Kitchen Meets Girl

Orange Dreamsicle Bars {from The Domestic Rebel}

May 17, 2012 By Kitchen Meets Girl 8 Comments

So guess what? It’s my birthday today, and I’m spending the entirety of it traveling. And not fun traveling, either, considering we’re getting off a cruise ship at 7:30 in the morning and won’t arrive back home until 10:40 pm (if we’re lucky). But, the good news for you guys is that in my absence, I have the most super-awesome fantabulous guest post for you! So score for you guys, and happy birthday to me!

Okay, so I “met” Hayley and few months ago and she’s been like my bloggy BFF ever since. Yep, I said BFF like I’m still in high-school and I’m totally okay with that. Considering that I’m now officially on the downhill slide to 40, I need to get up to speed with the “cool” lingo so Doodle doesn’t think I’m a totally outdated (old?) mom. But I don’t know, maybe “BFF” isn’t really even “cool” lingo. I need some help guys, stat.

Anyway, Hayley is one chickadee who needs no help with being cool–she makes the most amazing goodies over at her blog, The Domestic Rebel. Seriously, when I was 21, I barely knew how to make macaroni and cheese, and she’s whipping up stuff like Almond Joy Blondie Bars and Ooey Gooey Snickerdoodle Bars and Cake Batter Monkey Bread Muffins. Her stuff? To.Die.For. Go check her out already, would you? And get ready to loosen your pants.

Howdy! I’m Hayley, aka The Domestic Rebel and I’m going to be Ashley for the day which is actually really cool because that means I have access to things like this Midori Colada and this Fig-Prosciutto Pizza I dream about nightly.

But seriously, I’m glad Ashley asked me over since I totally love her. Like, as much as I love sprinkles. Because Ashley is funny and sweet and totally rockin’ (as are her amazing recipes) and I figured her readers must be just as awesome as she is!

Plus, again, the access to the Midori.

If you don’t know me very well, you should know that generally, I loathe summertime.

In Sacramento, it gets disgustingly sweaty hot and I am ill-prepared for it every single time. Like, all my clothes are WAY too cute to get sweaty. And I really can’t stand the concept of smelling awful. I mean, it’s my top fear–right next to monkeys and Forever 21 going out of business. Scary stuff, man.

But one thing I do like about summertime is the food. Grilling, frosty drinks, ice cream treats–it’s all good in my book. The icier the beverage, charr-ier the chicken and the creamier the ice cream, the better. Obviously.

One of my summertime staples are 50/50 bars. You know, the orange and vanilla cream bars? They’re SO good. I grew up on the stuff, eagerly anticipating the perfect moment after lunch to snack on one before hopping in the pool. And as a kid, I may or may not have had like, an entire box’s worth in the span of an hour because kid calories don’t count.

So in preparation of summertime and in appreciation of summertime flavors, I made these super easy Orange Dreamsicle Bars. They keep better than ice cream (hello, no messy melting everywhere) and they even taste good cold! So like, I totally understand if you want to be BFFs with me now and all, and if you’re wondering, yes, I will share my bars with you.

(FYI, these calories don’t count either. Because I said so and I am the queen of everything). The end.

Orange Dreamsicle Bars

1 box white cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1 tsp orange extract

1 cup white chocolate chips

Orange gel food coloring

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Liberally grease a 13×9 inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs and oil until blended. Remove about a cup of dough (a little less than half) and place it in another medium-sized bowl. To this medium bowl, add the orange extract and food coloring, stirring to combine until you’ve achieved a desired orange shade.

3. Alternate by dropping spoonfuls of the vanilla and the orange dough into the prepared pan–the drops don’t have to be perfect, we’re going for a pseudo-marbled effect here. Once all the dough is evenly pressed into the pan, press the white chocolate chips on top of the dough using a rubber spatula.

4. Bake until the center is set, about 15 minutes or so. Allow to cool completely in the pan before cutting into bars. Store leftovers airtight for approx. 2 days at room temperature (or in the fridge, if preferred).

These bars make an excellent treat any time of year, but are perfectly reminiscent of summertime–and who doesn’t love vanilla and orange together?! (if you answer ‘you’, then I am sorry but this won’t work out).