime bars are worth making any time of year.

With an easy graham cracker crust and a creamy three-ingredient filling, easy key lime bars are rich, sweet, and perfectly tart.

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Salted Caramel Cookie Bars

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #mixinmoments #CollectiveBias

A chewy, flavorful store-bought cookie mix becomes salted caramel cookie bars with the addition of a rich and easy homemade caramel topping.

A chewy, flavorful store-bought cookie mix becomes salted caramel cookie bars with the addition of a rich and easy homemade caramel topping.

A few months ago, I took my decadent double chocolate brownie recipe and, because I could, added a homemade caramel topping. The result was out of this world, but it was a fairly time consuming process; I essentially made two different recipes from scratch. It was worth it, but it wasn’t something I typically have time to reproduce.

That’s why, when I found these Nestle Toll House Baking Mixes at Walmart, I knew immediately what I would create. The bars are awesome on their own. You get the coveted chewiness of a perfect chocolate chip cookie in a fraction of the time it would take you to roll out individual balls of dough, but you also get the option to customize them in a zillion different, but equally delicious, ways.

A chewy, flavorful store-bought cookie mix becomes salted caramel cookie bars with the addition of a rich and easy homemade caramel topping.

Don’t let the homemade caramel part fool you; this recipe is easy. Just add your caramels and your cream to a bowl and microwave until you have a smooth mixture. Spread it over the cooled bars and you’re done. The hardest part about making these salted caramel cookie bars? Waiting for the caramel to set up before you dig in.

A chewy, flavorful store-bought cookie mix becomes salted caramel cookie bars with the addition of a rich and easy homemade caramel topping.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Bars

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Chocolate peanut butter no-bake bars combine the mouthwatering richness of the classic cookies with the ease of making bars.

Who doesn’t remember these cookies from childhood?

Chocolate peanut butter no-bake bars combine the mouthwatering richness of the classic cookies with the ease of making bars.

My mom never made them much, but I have distinct memories of my Dad’s Mom, Granny, making treats like these cookies in the kitchen of her home in Mississippi. I remember my brothers and my cousins and I waiting impatiently for the cookies to set up, watching for that tell-tale change from wet to shiny that would signal they were ready to be devoured.

It’s entirely possible that we didn’t always wait for them to set up. In fact, way before the days of cake batter-flavored anything, my brothers and I pestered Granny so often for tastes of the cake batter she was preparing that she finally handed us the yellow Tupperware bowl full of batter, along with three spoons, and shooed us into the living room with strict instructions to not return until we’d emptied the bowl.

You may very well find yourself in the same situation Granny did when you make these chocolate peanut butter no-bake bars. The chocolate sauce is rich and thick; I doubt you’ll be able to resist dipping your finger- or a fresh strawberry, hint hint- in a couple times. After you’ve added the oatmeal and transferred the whole thing to a dish, feel free to sneak into a corner with a spoon and the saucepan to enjoy the remnants in peace.

Chocolate peanut butter no-bake bars combine the mouthwatering richness of the classic cookies with the ease of making bars.

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Maple-Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

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Forget the hassle of refrigerating and rolling out dough; make these maple-frosted sugar cookie bars instead. The bars are a thick layer of soft and sweet sugar cookie, topped with a rich and unique maple frosting.

Forget the hassle of refrigerating and rolling out dough; make these maple-frosted sugar cookie bars instead. The bars are a thick layer of soft and sweet sugar cookie, topped with a rich and unique maple frosting.

Sugar cookies are one of favorite treats to eat make. They’re a hit just about anywhere I take them and, to be honest, they’re one of my absolute favorite desserts. It just doesn’t get much better than a perfectly-baked sugar cookie- crunchy outer edges, soft interior- spread with homemade frosting.

But, if I’m still being honest, sometimes I’m just not in the mood to make them. They really aren’t that complicated, but the flouring and rolling and cutting involved just seemed too overwhelming to me this past holiday season. The first trimester of this pregnancy is wiping me out, so I was all about shortcuts when it came to Christmas baking. The fact that a shortcut turned into a much raved about treat was an unexpected bonus.

The sugar cookie portion of these bars is great, but the maple frosting stole the show. It’s such a rich, unexpected twist, and it makes these bars smell so good. I brought these to a family gathering, made a batch for my students, and shared them with my coworkers. Each time, the reactions were the same: “Is that maple?” “These are really good!” “This frosting is amazing!”

Don’t be shy about buying a bottle of maple extract. I can think of several ways to use it up, but two of my favorites are these scones and this stove-top potpourri.

Forget the hassle of refrigerating and rolling out dough; make these maple-frosted sugar cookie bars instead. The bars are a thick layer of soft and sweet sugar cookie, topped with a rich and unique maple frosting.

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mud hen bars

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This rich dessert begins with a layer of cookie dough, followed by a sprinkling of chocolate chips and marshmallows, topped with chewy brown sugar meringue.

This rich dessert begins with a layer of cookie dough, followed by a sprinkling of chocolate chips and marshmallows, topped with chewy brown sugar meringue.

I first made these bars several years ago. I’d stocked up on mini marshmallows while they were on sale because, at the time, my Pinterest feed seemed to be full of recipes that included them. To be honest, I don’t remember what other recipes I made with those marshmallows; I only remember this one.

As far as layered bars go, this recipe is deceptively easy. I’ve seen a lot of desserts that look incredible, but many of them seem to require you to prepare three separate recipes, like brownies and cookie dough and homemade caramel. I bet those treats taste amazing, but they look time-consuming and expensive.

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