Friday, June 20, 2014

Toffee Cheesecake Bars

It has been a week! A good week. A good tired week. A week full of good stories, good music, good fellowship and good rain.

My garden is growing like crazy. I think it was exuberant about the torrential rain we got on Wednesday. Those thirsty plants just drank to their fill. Rain nutrients and lightening are the best for plants. Water from a hose is just not the same. I don't know the why's, but the garden always has a growth spurt after a good rain. My basil is doing better than ever before. I practically have basil trees. I am thinking thoughts of fresh pasta sauce and more pesto. Thank goodness pesto freezes well!

I've clocked almost 55 miles on my bike so far this week. I am hoping to get in another almost 40 before Sunday rolls around. I am getting used to my clip pedal-shoe combos. I had my first (2) falls. Nothing tragic. Just toppling over at a complete stop. The one time at a fairly busy intersection. (when the traffic was not going my way) That did a lot for my pride. Nothing says graceful and sauce like toppling over for the world to see...Big sigh...

I taught at VBS several days this week. And let me tell you, telling stories and teaching makes me come alive as the modern saying goes. I love telling stories. I love helping others to use their gifts. This week is one of my favorite weeks of every year.


Meres turns 3 today. She was an early morning baby-7:11, or something close to that. She radically changed our lives from Day 1. She is my different child. She makes me laugh and cringe. I love that she looks like her dad. I love and am annoyed that she acts like me.

I tried a couple new recipes. Including a spinach, strawberry, kiwi, chicken, poppy seed dressing salad. So fresh and summery and good! I'll share that recipe in another week or two.

A few weeks ago it was my turn to cook for the BFF, and I made this recipe that I had bookmarked a while ago. I loved it. These bars are very easy to make, and they are very rich. I'd advise cutting them into 24 or 36 bars.

There is a thick cake layer, topped off by a cheesecake layer that is chock full of chocolate and toffee bits. So good!


Toffee Cheesecake Bars

For the bottom layer:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 large egg
1 stick butter, melted

For the top layer:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup Heath bar pieces

Preheat oven to 350 and lightly spray a 9x13 pan. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, 1 egg, and 1 stick melted butter. Mix until well combined and press into bottom of prepared pan.

In the same bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Take the time to beat it until there are no lumps and it is fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, beating to make sure it's well combined. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter. Fold in the chocolate chips and Heath bar pieces.

Pour over the cake base and spread evenly. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the middle is gooey but not liquid. Remove from oven and let cool completely before cutting into bars.

What are your weekend plans?