Orange Dream Bars Recipes

ORANGE DREAM BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9x13" pan with foil or parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
• Beat butter with a hand or a stand mixer until creamy, then add the flour, sugar, and salt and beat until a dough forms. (If you're using a hand mixer it will take extra time.) Press the crust into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 18 minutes.
• A few minutes before the crust comes out of the oven, prepare the filling. Place all filling ingredients into a blender jar and blend until smooth, a few seconds to almost a minute, depending on your blender. You can also do this with a whisk in a large bowl.
• Carefully pour filling over evenly over hot crust. Return to oven and bake until the top is no longer jiggly, about 20-23 minutes. Cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar and slicing into bars.

ORANGE CREAMSICLE DREAM BARS

Steps:

• Line a 8 X 8-inch baking pan with parchment, so that you can easily remove the bars to evenly slice and remove them.
• In a medium bowl, melt the 5 tablespoons of butter in a microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir and melt for another 5-10 seconds, if necessary.
• In a food processor, pulse the Nilla Wafers until they are fine crumbs.
• Add the cookie crumbs to the melted butter and mix with a rubber spatula until all is well incorporated.
• Pour into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly into the pan, pressing down to create an even crust. Place pan into the freezer while preparing the rest of the recipe, a minimum of 30 minutes.
• Into a 2-cup measuring glass, mix the orange gelatin with 3/4 cup boiling water. Stir until dissolved.
• Add the 3/4 cup cold water and stir. Place into refrigerator until completely cooled, but not set - about 10 minutes.
• In a mixing bowl, beat 8 ounces of the cream cheese with the sugar, orange extract and orange food coloring.
• Slowly pour in the chilled gelatin mix while mixing everything together. The slower you pour and allow time for it to blend, the smoother a consistency you'll get. Once completely smooth, place into refrigerator to chill and thicken for one hour. *See Note.
• In a mixing bowl, beat another 8 ounces of cream cheese, the confectioners' sugar, and vanilla together until smooth and creamy. With a rubber spatula, fold in one cup of the Cool Whip.
• Place dollops of cheesecake mixture onto the frozen crust and with an offset spatula, spread to form an even layer.
• with a rubber spatula, fold the remaining Cool Whip (about 2 cups) to the chilled Orange Cream mixture, combining until evenly distributed and smooth.
• Gently pour the Orange Cream onto the cheesecake layer and spread evenly with an offset spatula.
• Place into the refrigerator overnight or for a minimum of 6 hours.