This week’s challenge is biscuit bars/cookie bars. When I first approached this week, I was unsure of what exactly constituted as a “cookie bar”, until I came across this post on the 52 Weeks of Baking challenge reddit page.

That’s basically any cookie or biscuit that you bake in a pan (as opposed to cut-out or drop biscuits/cookies) and then cut up (usually into squares).

My first inclination was to do a Millionaire Bar. But I tried this the week before Christmas and the result was less than pleasant. I completely fudged the caramel. The caramel didn’t reach the desired temperature because I was too impatient and afraid of burning it up, or it crystalizing. So I pulled it off the stove before it reached the right temperature. I put it in the refrigerator for at least an hour but it still didn’t firm up. So when I did spread the caramel on the shortbread, it went everywhere and it was such a mess. I would like to mention that I did get the chocolate completely right. Which was nice, but it was still a complete mess to eat with the caramel not behaving right.

Anyways, I wasn’t completely ready to give Millionaire’s a second chance yet, and I also wasn’t in the mood for anything too heavy. I had a taste for something fruity but not too sweet, which is where the Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake bars come in. These bad boys seemed simple, delicious and easy to get right, which is exactly what I wanted after the cupcakes.

I can honestly say without a doubt that I got the recipe completely right! They were perfect! I was actually kind of impressed with myself. While mixing the batter with my KitchenAid, I realized that the batter wasn’t the consistency that I was looking for. It seemed off. I could still see chunks of softened butter. I switched my attachment with the whisk and put it on a faster speed and it came out creamy and completely mixed, the way I expected.

Before (three weeks ago), I would’ve accepted the batter as it was and baked it without investigating and trying out other methods to get a smooth batter. Now, I question things and I have suspicions… I’m growing and learning!!! Yay!

This is the finished product!

It was absolutely yummuy and gooey just how I like my sweets! Heavenly. I do wish the crust would’ve been a bit crunchier but I guess that’s just something I’ll have to keep in mind of the next bake. I took 8 over to my mother’s house and my brother couldn’t get enough of them. They loved them. I kept telling them that they would taste better warm, but they insisted they were good cold……okay.

If you are at all interested in attempting this recipe, check out the page, “Recipes I’ve Used,” and you’ll find the link listed there.