Skinnier Cheesecake Bars

Skinnier Cheesecake Bars

There are certain facts of life that are indisputable, so here are a few:

1) A perfect nap is harder to find than a good life partner.

2) Summer dresses are the best part of being a girl.

3) Beaches are magical.

4) Even if it sucks, you have to sweat every day to feel good.

5) Cheesecake is the best and worst dessert of all time.

What was that last observation?

I love cheesecake. LOVE it. Most people do, you know. But when you see how much gets loaded into the batter, it’s kind of sad. Because all that deliciousness usually comes at quite a price, health-wise. Fat? Check. Calories? Check. Indigestion? Double check.

But fear not! You don’t have to drop cheesecake from your repertoire. These bars do the trick quite nicely and you will never know they’re skinny!

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Magic Bar Pie

Magic Bar Pie

There’s a bakery chain in the DC area called Firehook. They sell a lot of good stuff, to put it mildly. I used to pop in for soothing cups of tea and baked goods on long cold walks from my condo to grad school. I was not a fan of grad school, and it seems like sugar always helped me out with that.

In those long-ago days, I pretty much always hoped to find a big chocolate chip cookie behind the glass cases at Firehook. They were good. And don’t get me wrong. I still love those big cookies! But one day, I saw a big bar wrapped in plastic. It was called a seven-layer bar, and I’d never heard of that before. Don’t think I’m oblivious. It was like thirteen years ago!

When I tried the bar, I couldn’t believe all the fun packed into that one square! Coconuts and pecans and chocolate chips, all atop a fantastic graham cracker crust. I later learned that this concoction is also known as a Hello Dolly or a Magic Bar, and you know, I preferred the latter name. Those bars taste like magic!

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Cinnamon S’more Brownies

Cinnamon S’more Brownies

Every other morning when it’s still dark and everyone is asleep, I do my strength training workout. You see, I used to be just a cardio girl. I’d move and move and move and it was nice, but I didn’t see the results I wanted. I kept my weight where I wanted it to be, but I wanted muscles. Like Madonna. Totally doable, right?

Well, I’m getting there! About six months ago I discovered Physique 57. They have studios in big coastal cities and in places where really rich people live, like the Hamptons or Dubai. But they haven’t hit the DC area yet, so I sweat it out to the DVD collection and their online streaming. And it’s kind of addictive, mainly because I have muscles in places I never thought about before, and I really like that.

Anyway, I was working my abs to utter exhaustion the other morning when a recipe lightbulb went off in my head, apropos of absolutely nothing. I love it when that happens. It’s so random and so appreciated, like someone you don’t know about exists somewhere in your brain just to give you fun ideas. I love that someone!

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Cookies And Cream Fudge

Cookies and Cream Fudge

This post is for a guy I work with. I’ve known him since I was a student teacher 14 years ago, back when we were both super young and perky. Now we’re old and crochety.

He just had a birthday and he loves Oreos. I see him turn down dessert a lot, which I know because I’m usually the one offering it to him. You see, he’s “trying to be good.” Have I mentioned how much I hate stigmatizing food as good or bad? Ugh. It’s food.

But anything with Oreos and this guy cannot resist. It’s like me with peanut butter cups. We all have that Achilles heel. Own it!

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Nutella Magic Bars

Nutella Magic Bars

It’s Nutella Week on Just About Baked! Why, you ask? Geez, why not?

Is it just me, or is there a very strong Nutella bandwagon out there? The people who have joined are fanatics. They put the stuff on everything. Kind of like how I am with peanut butter. I mean, I really like Nutella, but it’s a fondness and not a craze for me.

That said, I understand food loyalty. See the above comment about peanut butter. I put it in everything. So I wanted to make a recipe for you Nutella people out there, and this one’s a real doozy. It’s got two different layers that contain Nutella, plus hazelnuts and chocolate. You will fall out of your chairs, eat the whole pan and then not feel the slightest bit remorseful when that sugar crash hits. How’s that for a guarantee?

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M & M Cookie Dough Fudge Bars

M & M Cookie Dough Fudge Bars

When I was a kid, people didn’t worry about raw cookie dough. So I happily licked the beaters, knowing in my soul that eating batter was the best part of baking anything. But then the dark forces moved in and exposed the dangers of eating cookie dough.

I know a lot of people aren’t afraid. But me, I live in fear. I get nervous around fire and water, I wash my hands obsessively during flu season, and I always wait for the walk sign before crossing the street. Eating raw cookie dough used to be absolutely taboo. Until, of course, everyone realized it was possible to have your dough and eat it, too. Just don’t put in the egg, add condensed milk, and you’re good to go!

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Chocolate Birthday Cupcakes

Chocolate Birthday Cupcakes

My baby is two! I can’t believe it. And I know that’s something everyone says, but really, my youngest is tiny. She’s very small for her age and always has been, so I am a little shocked every time I realize how old she’s getting.

Despite her smallness, my daughter can really eat. Every day when I get home from work, she looks at me and says, full of hope, “Want chocolate.” And you know what? I give it to her. Because I totally understand her, and because she’s cute. And because she’ll throw a mean tantrum if I don’t. That’s good parenting in action, people.

So for her birthday, I took the most intense chocolate cake recipe I could think of and made cupcakes out of it. Minnie Mouse cupcakes, to be exact. Because the only thing my daughter loves as much as chocolate is Minnie Mouse.

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Peanut Butter Cup Bark

Peanut Butter Cup Bark

Oh, come on. You knew this was coming, didn’t you?

You don’t get to my level of peanut butter and chocolate dependence easily. It takes hard work. Daily doses of Reese’s, for instance. That’s a must. So why should it surprise you that I decided to make this bark?

It’s just…lovely. Sigh. So much lovelier than any bark ever. Have I mentioned that I like to exaggerate from time to time? But really, look at those peanut buttery swirls, all dotted with little peanut butter cups. It’s just pretty. A very attractive dessert, which dessert should be if it possibly can. Yes, I’m paraphrasing Jane Austen. I’m an English teacher.

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Brownies And Blondies (Passover)

Brownies and Blondies (Passover)

Folks, Passover Week is drawing to a close on Just About Baked. Come Wednesday morning, I will be back to posting regular baked goods. Thank the lord and all the powers up above! I can’t take much more of this…

See, I miss the forbidden foods. Like pizza. And sushi. Oh my lord, a week without sushi is a very dark time in my life. You can imagine how well I got through three pregnancies without raw fish. It was a horrible time. So I guess I shouldn’t complain about one week. Especially when I can have brownies!

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Toffee Bars (Passover)

Toffee Bars (Passover)

One of the reasons that I love to bake is that people find homemade goods to be really special. Though my mother didn’t bake super frequently when I was growing up, I loved everything she baked. My favorite recipe was her toffee bars, and I always associate those cookies with feeling happy and nurtured.

So as part of my Passover quest to bake desserts that taste as though they contain flour, I make these toffee bars annually as a tribute to my mother and as an excuse to eat one of my favorite cookies. They’re classic and the base is mainly ground almonds. Yay protein!

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