This is an ode to my dear friend, Jocelyn.  I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who loved dessert in the form a bar more than her.  In fact, before I met Jocelyn I didn’t realize an appreciation for dessert bars existed.  For some reason, I also associate summer time with Jocelyn, so this was a natural fit.

From a baker’s perspective (this baker’s perspective anyway) creating a bar is a lot like making simple cookie dough without the hassle of scooping and baking several cookies – you just throw the dough onto a sheet pan and when it’s done and cooled all you have to do is cut into little squares or rectangles and the bars automatically look absolutely adorable.  So, I guess my secret is out of the bag: I like to make dessert bars because they are easy.  Bars also tend to contain layers and fruit components, which is always impressive.  I will admit that I use a ruler and straight edge to measure my bars before cutting them with a sharp knife that gets cleaned after every cut to ensure that each bar looks perfect, but they are still easy to make.

Here is my very “summery” dessert bar recipe that was adapted from a random promotional Kraft foods magazine and won the heart of Jocelyn:

what I used:

½ cup butter, melted
1 package yellow, white or lemon cake mix (whatever I have on hand)
2 eggs
2 tsp lemon zest
3 tbls lemon juice
2 blocks (8 oz each) cream cheese
½ cup sugar
2 ½ cups blueberries (rinsed)

how I made it:

pre-heat oven to 350°.  Line a 13×9” pan (I use a glass baking dish) with foil or parchment paper (enough to be able to pull out of the pan on each side once cooled).

Combine melted butter with cake mix, 1 egg and 1 tbls of the lemon juice.  Press 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of the lined pan.

Beat cream cheese, sugar, 1 egg, lemon zest and remaining 2 tbls lemon juice with a mixer and pour over the pressed crust.  Top with blueberries and sprinkle the top with the remaining crumb mixture.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the center is almost set.  Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack and refrigerate for an hour before cutting into squares (see method above).

I pull the bars out with the parchment or foil onto a cutting board so I have a completely flat surface for cutting and can go to town with the ruler and straight edge.  Wiping a sharp knife with a damp cloth or paper towel between each slice really gives the bars a beautiful presentation and allows the layers to shine through in each bar.