Love and cookie dough

Love touches our lives in many ways.

When I was young I was in "love" many times.  Actually, I don't know if it was love, but it was definitely "♥".

I ♥'d many people.

Back then juvenile correspondence came in the form of the "note".

Usually folded in crazy ways, with a box to check on the inside.  These days the note is extinct.  The text, tweet and email has taken it's place.  It's sort of sad if you think about it because if the note was special enough you would save it ~ not in your "inbox", but in a secret place in your bedroom.  You could pull that note out, hold it, read and reread it for months to come.  Yes, that was me at 12, tattered note in hand, listening to "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago on my tape deck, wondering if ever there had been a more perfect song written...it was to be mine and note-boy's wedding song.

12 year old girls are dramatic...true story.

It's so funny how we seem to remember a lot of the people we ♥'d growing up.  Whether the feeling was mutual or not. To be honest, I ♥'d people I didn't even KNOW.

Let's see, I was in "love" with New Kids on the Block ~ specifically "Joey", Kirk Cameron, and embarrassingly enough Corey Haim.  My judgement was skewed by the glossy pages of Teen Bop.  I was quite certain Corey and I would run away together at some point in my life.  Let's just say that I dodged a bullet on that one!

It's hilarious to think back on how my heart was broken in middle school by a boy that I never even spoke to.  How does that happen?

The funny thing is now, with the help of facebook, you can see so many of your childhood crushes and think about how bad it sucks for them to have peaked in the 7th grade ;)  It's like a high school reunion that you don't have to lose weight for...you can just sit down at your computer and look and laugh.

My 1st grader has a "girlfriend".  I asked him whether or not she KNEW she was his girlfriend and he said, "I think so, but I'm not sure".  Glad to see the apple hasn't fallen far.

As you grow up you realize that a smile in algebra does not a relationship make...and the word "love" is reserved for only the most special of people: Spouse, children, family, bestest friends...pets.

With that said, though, ♥ still lives on.

I ♥ manicures, cozy sweats, NY, reality TV...

you know what, I still ♥ New Kids...or as they are known today, NKOTB.

I ♥ the old picture of me in my Mork suspenders that I ♥'d in the 3rd grade.

Food-wise, there are 2 things that I really ♥ : 

cookie dough and cheesecake.

But put them together and I ♥♥ them.

Yes, the double ♥. 

Eat YOUR heart out Corey Haim.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake bars

recipe (slightly) adapted from The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook

Ingredients

Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

5 T. butter, melted

2/3 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cookie Dough:

5 tablespoons butter~room temperature

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 T. granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup AP flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Cheesecake Filling:

10 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:

1/3 cup semi sweet chips

1/2 T. butter

Directions

For crust:

Preheat oven to 325°.

Spray a 9x9 square baking pan with cooking spray (or use butter). Line pan with parchment paper, leaving enough to extend over the sides. Spray or butter the parchment paper.

Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter until crumbs are moistened. Stir in chocolate chips.

Press crust mixture into bottom of pan and 1 inch up sides. Bake for 6 minutes. Set pan on wire rack to cool.

For cookie dough:

Using mixer, mix butter, brown sugar, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract at medium speed until smooth. Adjust mixer speed to low and add flour. Mix just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.

 

For cheesecake/filling:

Using mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract, beating just until blended.

Pour batter into cooled, baked crust. Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls over the top of the filling.

Bake about 30 minutes, or until set. Transfer to wire rack.

Topping:

For chocolate topping, melt 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips in the microwave. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of butter to make chocolate smooth. 

Using a ziplock bag with corner cut off, drizzle chocolate on bars. 

Cool bars in pan completely, about an hour. Or refrigerate, 1/2 hour.

Using the edges of the parchment paper, lift the bars from the pan. 

Cut into bars and serve.

...and I ♥ U for actually reading this post ;)

Happy weekend everyone!