Ooey Gooey Bars...yum!

Ok y'all, I have a seriously delicious recipe to share with you. I love to bake, so naturally it is a dessert. Also, my favorite dessert cookbook is The Lady & Sons Just Desserts written by none other than Paula H. Deen herself! Now Paula Deen just makes the most delicious things and her desserts are no exception. Today I'm deciding to feature her Gooey Butter Cakes. AKA Ooey Gooey Bars. The OGB is a brownie like dessert with a dense cake base and a gooey filling, somewhat resembling a lemon bar, but so much better! (Unless of course you make the lemon version!) So there are many variations on the OGB such as pineapple gooey, lemon gooey, carrot cake gooey, peanut butter gooey, banana gooey, etc. but today, I will post the original because they are just so good!

CAKE

1 18.25-ounce box yellow cake mix

1 egg

1/2 (1 stick) butter, melted

FILLING

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

2 eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 16-ounce box confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well. Pat into the bottom of the prepared pan and set aside. Still using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth; add eggs and vanilla. Dump in confectioners' sugar and beat well. Reduce speed of mixer and slowly pour in butter. Mix well. Pour filling onto cake mixture and spread evenly. Bake for 40-50 minutes. According to Paula: Don't be afraid to make a judgement call on the cooking time, because oven temperatures can vary. You want the center to be a little gooey, so don't bake it past that point! Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into small squares because these are rich and a little will go a long way!

So...it's that easy! Bake em up and I guarantee your guests will love you for it!