The other day, someone asked me what happened to all the crack food and the creative nuggets? I’m not sure, because isn’t everything here crack food and a creative nugget? I am being facetious of course.
Here I am trying to figure out what that question could possibly mean and then it led me down the rabbit hole. And damn – that set off a creeping of self doubt. Did I lose my style, my voice, what is it? I lost something?
Maybe it’s a creative slump—maybe it’s nothing—but all I can do is keep pushing ahead. With that, I hope the dear question-asker likes this twist on the Momofuku Ooey Gooey Butter Bars.
(and btw- apprarently, I couldn’t decide what was the better picture, so I threw them both in – see what I mean about self-doubt?)
Cherry & Lime Gooey Butter Bars
Ingredients
- Recipe adapted from here Momofuku
Ingredients:
- Cake
- 1 box of yellow cake mix
- 4 ounces butter, melted
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon lime zest
- Filling
- 10 oz. cherries, seeded pureed
- 1 tablespoon lime zest
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 eggs
- 1 pound powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Instructions:
- Place the dry cake mix, butter, 1 egg and 1 tablespoon lime zest in a bowl and mix until well blended. Press mixture into parchment-lined 9x13-inch pan; set aside.
- Place the cream cheese, pureed cherries, lime zest, 2 eggs, vanilla and mix until well blended. Pour cream cheese mixture on top of crust. Bake for at 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes, or until the edges are a light golden brown, and the center slightly jiggles when pan is tapped.
- Cool completely in pan. Turn out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch-squares. For nice clean edges place pan in the freezer for about 30 minutes or until firm, then cut while cold.
I think we all need a break from the creative thinking, it will be too tiring to come up with all the crack things you are known for. I think you could add chocolate in these bars for different flavour.
Don’t worry you are ok, you do not need self doubt your self.
No self-doubt whatsoever. And I loudly LOL’ed with the reference “crack food and creative nugget” 😀
Love these bars!!! Perfection as always 🙂
Love cherry and lime together…perfect pairing for a creative twist on Ooey Gooey Butter Bars!
What a great combination! These look absolutely divine.
you’re silly i love both photos – I wouldn’t be able to pick either 🙂
Love them! (P.S. Is the recipe missing, or am I just blind this morning?)
Just do your thing, don’t let people’s comments throw you off your game! Would love the see the recipe.
You have more creativity in your pinky than most people have in their whole body or could ever dream of. Keep doing what you’re doing.
These bars look amazing! Love the photography of course, too!
Oh man, these are gorgeous! I’d love the recipe!
Amazing photographs again!! Love both of the photos. specially love the placement of the tray and how the light is creating comfy mood.
Thank you for sharing and inspiring the rest of us Naomi.
– Neel
What an amazing set of photographs again!! Love both of the photos. specially love the placement of the tray and how the light is creating comfy mood.
Thank you for sharing and inspiring the rest of us Naomi.
– Neel
Yum! Love both these photos…the bars look super yummy! 🙂 I know you’ll get your ‘mojo’ back soon!
You haven’t lost anything! That person was bananas. BUT! Where’s the recipe? I’m DYING for it!
Self-doubt or not, I love both pictures! And these bars are just amazing. Definitely want to clean off this entire pan of bars.
Don’t worry–you’ve still got it, but I think I’m losing my vision. Is the recipe on another page?
I love both photos! They are simple perfection! So are these bars. Crazy yum!
This sounds absolutely delicious. I think I will get my sons help in trying this one out. He is wonderful at dishes like this!@ Thanks for a great post. Sharing with him now
whoa! That flavor combo sounds yumsville! Great photos too.
I think that person said that because you are better than him/her 😉 But seriously, all of your recipes seem pretty creative to me. Other sites don’t have anything close to what you offer, both in recipe and style. I can’t decide between the pictures either. I’m leaning towards the second one because it has more color.
(and even if something isn’t deemed super creative, the point is that it makes you happy and that’s why you blogged it. The other day I made a classic strawberry shortcake dessert. Nothing creative, but I really loved how it came out).
To me the picture with the brown background is simpler, everything is well placed and easy to see. It shows baking.
The teal background has too many things in it, crammed in actually, and everything gets lost in the color. It shows stuff.
This sounds like a delightful combination, a bit of sweet with a bit of tart. Yummy! I like combination flavors. Got to try! Thanks for sharing.
I like both photos. They both look like yummy food to me. Maybe I would prefer the teal background but that is because I like teal not because it shows the goodies better.
Is there a recipe for these bars?
These sound delicious, lovely photography too. Where is the recipe, I want to save it 🙂
you’re so incredibly gifted and creative naomi! i love, love your work. it’s gorgeous… and both photographs are beautiful 🙂
Yum!
It’s funny when we find our groove, even as out-of-the-box and cutting edge as yours, one can feel acclimatized to it leaving us feeling maybe we aren’t ‘all that’ anymore or for the moment. You, Sister, are so much more than ‘all that’, adjectives pale in the attempt to fully encompass your fabulosity of vision and execution, which remains constantly inspired. Don’t forget we live in an impatient cyber world of bar-raising and some cannot appreciate the extraordinary unless its completely over the top and so eccentrically novel it’s no longer even edible food! You are just having a moment. We all have them.
mmmmmmmm!!!
So original!!
Eli – My apologies. The recipe is posted.
Good point, Bill! Thanks for the feedback.
Jessica – the recipe has been posted. Sorry, I forgot to publish it along with the posting.
Emmie-the recipe has been posted. Sorry, I forgot to publish it along with the posting.
when do you add the powdered sugar?
Add with the cherry mixture. I’m baking these right now–they smell awesome!
No need for self doubt, your awesome! Not that I haven’t felt that myself : )
you’re awesome I ment : )