Chocolate Chip Cake Bars

Do you have any recipes that while you are preparing them you find yourself flooded with memories? This is one for me. I still remember finding it in a Taste of Home or Quick Cooking Magazine when I was much younger. My mom always subscribed to these magazines as she loves to cook and bake more than I do! I remember all the times I made this recipe. I can taste these bars while I am mixing them. My mom was so great with letting me try new recipes and this is one that I have made time and time again. Sometimes she did not let me try new recipes because she has this keen fifth sense that a recipe will not turn out just by reading it! I still remember a couple years ago when I tried a new recipe for some type of oatmeal bars. They were a complete flop and did not turn out. She took one look at the recipe and said, "Oh, I saw that recipe. I knew it wouldn't turn out." Thanks for telling me in advance! :-) It was a good learning experience. I hope someday I can look at recipes and instantly know if they will turn out or not.  These bars are super quick to whip up - took me about 8 minutes!

• 1 yellow cake mix (18 1/4oz.)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Mix the first five ingredients until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Dough will be very sticky! Grease a 9x13 inch pain. Pour dough evenly into pan. I have found that this spreads easiest with a knife. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.

Drizzle Glaze:

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1 Tablespoon shortening

Melt chocolate chips and shortening together in the microwave. WATCH IT CAREFULLY!!! (Don't burn it like I did today!) Drizzle over bars and let set.

***You can alter this recipe! Try different flavor chocolate chips! Peanut butter, butterscotch, dark chocolate, etc. You can also try different flavor cake mixes. Have fun with this recipe!***

Oatmeal Creme Pies

This is a really exciting post for those of you who begged your mom to buy you Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies when you were a kid.  These are almost a complete replica! I ate two for lunch. I'm going for a walk this afternoon. So good! I adapted them from a recipe on Shugary Sweets.

• 1 cup margarine (no substitutes!!!)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon molasses
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (I heaped it a bit as I LOVE cinnamon!)
• 1 1/2 cup quick oats
• 1 1/2 cup flour

Combine margarine and sugars. Add molasses, vanilla, and eggs. Next the salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add flour and then quick oats. Drop by tablespoons on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. (If you have a baking stone you can just drop them directly on the stone) I know these cookies look small but they spread quite a bit. Bake at 375 for about 8-9 minutes. (The original recipe called for 350 for 8-10 minutes. My oven works way better at 375 so that is what I use but us whatever works well for your oven and cookies!) Cool however you normall cool cookies, I always put mine on a paper towel. (I like to think it absorbs some calories out of the cookies as they do wick away some oil!) Once they are cool you can frost them!

• 1 1/2 jars of marshmallow fluff/creme. (About 10-11 ounces)
• 3/4 cup shortening
• 1/4 teaspoon butter flavoring (you can find this at Meijer by the spices and other extracts)
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons HOT water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Start by heating up the water to very hot and then add the salt and dissolve the salt. Beat marshmallow fluff/creme with the shortening and butter flavoring. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Add salt water. Beat until well combined.

Frost downside of cookie and add another downside of cookie on top of frosting. I store mine in the refridgerator as they keep longer and taste really good cold. These are very soft cookies so I layered wax paper between layers of cookies. I was able to make 26 cookie pies. Try these today!!! You cannot live another day without these!