Bar Cookie Recipes

In between bars and a crowd-friendly sheet cake is this autumnal dessert. Moist and tender pumpkin spice cake is lavished with cream cheese frosting for bars that are simply irresistible. 

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.

These dessert bars are inspired by a popular Southern dessert, Hello Dollies, and are incredibly easy to make. A cookie crust made with graham crackers, sugar, and butter is the base for a generous sprinkling of pecans and chocolate chips. The toppings get doused in sweetened condensed milk, followed by a dusting of shredded coconut. For even more chocolate flavor, use chocolate wafers for the cookie crust.

This delicious chocolate pecan pie treat (no crust needed) is from Anne Royal of Port Orchard, Washington.

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.

Your kids may not like pumpkin pie, but these moist pumpkin bars studded with chocolate chips are simply irresistible.

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!

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.

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

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).

This recipe, courtesy of Amy Scherber and Toy Kim Dupree, can be found in "The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread."

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.