What's up with Kim?

Hello! I see you found me today for the virtual cookie exchange. Thanks Carol for hosting this. It is her second year! So, lets get started. First off, I am always on the lookout for a good bar cookie. I am very impatient when it comes to baking and I hate waiting for batches and batches of cookies to bake. This bar cookie I made a few weeks ago to take to my daughter's marching band dessert potluck. Here is the breakdown:

Brown butter Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Blondie:

Here is the recipe:

Cream Cheese layer

4 oz. cream cheese at room temp

1/4 C sugar

1 egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Blondies

1/2 C butter

1 C brown sugar (Packed)

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 C flour

Raspberry Swirl

1/4 c seedless raspberry jam

In medium bowl beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth and no lumps.
Beat in egg and vanilla, scraping down sides of bowl. Set aside

Line a 9x9 pan with aluminum foil and grease with spray oil. I used a small rectangle pan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Allow the butter to simmer gently for 5 or so min. to brown it. Pour browned butter into a large bowl and add the sugar, mixing completely. Allow it to sit 5 min or so to cool before stirring in egg and vanilla. Stir in the flour until completely combined.

Spread 2/3 of blondie batter over the bottom of the prepared pan.

Add dollops of the cream cheese mixture randomly over the blondie base. Add teaspoons of the raspberry jam randomly over the blondie base.

Spread as best you can remaining blondie over the cream cheese and jam.

At this point the recipe says to gently run a knife along the length of the pan to swirl the mixture. This didn't work too well for me as it just seemed to cut the batter since it was pretty thick.

Bake for 20-25 min until center is set (it shouldn't jiggle). Allow to cool completely in the pan before cutting into bars. Store in refrigerator up to 5 days.

Now, I didn't have any raspberry jam and so I used my homemade strawberry freezer jam. It was delicious. I would also like to try doubling the recipe and making it in a 9x13 pan next. Original recipe from: Here

Here are the links to the other swaps:

December 5

Just Let Me Quilt - Giveaway

Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats

Kris Loves Fabric

December 6