Our Best Bar Cookies

These bar cookie recipes will tempt dessert lovers with an array of flavors, from chocolatey layer bars to tangy, lemon-filled bars dusted with sugar.

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Salted Caramel, Chocolate and Peanut Cracker-Stack Bars

These fantastic potluck bars come from Patrice Hurd of Bemidji, Minnesota. She won the grand prize in a Best of the Midwest® Recipe Contest. Patrice says they're a twist on her grandmother's cracker bars. They cut beautifully and brim with salty-sweet-nutty-chocolately flavor.Salted Caramel, Chocolate and Peanut Cracker-Stack Bars

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Maple-Walnut Banana Bars

The math on these homey bars couldn't be simpler: one pan, one ripe banana and less than one hour from start to finish.Maple-Walnut Banana Bars

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Caramel Heavenlies

Graham crackers form the base for this bar cookie with layers of marshmallows, brown sugar, almonds and coconut. "I've made these cookies since 1984," says Georgine Simmonds of Genesee, Michigan. "They're one of my family's favorites."Caramel Heavenlies

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Scrumptious Seven-Layer Cookies

These rich bar cookies star among the sweets at Stafford's Bay View Inn in Petoskey, Michigan. Mix and match among your favorite treats for some of the layers to create a dessert that's just right for your family.Scrumptious Seven-Layer Cookies

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Gooey Butter Bars

Traditionalists may grumble, but we think topping St. Louis-style gooey butter bars with fresh berries is a stroke of midsummer genius.Gooey Butter Bars

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Apricot-Rosemary Streusel Bars

A rich, fruity filling bakes in a rosemary-infused crust, then gets drizzled with a powdered sugar icing.Apricot-Rosemary Streusel Bars

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Peanut Butter Chip and Jelly Bars

The flavor of these bars from Connie Siegel of Wisconsin will take you right back to your school lunchroom! If you don't like grape jelly, strawberry would work well, too.Peanut Butter Chip and Jelly Bars

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Gooey Pecan Pie Bars

These sweet, nutty and oh-so-buttery bars are a guaranteed showstopper on any cookie tray.Gooey Pecan Pie Bars

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Cranberry Candy-Bar Cookies

These gooey bar cookies start with a German chocolate cake mix. Melted caramels and cranberry sauce form a moist middle layer.Cranberry Candy-Bar Cookies

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Caramel and Chocolate Kettle-Corn Crispie Bars

These bars, from Judy Reynolds of Bloomington, Indiana, won the grand prize of $10,000 in Midwest Living's first Best of the Midwest cook-off. Judy started with a Hoosier staple--popcorn--and stirred together these sweet-salty snack bars. Homemade caramel sauce helps makes them a standout.Caramel and Chocolate Kettle-Corn Crispie Bars

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Sweet-and-Salty Scotcheroos

You would think there's no way to improve on a scotcheroo (that peanut-buttery, chocolate-y cousin to Rice Krispies treats). But then we added Fritos.Sweet-and-Salty Scotcheroos

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Maple Nutty Candy

These bar cookies combine four winning flavors: peanut butter, maple, butterscotch and chocolate. The easy recipe, from a Wabash, Indiana, reader, makes about 6 pounds of bar candy. We suggest freezing the bars and thawing them out as needed.Maple Nutty Candy

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Luscious Lemon Bars

Sweet and tart, these moist, powdered sugar-topped classics will disappear fast at a potluck.Luscious Lemon Bars

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Triple Peanut Butter Streusel Bars

Dry-roasted peanuts, peanut butter-flavored pieces and peanut butter bring triple flavor to this make-ahead bar cookie.Triple Peanut Butter Streusel Bars

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Cherry Crumble Pie Bars

Zesty lemon peel adds zing to this fruit bar cookie; almond extract and brown sugar give it extra sweetness.Cherry Crumble Pie Bars

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Salted Oatmeal Bars with Roasted White Chocolate Frosting

Roasting white chocolate gives it a nutty flavor and caramel color; show both off in these utterly delicious salty-sweet bars.Salted Oatmeal Bars with Roasted White Chocolate Frosting recipe

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Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars

Peanut butter and chocolate meet for a sweet treat in this recipe from a Cedarburg, Wisconsin, reader who likes to make these bar cookies for potluck gatherings.Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars

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Butterscotch Pretzel Bars

This sweet-salty dessert goes together quickly with a no-bake bottom and a topping of butterscotch pieces and whipping cream heated on the stove. Butterscotch Pretzel Bars

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Candy Bar Cookies

These gooey bite-size treats feature a creamy mixture of chocolate pieces, butterscotch pieces and peanut butter over a cooked oatmeal-brown sugar layer. The recipe is from a Madison, Wisconsin, reader, who likes to take the bar cookies to potluck gatherings.Candy Bar Cookies

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Date-Orange Bars

Date-nut desserts can be cloyingly sweet, but orange juice brightens these simple bars.Date-Orange Bars

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Chocolate and peanut butter bars

Chocolate and peanut butter naturally complement each other in these three bar cookie recipes. The Eagle Ridge Inn and Resort near Galena, Illinois, combines the flavors to make the candylike Hallelujah bars (left).A Wisconsin reader sent us the recipe for Peanut Butter Fingers, which have rolled oats in addition to peanut butter and semisweet chocolate pieces. They're a great sweet ending to entrees and salads on a potluck table.Merry Marshmallow Bars come from a Decorah, Iowa, reader, who combines semisweet chocolate, peanut butter and marshmallows for an easy-to-fix bar cookie that kids love.Hallelujah Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars recipe Peanut Butter Fingers recipe Merry Marshmallow Bars recipe

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Danish Pastry Apple Bars and more

This recipe for Danish Pastry Apple Bars comes from an Indiana teacher who discovered these treats in a student's lunch box years ago. The student's family was happy to share the recipe; the results taste almost like apple pie.After-School Apple Bars has a similar origin: A Michigan reader began making these when her son brought the recipe home from school. His third-grade teacher owned an orchard, and the class made this recipe after a bountiful apple harvest.Frosted Apple-Pie Bars comes from a South Dakota reader who includes apples, sugar, cornflakes and spices in her filling.Danish Pastry Apple Bars recipe After-School Apple Bars recipe Frosted Apple-Pie Bars recipe

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Butter-Pecan Bars

These candy-like bar cookies have a brown sugar crust and a filling of brown sugar, butter and chopped pecans. Sprinkle with chocolate pieces immediately after baking.Butter-Pecan Bars

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Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

Layers of cheesecake, raspberry filling, almonds and coconut form dessert bars perfect for summer picnics and potlucks.Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

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Salted Peanut Bars

Luscious caramel tops a sweet-salty treat of peanuts, pretzels, marshmallow crème and peanut butter.Salted Peanut Bars

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Easy Candy-Bar Treats

A mix of popular ingredients--chocolate, caramel, and peanuts--makes this easy and delicious microwave candy.Easy Candy-Bar Treats

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Rhubarb Bars

Cooks in the Midwest's Red River Valley learned early to take advantage of rhubarb. The tangy, celerylike ingredient grows well in a region where strawberries seldom thrive. This recipe comes from RBJ's Restaurant in Crookston, Minnesota.Rhubarb Bars

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Brownie Bombs

These sinful brownies feature a cheesecake layer sandwiched between two ultra-rich chocolate layers.Brownie Bombs

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Easy Cherry Crumb Bars

Oatmeal cookie mix speeds prep time for these tart cherry bar cookies.Easy Cherry Crumb Bars

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Blueberry-Almond Bars

Fruit fillings complement the sweetness of other bar cookie ingredients. Blueberry-Almond Bars was a grand champion award recipe at the Marshall County Fair's annual Blueberry Bake-A-Rama in Plymouth, Indiana. Lori Van Der Weele combined blueberries, butter, white baking pieces and almonds for this winner.Blueberry-Almond Bars

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Toffee Bars

These moist, easy brownies get a little extra crunch from a topping of toffee pieces.Toffee Bars

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Chewy Chocolate Caramel Bars

This super easy dessert uses caramel candies and chocolate cake mix. Make it for a work party or as a sweet snack for the kids.Chewy Chocolate Caramel Bars

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Toffee-Pumpkin Pie Bars

Love sweet and salty combos? You'll fall for these bars with sweet toffee, toasted pecans and a spiced Ginger Crumb Crust.Toffee-Pumpkin Pie Bars

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Strawberry-Rhubarb Bars

Strawberries and rhubarb flavored with ginger make an appealing combo in this dessert. Drizzle just before serving with Ginger Icing, if you like.Strawberry-Rhubarb Bars

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Easy Peanut Butter Bars

These sturdy bars travel well; pack them in lunch boxes or take to a picnic or potluck.Easy Peanut Butter Bars

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Dark Chocolate Mint Bars

Frosting with reduced-fat cream cheese tops no-bake bars designed for a lower-carb treat.Dark Chocolate Mint Bars

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Sour Cream Pumpkin Bars

These are especially good in fall, but canned pumpkin makes them an any-time treat.Sour Cream Pumpkin Bars recipe

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Continue with more Midwest Living desserts

Bake the Ultimate Cake Decadent Chocolate Dessert Recipes Irresistible Apple Dessert Recipes 10 Quick-and-Easy Dessert Recipes Rich, Moist Brownie Recipes Rich and Creamy Cheesecakes

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