Mocha Cheesecake Brownie Bars

Brownies, cheesecake, coffee.. all are pretty great on their own, but together? Amazing. Treats that come in bar form are always fun, especially to bring to a pool party. These cute little handheld treats are great for parties because they are effortless to make and easy to eat.

 This is great recipe for those picky dessert eaters- they can get 3 delicious flavors in one bite. Brownie crusts definitely beats out graham cracker ones any day. It's also a great make-ahead dessert, as it needs to set and get chilly in the fridge overnight.

It was a nice change to bake dessert since the past few weeks of my life have consisted of bountiful quantities of breads. Don't get me wrong,  I am really enjoying scratch-made artisan breads but sweets still win.

Lemon Bars

With Spring approaching and the abundance of lemons growing on my Grandma's Meyer lemon tree, I thought lemon bars would be a perfect dessert to bring to a housewarming I attended last weekend. I still have hundreds of lemons hanging from that tree in need of zesting and juicing. Lemon meringue pie, or lots of lemonade perhaps? 

 

The crust on these bars is crumbly and dense, a cross between a pie crust and a shortbread with just a touch of sweetness. The lemon curd filling thick, gooey, and tart- most delicious! The powdered sugar gives a little bit more sweetness, but just looks really pretty dusted over the tops.

 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Fresh baked cookies is one of the best smells ever. This scent has been duplicated in candles and air fresheners but nothing can compare to the real deal.

These are a crowd-pleaser because everyone loves chocolate chip cookies. They are that go-to nostalgic comfort food and this recipe just makes them even better. Instead of getting a measly cookie, you get a big bar filled with three different kinds of chocolate slightly melted and a center that's warm and gooey.

see, three kinds!

You might even be tempted to eating the whole bowl of raw cookie dough because they are that good, but trust me they are best when warm & right out of the oven.

Chocolate-dipped Pecan Bars

Originally I wanted to make these little cuties for Thanksgiving but Josh just had to have pumpkin pie and I only had time to make one dessert. So I finally was able to try this recipe out today after a long busy week at culinary school!

Pecan pie on its own is really delicious but the addition of chocolate just makes even better. The fact that these are bars instead of a standard pie, adds a whimsical note to them. They can be dipped in chocolate, drizzled on top, completely submerged- the possibilities are endless with chocolate.

I took this recipe even further and sprinkled some pink himalayan salt on the tops of a few, which really takes the idea of decadence to a whole new level. The combination of caramel, chocolate and salt is like no other and because this dessert is so sweet and buttery, that extra salty bite balances very well with the other flavors.

Be prepared: this recipe calls for over 2 lbs of butter, and makes dozens of small sized squares so its great to bring for a holiday party!

Mango-Lime Cheesecake Bars

I have wanted to make this cheesecake for a while now. I am proud to say this is my own recipe. I did use guidelines from another fruit cheesecake(which I've made and it is delish) just for measurements, but the concept was completely my own. My inspiration for this mango lime cheesecake came from an episode of the cooking show "Mexican Made Easy", where Marcela Valladolid was making galaxy fruit pops and talking about how in Mexico, there are street carts that sold fresh mangoes with chili and lime to squeeze on top. I remembered after that when I was in high school I would go to this local Hispanic supermarket with my grandpa sometimes and they sold these fruit lollipops covered in chili and lime.

So I got to thinking and came up with this cheesecake. Cheesecake is an amazing blank canvas for many different flavor combinations, and because the flavors of mango, lime and chili pair so nicely together I might as well give it a try. Also, it has been excessively hot in Southern California (where I live) the past few days, a cold fresh fruit cheesecake sounded very refreshing. So here it is, my mango-lime cheesecake bars with a graham cracker chili crust.