Irish Cream Bars

When Randy and I were doing our grocery shopping for Thanksgiving, I realized that I had had not picked up any Cool Whip to go with Randy's pumpkin pie.  We were already at the checkout when I left Randy there with a panicked look on his face dashed off to the frozen food section.  He really dislikes it when I take off when we are so close to the cash register.  Not because he may have to pay, but because I may get lost and never make it back.  I can barely find our car in the parking lot, so he attempts to keep me in sight at all times.

Lucky for us both, I didn't have to do much searching.  WalMart had the Cool Whip prominently displayed at the end-cap of their first freezer aisle.  Holy Moly ~  there are a lot choices for Cool Whip.  Regular, Light, Fat-Free, Reduced Fat, Sugar Free, just to name a few.  That doesn't even include the flavors that are available.  Way too many choices for a fake whipped cream product, if you ask me.

Cool Whip has been around since 1967 and within two years it became Birds Eye's largest and most profitable product.  Basically, it is frozen water, oil and sugar.  And preservatives, artificial flavors and color.

Yum.

After twenty-four Thanksgiving's together, I learned this year that Randy eats his pumpkin pie naked and so I was left with a brand-spanking new container of regular ole Cool Whip.  I thought about throwing it away, but that bugged the heck out of me.  I thought about using it in my coffee, but I didn't feel right about messing with perfection.

It was just by chance that right after the holiday I was fiddling around with my collection of recipes and I happened across a recipe for Irish Cream Bars.  I knew then that destiny had played a part in my Cool Whip predicament.

Just like the Sticky Ginger Bars, Irish Cream Bars are a two-step process - a crust layer and a filling layer.

Heat oven to 350°.  In medium bowl, mix 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup butter (softened), 1/4 cup powdered sugar and 2 tbsp cocoa until it forms a soft dough.  

Press dough into 8"x8" pan lined with aluminum foil (I didn't do the foil step).  Handy idea - I made a 'glove' from a sandwich bag so I didn't have to get my hands all messy.  Bake 15 minutes.

Mix together 1-1/2 cup sour cream, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2/3 cup Irish cream liqueur, 2 tbsp flour, 2 tsp vanilla and 2 eggs until smooth.

Pour the filling over the baked crust and return it to the oven.  Bake 30 minutes or until the filling is set.

Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for a couple of hours.  I had pressed the dough layer too firmly into the pan, so I had to do some chiseling to get it out.  Top with - wait for it - Cool Whip and chocolate sprinkles and enjoy.  Do not leave the chocolate sprinkles off!  I was surprised how much of a difference having them made to the entire Irish Cream Bar experience.

Have the BEST day ever!

~ Dorothy