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[The Cookie Elf File] Chocolate-Cherry Bars: The Mix Makes It Easy
July 30, 2014
Dear Cookie Elf reader,

Welcome back to The Cookie Elf File! About once a week, The Elf sends you an easy cookie recipe or simple baking tips for baking homemade cookies.

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Feature: Chocolate-Cherry Bars: The Mix Makes It Easy

Image: The Cookie Elf
“They’re such a surprise,” said a friend when she tasted Chocolate-Cherry Bars. What looks like a frosted brownie explodes with flavor from the marriage of chocolate with cherry.

And like a brownie, the bars are a cross between a slice of cake and a cookie.

It’s the cake mix base that makes putting together the recipe easy, saving you steps. Plus, you can mix the frosting in just a few minutes while the bars are baking and spread it on the bars as soon as they come out of the oven, further streamlining the recipe.

It’s easy to see why these bars were a favorite recipe from the iconic Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest #25 in 1974.

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Bake time: 20-30 minutes
Cooling time: 90 minutes-2 hours
Makes 48 bars

Get the full recipe for Chocolate-Cherry Bars – and be sure to check out other Cake Mix Cookies on The Elf’s Pinterest board.

Cookie Baking Tip of the Week: Why Using a Cake Mix is NOT Cheating

Image: General Mills

“Is it cheating?” That’s a question asked often about using cake mixes or other prepared ingredients to make cookies.

The Elf uses mixes. Why not you, too? Here are some good reasons.

  • Cake mixes are like any other prepackaged ingredient, such as chocolate chips. You don’t grow the carob plant and extract the cocoa fat, do you?
  • Cake mix cookie recipes are unique. Different ingredients turn cake mix cookies into a personal recipe with creative touches.
  • Cake mix cookies taste good. Ultimately, it’s hard to tell the difference between cake mix cookies and cookies from scratch … when the recipe is a good one.

Get more of The Elf's great reasons to use mixes when you bake cookies.

More Cake Mix Cookie Recipes from The Elf

Peanut Butter Fudge Bars Lemon Cookies (1-2-3 Cookies) Fran’s Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies Red Velvet Chip Cookies


That’s it for now. See you next time!

Happy baking,

The Cookie Elf
www.cookie-elf.com

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