BETTY CROCKER®'S 

CHOCOLATE CHIP CHEESECAKE BARS

 As promised, the long overdue next recipe installment.  Today's recipe comes from Betty Crocker and is for chocolate chip cheesecake bars.  This recipe combines two of my favorite desserts into one, chocolate chip cookies and cheesecake!  How can you go wrong?  The recipe is easy enough to make, it's the waiting for it to chill and set that's the hard part :) 

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 C. cold butter
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® oatmeal chocolate chip cookie mix
1 egg
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 C. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 13x9 inch pan with cooking spray.  In large bowl, cut butter into cookie mix using fork or pastry blender.  Stir in 1 egg until mixture is crumbly.  Gently spoon 3 cups crumb mixture into pan; press into bottom of pan.  Bake for 15 minutes.

(uncooked cookie dough mixture)

(cooked cookie crust)



  In small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, 2 eggs and the vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.  Pour over cookies crust. 

 Spoon remaining crumb mixture over cream cheese.

 Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch.  Cool 30 minutes.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until chilled.  For bars, cut into 9 rows by 4 rows.  Store covered in refrigerator.

~The first couple of times I made this recipe I could still find the Betty Crocker® oatmeal chocolate chip cookie mix.  But I haven't been able to find it since, so I just get the Betty Crocker® chocolate chip cookie mix and that works fine.  If you really want the oatmeal in it, you can add some to the cookie mix.

~I don't cut it into 9 rows by 4 rows.  I just leave it uncut and let people cut to their desired amount.  Whatever works for you.

~These pictures are from when I went to visit one of my brothers back in May.  I'm grateful to him for letting me use his kitchen.  So, thank you again!


 As for my Labor Day Weekend plans, I just got back last night from a trip over to see Mt. St. Helen's.  It's something that I've always wanted to do but had yet to get around to.  So this holiday weekend provided the perfect opportunity.  This past Saturday, my mom, a former coworker of hers, and I went.  It was unbelievable!  When we got there on Saturday night, we went over to Windy Ridge, on the eastern side of St. Helen's.

 


 What looks like white sticks are actually dead trees that were in the path of the blast zone.  The next day, we went over to the western side of the mountain.  We first went to Mount St. Helen's Visitor Center, spent a good amount of time there, walked through the museum and watched the video.  We then had something to eat at the food stand outside and then continued on to the Johnston Ridge Observatory.  It's the closest you can get to Mt. St. Helen's on the west side, and it gets you as close to just over 5 miles from the north flank of Mount St. Helen's!

(driving up to the Johnston Ridge Observatory)

 The view from the Johnston Ridge Observatory was stunning.  It's weird to be soo close to the mountain that caused so much damage back in May of 1980.

(view from the Johnston Ridge Observatory)



 My advice to you, if you are in any way able to make the trip to see Mt. St. Helen's, you should do it!  It was a remarkable trip and I'm already thinking of when I can go back!