Mom’s Cookie Bar Recipes: Chewy Coconut-Peanut Butter or Carrot with Cream Cheese Frosting

As I have said in other posts, my mom (Eva) loved to cook and her idea of a good time was reading through a cooking magazine or perusing a new cookbook.  (We found over 300 cookbooks in her home!)  I have shared that Mom loved soups and the favorite casserole recipe of her children.  However, when it came to sweets, this is where she shined!  Mom baked cakes and cookies for her children and their friends to snack on.  She also took those to various Church suppers and bake sales.  Desserts after meals at our house were typically pies, pudding, fruit salad, or jello.  We also made  specialty sweets like fudge and divinity for holidays.  Below are two of her “easy cookie bar recipes,” which I found in an old Church cookbook under her name.

Chewy Coconut-Peanut Butter Bars Recipe

Ingredients:

1/3 cup shortening

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup coconut

Directions:

1.       Cream together all ingredients except coconut.

2.       Stir in coconut and then spread mixture evenly in greased 9 X 13 cake pan.

3.       Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

4.       Allow to cool and then cut into bars.

Carrot Bars Recipe

Ingredients:

4 eggs, beaten

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 ½ cup oil

2 ½  cup flour

1 ½ cup grated carrots

1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

1.       Combine ingredients, adding in order listed above.

2.       Pour mixture into greased jelly roll pan.

3.       Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

4.       Allow to cool and then frost with cream cheese frosting.

5.       Cut into bars.

Eva’s Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

3 ½ cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Blend ingredients until smooth – works best if slowly adding powdered sugar while beating with electric mixer. 

Optional: 

Make it chocolate frosting for brownies or cake by adding 1 or 2 Tablespoons of cocoa to desired flavor and color.