Fudge Brownie Cookie Bars

As you may have noticed I have not been blogging as much as usual lately... and believe me I MISS IT! I miss all you wonderful people who read my blog, encourage me, and try my recipes... SO I'm back! The reason for my absence? Christmas craziness! Between work, having to bake for numerous holiday potlucks and the gym (I needed it after all those potlucks!), I have had NO time for ANYTHING in between... including sleep, so excuse me if I sound a bit incoherent! But the silver lining to this busy busy cloud is the BAKING part, and don't you worry, I took pictures GALORE and now that I am back to my semi-normal paced life I would love to share them (and the delish recipes) with all of you :) Sound ok? Thus begins Holiday Baking Posts Part I. Easy recipe, delicious results, gone from the dessert table in a matter of minutes. Fudge Brownie Cookie Bars. I love recipes that take two fabulous desserts and seamlessly merge them into one decadent delight. I love them even more when they are super quick but look impressive and elegant. Basically, this recipe involves a layer of rich chocolate brownies topping off a layer of crunchy (and it stays crunchy doesn't go mooshy) sugary cookie. I topped it off with a layer of chocolate ganache fudge ice cream topping. I wasn't sure how that would turn out since it didn't harden up but I loved the finished product. Cookie, brownie, fudge topping... hard to go wrong!

Fudge Brownie Cookie Bars

Adapted from Taste of Home

Cookie Layer Ingredients

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 egg

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling Ingredients

1 package fudge brownie mix (13-inch x 9-inch pan size)(*blush* I am a bit embarrassed that this recipe uses both a boxed cake mix and a jar of ice cream topping... but when the results are so tasty... taking the easy way out is just fine).

1 egg

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup canola oil

Topping

1 package (11-1/2 ounces) milk chocolate chips, melted

OR 3/4 jar Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Topping

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients.

Press onto the bottom of a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan.

Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the filling ingredients.

Spread over hot crust.

Bake for 15 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.

Spread melted chocolate OR Ice Cream Topping over filling. Cool completely.

Cut into bars.

More holiday baking to come...