Neiman Marcus Bars

I’ve been amiss in posting my family’s favorite recipes!  As that was my goal for this blog, I do apologize to my family and friends.  I haven’t posted the family’s most favorite bar recipe, the Neiman Marcus Bars!  Originally found by my sister Linda, I’ve made them for 30+ years!  And as usual, Linda has no memory of having found the recipe.

My sister Dawn called me before Christmas and was surprised that Neiman Marcus Bars weren’t on my blog yet.  We are all such huge fans we should have the recipe memorized by now.  But yeah, then there’s life and so many other things to remember.  The bars needed to be posted!  I’ve no idea who or why they were called Neiman Marcus Bars.  I’ve found that Paula Deen seems to think she invented them and called them Gooey Bars.  We’ll never change, they will always be Neiman Marcus to us.

Neiman Marcus Bars

The recipe is quite quickly assembled and baked.  Most years I make two or three batches to last through the Holidays.  The bars disappear with lightening speed, which pretty much explains how much we love them.  There are many variations online for flavors but we still prefer the yellow cake, vanilla flavored bars and they’ve become one of our serious holiday food traditions.

Mix crust ingredients together with a fork and spread into sprayed or buttered 9×13-in pan

I simply mix the yellow cake mix, margarine and eggs together until creamy and smooth.  I spread it evenly into a sprayed 9×13-in pan.

Beat cream cheese layer until smooth and spread over top

I beat 2 more eggs, the cream cheese and 1 lb of powdered sugar until smooth then spread over the top of the crust layer.

Neiman Marcus Bars

After an hour in the 300°F oven the top of the bars is slightly golden brown and they smell amazing.  I let the pan set until cooled to room temp then cut them into small bars.  The bars are fairly soft so cutting them smaller is a good idea.

Neiman Marcus Bars

The bars freeze well between sheets of waxed paper in a plastic container.  They are best stored in the fridge or freezer.

Neiman Marcus Bars

Neiman Marcus Bars

1 yellow cake mix
1 stick margarine; softened
2 eggs
1 lb powdered sugar
2 eggs
8 oz cream cheese; room temp

Mix cake mix, margarine and eggs with fork. Press into buttered or sprayed 9×13-in pan.

Beat rest of ingredients until blended and smooth; pour over top of crust.

Bake 1 hour at 300°F.  Bars will be raised around the edges and slightly golden.

Cool several hours or refrigerate until firm. Cut into bars and store in refrigerator until served.

Tip: they also freeze well