Bar Cookie

Dried sour cherries and a hint of cinnamon add an original twist to a tried-and-true standby. And you don't even need a mixing bowl: The batter is made in the saucepan with the melted chocolate.

"Aunt Gert always made the best strudel," writes Leslie Berman of Skokie, Illinois. "I've adapted her recipe over time, and I get rave reviews when I make this version with dried cherries and chocolate." Serve with hot coffee or tea for an excellent afternoon snack.

Serve with a watermelon, kiwi fruit and grape salad. You can save any leftovers for an afternoon snack with coffee.

Although they are baked, these intensely chocolaty bar cookies resemble fudge more than brownies. To retain the creamy texture, keep them in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to a week. If the bars are refrigerated, their texture will become more dense.

Unlike the topping on German chocolate cake, which is soft and gooey, the coconut-pecan crust on this cake-like brownie is baked, making it crisp.

A chewy brownie with an intense coffee flavor.

These irresistible treats are filled with dried apricots, figs and cherries as well as dates and walnuts, and are topped with a cream cheese frosting.

Here's an excellent new use for maple syrup. These bar cookies are very sweet and deliciously sticky.

Chocolate lovers will be in heaven when they taste these ultra-moist treats. The marbled topping works on most bar cookies.

Christina has been making these super-easy brownies since she was a teenager.

The lusciously sticky caramel-pecan top layer in this brownie was inspired by the chewy chocolate candies called "turtles."