Glazed Nut Bars

December 12, 2010 by

I’m a big fan of recipes that begin with a box of cake mix—so much so that I’m sharing a week of cake-mix cookies. I remember taking a batch of Glazed Nut Bars to put out with the coffee and tea on the morning I gave my presentation to the Southwest Virginia Writing Project many years ago. I figured why not put everyone in a good mood before I even started talking. It worked so well that one of the questions I was asked after my presentation was “What’s the recipe?” Glazed Nut Bars are the twelfth of my 25 Cookies of Christmas.

Ingredients

  • 1 pkg white cake mix (any brand)
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 stick butter or margarine, melted
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
  • 1 12-oz. bag semisweet chocolate chips
  • ¼ cup water

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Spray 13" x 9" pan with nonstick spray.
  3. Mix cake mix and brown sugar.
  4. Add melted butter and beaten egg, mixing thoroughly.
  5. Reserve ¼ cup chocolate chips.
  6. Stir in nuts and remaining chocolate chips.
  7. Pour batter into prepared pan.
  8. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  9. Melt ¼ cup reserved chocolate chips with ¼ cup water, stirring to combine.
  10. While cookies still warm, top with chocolate glaze, spreading to cover completely.
  11. Cool complete, and then cut into 24 bars.
  12. Store in a tightly covered container.

Variations

  • The nuts can be omitted for a nice chocolate chip bar cookie.
  • The cookies can also be cut into 1" squares for a petit fours look.

Time Required: 45 minutes

Servings: 24 bars

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