Gooey Cookies & Cream Bars

Have you ever had one of those days when everything goes wrong?  You wake up and you don't feel so great?  You're late for work?  Then work just doesn't go as planned (meaning kids freaking out, parents yelling for reasons that make no sense and co-workers stressing out because students are out of control)?  I'm the one that has to deal with all of that at work and normally I can chug through it and life is good.  But this week?  I'm exhausted.

So I decided to bake.  That always seems to help.  It gets my mind off of "life" and, well, it just plain tastes great when I'm done =o)

And how could I go wrong with this amazing recipe?  When I saw this over on A Dash of Sugar and Spice I immediately bookmarked it.  Cookies and Cream?  We are HUGE cookies and cream fans.  My son loves, loves, loves Oreos!  So I thought this would be perfect.

Gooey Cookies & Cream Bars
Source: A Dash of Sugar and Salt

* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 large egg
* 1 tsp. vanilla
* 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
* 3/4 cups crushed Oreos (about 10 cookies)
* 1 tsp. baking powder
* 1/4 tsp. salt
* 2 King Sized Cookies and Cream candy bars (or white chocolate bars)
* 1 (7 ounce) jar of Marshmallow creme
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line an 8x8 pan with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Crush Oreo cookies.  I used Who Nu cookies.  Have you heard of them?  They claim to be "healthier" than regular cookies.  They have fiber and vitamin C and calcium in them.  See?  So my cookies are healthy, right???

Stir together cookie crumbs, flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl for about 3 minutes.  Add egg and vanilla and mix thoroughly.  Add flour ingredients and mix until combined.  Divide the dough in half and press half the dough into the bottom of your prepared pan.

Line your candy bars over the bottom layer.  You may have to break them up to make them fit. 

Carefully spread the marshmallow creme over the candy bars.

To add the remaining dough over the marshmallow creme, make a "pancake" out of a small amount of the remaining dough.  Lay these over the marshmallow creme.

Carefully spread the dough over the creme.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly golden brown.  Let cool completely in the pan.

Carefully lift out cookies and cut into bars.

Heavenly, right???  These are seriously the best cookie I've had in awhile.  They were rich and gooey and delicious!!!  I just wish my pictures turned out better =o( 

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