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Mama's Picks

Park Avenue Bars

Time: 2 hours 5 minutes

Yield: 16 servings

About

We like to consider this one the penthouse-living of all desserts! Park Avenue Bars are an affluent, cake-like treat that your guests will gush over. These bars strut their stuff as they're adorned with a homestyle yellow cake that is topped with a rich cream cheese crown fit for the kings and queens of your court. Loaded with chopped pecans, Park Avenue Bars set the bar for the best-of-the-best in decadent sweets. You could pay us to eat these all day — they're just that good!


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Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon butter, for greasing the baking dish
  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 large eggs, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup pecans, chopped
  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

Step 1 -Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 2 -Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving enough around the edges to easily lift the bars from the dish. Grease the parchment paper with 1 tablespoon of the butter.

Step 3 -In a large bowl, whisk the flour, the sugar, the baking powder, the baking soda, and the salt together.

Step 4 -Add 1 of the eggs, the remaining melted butter, and the vanilla extract to the flour mixture and beat until it is well-combined.

Step 5 -Press the butter mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the chopped pecans.

Step 6 -In a medium bowl, add the cream cheese, the confectioners' sugar, and the remaining eggs and beat with an electric mixer until it is creamy and smooth.

Step 7 -Pour the cream cheese mixture over the pecan layer.

Step 8 -Bake the bars until the top is golden-brown, about 45 minutes.

Step 9 -Allow the bars to cool in the baking dish, about 5 minutes.

Step 10 -Lift the edges of the parchment paper to transfer the bars to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 11 -Cut the cooled bars into squares.

Step 12 -Serve.

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