Bar Cookie Recipes

The creamy lemon squares of your dreams take just 15 minutes of prep: Stir together a mere three ingredients to create a sunny, puckery filling for the buttery shortbread crust in this dessert.

An almond crust is spread with blueberry jam and topped with crumbles of homemade granola.

This recipe is based on the famous Key lime pie from Joe's Stone Crab restaurant in Miami Beach. If you can't find Key limes, use regular fresh lime juice.

These decadent bars are inspired by Hello Dollies, a popular Southern dessert.

Rhubarb and strawberries are a great match. You can substitute half the rhubarb with an equal weight of quartered berries.

These handheld treats are packable, snackable, sure-fire crowd-pleasers -- indoors and out.

For a no-bake treat just right for lunchboxes or after school, try this fun twist on a childhood favorite that goes beyond the usual "Snap, Crackle, and Pop" blueprint and plays with other great combinations found in the cereal aisle. Each of the four variations uses the same marshmallow base—whether you want to use the mix-ins to take it in a chocolatey, tropical, or fruity direction is entirely up to you!

Get kids helping out in the kitchen with this great starter recipe. Serve these tasty treats cool and sliced into squares.From the book "Mad Hungry," by Lucinda Scala Quinn (Artisan Books).

Here's a risk-free way to get rich quick: Try our easy take on the classic chocolate-caramel butter bars known as millionaire's shortbread. We swap in crispy, marshmallow-laden rice cereal for its base, and add a thin layer of peanut-butter caramel under the chocolate-shell topping. Just invest a little time to let it chill, and it pays off with every extravagant bite.

This dessert is just like a homemade cherry pie...except you can grab it and eat it on the go! Slip the finished squares into lunch boxes, pass them out after dinner, or enjoy one with coffee for breakfast—because in our book, it counts as a serving of fruit. This recipe comes from Martha Stewart's Fruit Desserts: 100+ Ways to Savor the Best of Every Season ($24.49, amazon.com).

Lemon squares combine the wonderful flavor of freshly squeezed lemon juice with just a few staples such as sugar, flour, eggs, and milk in this simple Lemon Squares dessert. But not only the ingredients are simple—the recipe is too.

You can bake these up to ten days ahead and store in the freezer, without cutting into bars; wrap the baking sheet tightly in plastic.