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Meanwhile, melt the caramels with the milk in a small saucepan set over low heat, stirring until smooth; drizzle over partially cooled bars and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Cool completely. Cut into bars.

MAKES 24 LARGE OR 36 SMALL BARS.

DOUBLE BERRY STREUSEL BARS

Looking for the perfect picnic bar cookie? Look no further. Loaded with the flavor of blueberries, raspberries, and the zing of fresh lemon peel, they taste like summer.

1 (18.25-ounce) package yellow cake mix

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted

2 ¼ cups quick-cooking oats

1 (12-ounce) package frozen (thawed) blueberries

¾ cup seedless raspberry jam

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350°F (or 325°F for dark-coated metal pan). Position oven rack in middle of oven. Spray the bottom only of a 13 x 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray (or foil-line pan; see page xxiv).

Set aside 3 tablespoons of the cake mix. Place the remaining cake mix and melted butter in a large bowl. Blend for 1–2 minutes with an electric mixer set on low speed until smooth. Stir in oats until blended. Press half of mixture evenly into prepared pan.

Stir together the blueberries, jam, reserved 3 tablespoons cake mix, and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl. Spoon and spread berry mixture over prepared crust; top with reserved crumb mixture and press down gently.

Bake for 30–34 minutes or until topping is set and firm to the touch. Transfer to wire rack and cool completely.

MAKES 24 LARGE OR 36 SMALL BARS.

DOUBLE BLUEBERRY SQUARES

This is a “pull out all the stops” pleasure for blueberry lovers. For obvious reasons, leftovers are unlikely.

1 (16.5-ounce) roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough, well chilled

2/3 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

3 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 cup frozen blueberries, thawed

½ cup blueberry preserves

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with foil.

Crumble cookie dough into a medium mixing bowl; add the oats and brown sugar. Mix with your fingers or a wooden spoon until blended. Reserve 1 cup of the mixture. Press remaining dough mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Bake for 17–20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven.

Combine frozen blueberries, preserves, and lemon peel in a medium mixing bowl. Carefully spread over partially baked crust. Sprinkle with reserved dough mixture, pressing lightly into blueberry mixture.

Bake for 19–23 minutes more or until top is golden and firm to the touch. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

MAKES 16 SQUARES.

DOUBLE PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE-CHIP BARS

Pinched for time? Whip up a batch of these bars, which taste every bit as delicious and decadent as they sound.

1 (16.5-ounce) roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough, well chilled

2 cups milk or semisweet chocolate chips

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1½ cups lightly salted roasted peanuts

1 (10-ounce) package peanut butter– flavored baking chips

1 recipe Peanut Butter Icing (see page 373)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 15 x 10 x 1-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with foil.

Cut cookie dough into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices in bottom of the prepared pan. With floured fingers, press dough evenly to form crust. Sprinkle dough evenly with the chocolate chips; drizzle condensed milk evenly over chips. Sprinkle the peanuts and peanut butter baking chips evenly over condensed milk layer. Gently press down with back of spoon or spatula.

Bake for 24–27 minutes or until edges are set and firm to the touch. Cool completely in pan. Drizzle with Peanut Butter Icing. Let icing set before cutting into bars.

MAKES 64 BARS.

DRIED APPLE-ALMOND BUTTER BARS

To transform ordinary oat cereal into a tasty, homespun treat, hold the baking and try making these apple-almond bars instead.

½ cup packed light brown sugar

½ cup light corn syrup

½ cup almond butter (crunchy peanut