Strawberry White Chocolate Gooey Bars Recipe
Decadent Strawberry White Chocolate Gooey Bars featuring a moist strawberry cake base layered with luscious white chocolate chips and sweet condensed milk drizzle, baked to golden perfection for a gooey, irresistible dessert.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 40 minutes (including cooling time)
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
Base Layer:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, very soft
- 1 (15.25-ounce) box strawberry cake mix
- 1 large egg
Filling:
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- About 60% of one 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (about 8 ounces, fat-free recommended)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a 9×9-inch pan with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Spray the foil generously with cooking spray and set the pan aside.
- Create Batter: In a large bowl, beat the very soft unsalted butter with a handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy.
- Add Cake Mix and Egg: Add the strawberry cake mix and egg to the butter. Beat on low speed until the mixture changes from pea-sized crumbles to a thick, tacky dough.
- Form Base Layer: Spread between half and two-thirds of the thick dough evenly into the prepared pan using a spatula or your cooking spray-sprayed hands, creating a smooth base layer. Reserve the remaining dough.
- Add White Chocolate Chips: Sprinkle 1 cup of white chocolate chips evenly over the base layer.
- Drizzle Sweetened Condensed Milk: Pour approximately 8 ounces (60% of a 14-ounce can) of sweetened condensed milk evenly over the white chocolate chips, eyeballing the amount.
- Top with Remaining Dough: Distribute the rest of the dough in 1-inch pieces over the condensed milk layer, pressing lightly. Complete coverage is not necessary; some gaps are fine.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 27 to 30 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden while the center remains slightly jiggly but mostly set.
- Cool and Set: Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack for 2 to 3 hours or preferably overnight until the bars firm up sufficiently for cutting.
Notes
- Using aluminum foil to line the pan makes cleanup much easier.
- Spraying your hands with cooking spray helps when pressing the dough into the pan.
- Fat-free sweetened condensed milk can be used to reduce fat content without sacrificing flavor.
- Do not overbake; the center should remain slightly jiggly when removed from the oven to keep the gooey texture.
- Allow ample cooling time to ensure bars hold together when cut.
Keywords: strawberry bars, white chocolate dessert, gooey bars, strawberry cake mix recipe, easy dessert bars
