Frugal Foodie Mama: Cookie Butter Pecan Bars {The Leftovers Club}

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Thursday, May 2, 2013

Cookie Butter Pecan Bars {The Leftovers Club}

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I will admit it.  I am a full-on cookie butter addict.  I spread it on granola bars, dip pretzels in it, and just eat it by the spoonful straight out of the jar.  I knew it wouldn't be long before I was baking with it.  

The inspiration for my Butter Pecan Cookie Butter Bars came to me when I was visiting the Wine and Glue blog and came across Lisa's recipe for Sugar Cookie Cookie Butter Bars.  I am not going to lie- I REALLY wanted to make her cookie bar recipe, but I was feeling lazy and was short on butter for her recipe.  So, I improvised! ;)

I had a box of Butter Pecan cake mix that had been sitting in my pantry for a few months now.  Honestly, I had no clue why I even bought it.  But it had been sitting there on my shelf for months staring at me, begging me to just do something with it.  I figured cookie butter and butter pecan would go well together, so why not make some cookie bars combining the two flavors? (And finally get rid of that box of cake mix already! ;) )

And so I did and the results were ah-mazing!  In fact when I was paired up with my April partner for The Leftovers Club, I knew I had to make a batch of these cookie bars again to send to Daphne of Go Gastronomy.

What you will need:
1 box of butter pecan cake mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional- I did not add pecans to either one of my batches of the cookie bars, but I plan to for my next batch.)

For the cookie butter layer:
1 stick of butter
1 cup of cookie butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 8 x 11.5 baking pan with cooking spray.  Set aside.

Dump the cake mix into a large mixing bowl.  In your microwave, melt the 1/2 cup butter in a microwave safe bowl.  Pour the melted butter over the cake mix and add the egg.  Mix well.  Fold in the chopped pecans if you decided to add them.  

Press the butter pecan dough into the bottom of the prepared baking pan.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until the cookie layer is lightly golden brown.  

Let it cool completely (pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes to speed up the process if you are impatient like me).  

Once the cookie layer is cooled, whip up the cookie butter layer.  Place the stick of butter in a medium sized microwave safe bowl.  Nuke it for about 30 seconds.  Add the cookie butter and microwave for another 30 seconds.  Whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth.  
Spread the cookie butter mixture evenly over top of the cooled butter pecan cookie layer.

Pop in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes until the cookie butter layer sets up. 

I cut the cookie bars as needed, and left the entire pan wrapped tightly with plastic wrap at room temperature.  You can refrigerate them if you would like, but be sure to let them come to room temperature before cutting or the cookie butter layer will break up.

I am not going to lie...  I probably ate 80% of both of the batches of these Cookie Butter Pecan Bars that I made.  They are addicting.  And they were staring me in the face.
All day.
Every day.
Just sitting out on that kitchen counter beckoning me to cut off just one more tiny piece.
Note:  All those tiny pieces add up to one huge hunk by the end of the day.... just saying. ;)
So I was more than happy to send a few bars Daphne's way for this month's The Leftovers Club swap. 

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Cookie Butter Pecan Bars

by Frugal Foodie Mama
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
Ingredients (12-16 bars)
    For the cookie bar layer
    • 1 box of butter pecan cake mix
    • 1/2 cup butter, melted
    • 1 egg
    • 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
    For the cookie butter layer
    • 1 stick of butter
    • 1 cup of cookie butter
    • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
    Instructions
    Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 8 x 11.5 baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
    Dump the cake mix into a large mixing bowl. In your microwave, melt the 1/2 cup butter in a microwave safe bowl. Pour the melted butter over the cake mix and add the egg. Mix well. Fold in the chopped pecans if you decided to add them.
    Press the butter pecan dough into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until the cookie layer is lightly golden brown.
    Let it cool completely (pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes to speed up the process if you are impatient like me).
    Once the cookie layer is cooled, whip up the cookie butter layer. Place the stick of butter in a medium sized microwave safe bowl. Nuke it for about 30 seconds. Add the cookie butter and microwave for another 30 seconds. Whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth.
    Spread the cookie butter mixture evenly over top of the cooled butter pecan cookie layer.
    Pop in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes until the cookie butter layer sets up.
    I cut the cookie bars as needed, and left the entire pan wrapped tightly with plastic wrap at room temperature. You can refrigerate them if you would like, but be sure to let them come to room temperature before cutting or the cookie butter layer will break up.
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    If you are a lover of cookie butter like me, make sure to check out my recipe for...
    Cookie Butter Walnut Granola

    Be sure to check out all the other amazing recipes from this month's The Leftovers Club...

    Savory Simple - Quinoa Energy Bars
    The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen - Cashew Butter and Blackerry Jam Thumbprint Cookies
    Dining with Dani - Pancakes and Bacon Cookies
    Eats Well With Others - Salted Caramel Shortbread
    Frugal Foodie Mama - Cookie Butter Pecan Bars
    Let's Give Peas a Chance - Chocolate Stout Brownies
    Budget Gourmet Mom - Crisp Oatmeal Cookie Sandwiches
    Sugar Dish Me - Strawberry Lemonade Loaf
    Roxana's Home Baking  - Chocolate chip bars
    O'Boy! Organic - Rhubarb Cake
    Eat Bake Drink Cook - Everything Cookies
    Healthy. Delicious. - Carrot Cake Granola
    Souffle Bombay - Sweet & Spicy Pecans
    The Spiced Life - Garam Masala Caramel Corn
    Whey Beyond the Naked Truth - Chia Seed Protein Bites
    Don't you wish you could enjoy some of these leftovers with us? You can!  Visit The Leftovers Club online for more details!
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