No Name Bar? Too Good For Words

What makes cooking and baking fun for me?
I love being creative in the kitchen. I am one that gets bored easily. I can never cook the same thing over and over. One recipe that I have been experimenting with in my kitchen is my No Name Bars. (Recipe in my cookbook- Modern Hospitality: Simple Recipes with Southern Charm)

How do you know what will work well with this recipe?
I think of what it taste like which for me its a mix between a chess square/cheesecake. Then I think of the flavors I like and how I can infuse them into this recipe. I love nuts and chocolate.

What did you come up with?
Well my love of chocolate went into over-drive so my first variation is a Chocolate Pecan No Name Bar which taste like a decadent brownie.
My second variation is a Coconut Pecan No Name Bar which taste like a Magic Cookie Bar (graham cracker crust, coconut, pecans, and chocolate).

For an elevated presentation, I cut the bars into triangles. To do this, simply cut them into squares and then in half diagonally.

The bars can also be cut into circles.

Which can be served like this......

Serve this decadent Chocolate Pecan No Name Bar warm topped with orange whipped cream at your next dinner party or Thanksgiving dinner.

Chocolate Pecan No Name Bars

Crust:
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Filling:

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
¼ cup pecan pieces

Orange Whipped Cream
¾ cup whipping cream, cold
3 Tbsp. confectioner’s sugar
3/8 tsp. orange zest (you can use navel orange, Satsuma, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9 inch baking dish.

To make crust: Mix the melted butter and sugar together in a medium bowl.  In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until combined.  Stir in the vanilla. Spread the mixture into bottom of the baking dish. Bake for 5 minutes.

To make the filling: Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs and mix until combined. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla. Stir in the confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder and mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecan pieces. Spread the mixture on top of the crust.

Bake until set, about 38 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before cutting into squares.

To make the whipped cream: Beat the cream using an electric mixer in a large cold bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the confectioner’s sugar. Fold in the zest. Cover and refrigerate.

To serve, cut the bars into desired shape and top with orange whipped cream.

Serves: 8-10 ppl