I was very busy baking and decorating cakes and cupcakes this past week, and I hit a point where I wanted to stray from the cakes for a minute and bake up some bars! These Carrot Cake Cheesecake Bars use the same base recipe as the Funfetti Cheesecake Bars and are SO easy to make. I loved how the cinnamon and spice flavors complimented the cheesecake layer! I think the next time I make these, I would like to add some raisins and some fresh carrots!

Carrot Cake Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients

1 box Carrot Cake Mix

1 can Vanilla frosting

2 pkgs fat free cream cheese

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 eggs

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 325°F. In large bowl, beat dry cake mix and butter with electric mixer on low speed until crumbly; reserve 1 cup. In bottom of ungreased 13×9-inch pan, press remaining crumbly mixture.

2. In same bowl, beat cream cheese and frosting with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in eggs until blended. Pour over crust; sprinkle with reserved crumbly mixture.

3. Bake about 45 minutes (about 42 minutes for dark or nonstick pan) or until set; cool completely. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours until chilled. For bars,cut into 6 rows by 6 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

I love sprinkles, so you can only guess that I LOVE Pillsbury’s Funfetti Cake Mix! Combine it with a little cheesecake and you will have an easy to make and extremely delicious treat. I used fat free cream cheese to cut the guilt level just a little. I can’t wait to make these cheesecake bars with all the Holiday Funfetti mixes. These would be a great Valentine’s treat made with the Valentine’s Funfetti mix. The red, blue, and white Funfetti mixes will be perfect for some 4th of July cheesecake bars too!!! The possibilities are endless!

Funfetti Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:

1 box Pillsbury Funfetti Cake Mix

1 can Pillsbury Vanilla Funfetti Frosting

2 pkgs fat free cream cheese

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 eggs

Directions:

When ever I see Magic Cookie Bars, my mind floats back to Christmas baking with my mom and sister. We made Magic Cookie Bars every Holiday season. These bars are extremely rich with a caramelized combination of chocolate, coconut, and nuts on top of a graham cracker crust. I was excited to discover a fun twist on this indulgent treat over at Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures. Instead of using graham crackers, she used a devil’s food cake mix as the base to create Magic Cake Bars. I am going to have to try this version soon. Many versions of Magic Cookie Bars exist. I believe they are also frequently called Seven Layer Bars. I have never tried butterscotch chips in my recipe like Lynn used in her cake bars. I am definitely adding them next time. Do you have a version of these bars that you make? Do you have a special twist on the recipe to share?

The Banana Caramel Oat Bars I took to work last week were a hit! One of my co-workers made me promise to make her a batch for her birthday. The girls at work and I sat around talking about various flavor combinations that would taste good using the oat bar recipe. This is the combination I came up with for the 4th of July. The recipe is so easy and the result is a delicious berry filled oat bar that would taste wonderful paired with some vanilla ice cream! Enjoy!

Very Berry Crumble Bars

Ingredients:

1 pkg. yellow cake mix

2 cups oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup canola oil

1 egg

3/4 cup strawberry ice cream topping

3/4 cup blueberries

Directions:

1. Mix the cake mix, brown sugar and oats together.
2. Add the oil and the egg and mix well.
3. Pat half of the dough into a prepared 13 x 9-inch pan.
4. Spoon the strawberry topping over the dough, and top with the blueberries.
5. Crumble the rest of the dough over the topping and blueberries.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.
7. Cool and cut into bars.