Swirl Squares Recipes

NUTELLA SWIRL CHEESECAKE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil with enough overhang on the sides. Set aside.
• Using a food processor or blender, grind the graham crackers into a fine crumb. Pour into a medium bowl and mix with melted butter and sugar. Press into the lined pan. Bake for 5 minutes. Allow to cool as you prepare the filling.
• Beat cream cheese, egg, sugar, and vanilla extract together with a hand or stand mixer until smooth and creamy, about 3 full minutes. Spoon filling onto the crust. Drop large spoonfuls of Nutella on top of filling and swirl gently with a knife.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cheesecake has set up and the edges are lightly browned. The bars will be very puffy, but will sink slightly down as they cool. Allow to cool for 30 minutes at room temperature on a wire rack and then chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Lift the foil out of the pan and cut into squares.
• Store bars in a covered container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE SWIRL BARS

Steps:

• Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease or line the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment, leaving an overhang on all sides. Set aside.
• In a large bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and beat on medium high speed until fluffy and light in color. Beat in egg and vanilla on high speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. On medium speed, beat in the pumpkin until combined. The mixture will look curdled; that's ok.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together until combined. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. Do not overmix. The mixture will be thick. Spread 2/3 of the batter evenly into the prepared pan; it will be a relatively thin layer. The rest will be added in step 5.
• In a medium bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer filled with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Beat on high speed until completely combined. Drop random spoonfuls on top of the pumpkin batter.
• Drop the remaining pumpkin batter on top of the spoonfuls of cream cheese. With a rubber spatula or knife, begin gently swirling the two together. Both mixtures are thick, so go slowly. Jiggle the pan back and forth to get the layers to settle into the pan. Don't worry if it looks messy; everything will come together in nice swirls as the bars bake. Sprinkle cinnamon-pepitas on top of the swirled batter.
• Bake the bars for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Allow the bars to cool completely at room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator for about 2 hours before cutting into squares. Leftover bars can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. They're SO good on day 2!

FROZEN RASPBERRY SWIRL CHEESECAKE SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Thoroughly grease a 7x11x2 inch baking pan, and set aside.
• Stir together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar in a bowl until well blended. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
• Bake the graham cracker crust in preheated oven until golden, about 8 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks on high speed until thick and lemon colored. Add the softened cream cheese, sugar, and salt. Beginning on low speed and increasing to high, beat until smooth.
• Place the egg whites in a large bowl, and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the cream cheese mixture.
• Place the heavy cream in a bowl, and beat until stiff. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
• Place the raspberries in a blender. Cover, and blend on low speed until berries soften. Swirl half the berries into the cream cheese mixture. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the crust.
• Spoon the remaining raspberries on top of the cream cheese mixture. Use a knife to swirl the berries into the cream cheese, making a red and white swirl pattern.
• Cover the pan tightly with foil or freezer wrap. Place in freezer for at least 3 hours. When ready to serve, let stand 30 minutes before cutting into squares.

SUNNY'S EASY PB&J SWIRL BARS

Steps:

• Make the crust. Spray an 8-inch square metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line with parchment paper, allowing the parchment to overhang the edges of the pan. Spray again and set aside.
• In a food processor, pulse the crackers, brown sugar and butter until combined and it resembles wet sand. Remove and press into the bottom of the pan. Refrigerate for an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Make the PB layer: In a stand mixer or with a hand-held mixer, beat the peanut butter, brown sugar and butter in a bowl until smooth. Remove the pan from the refrigerator and spread the peanut butter mixture evenly over the bottom layer.
• Add the jelly swirl. Drop about 9 dollops of the jam around the pan. Use a skewer or butter knife and drag it through the jam and peanut butter to make swirls.
• Bake until set, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely, then remove from the pan and cut into bars the size of your choosing.