Southern Chess Squares Recipe

This recipe for chess squares works very well, and is easy. I cut it in half, and it fit a 9" round pan perfectly. They are really, really sweet and very rich. The recipe makes a lot of the cream cheese layer, you could easily cut it in half if you want less sugar. Overall, if you like chess squares, this recipe is great. If you think it's too much sugar, you're obviously not from the South.

Enjoyed by all, but I only used one package of cream cheese and 2 cups of confectioner's sugar for the topping and reduced the cooking time to 30 minutes. Turned out perfect.

I cut the recipe in half and baked it in a 9 x 9 square and it came out perfect. I did leave out 2 or 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar in the cream cheese mix, because it tasted more then sweet enough. I also added a half a tablespoon of vanilla to the base and the cheesecake filling just for more flavor.

Too much butter! A cup of butter is twice the amount needed. Too dry and crumbly. Definitely use 1/2 cup butter.

Reserved 1 cup cake mix and added it to cheese batter. Reduced powdered sugar to 1/2cup. Used 1/2cup butter only. Spread a thin layer of sliced almonds on top of crust. Added lemon extract to batter.

Made two different varieties. In both I used only 3 cps sugar. In both I omitted the nuts because I was baking for a public function. First with chocolate cake. Daughter claimed it was the best thing she ever ate! The second I used lemon cake mix and drizzled melted seedless raspberry jam over the top. This was fantastic tasting! Not as pretty as I'd hoped, the edges bubbled up and were brownish. Nothing a dab of cool whip couldn't cure!The centre of the cake was beautiful and swirly.

I followed the recipe minus the pecans and it turned out GREAT! I used unsalted butter so it wasn't to sweet, but just sweet enough. My family loved it so much I had to make it a second time with three days of each other

I'd lost my original recipe so I tried this one. It turned out great. Everyone loved it. If I had to critique something it would be it taste more like cream cheese cake square than like a chess square. I would recommend adding a tbsp of vanilla extract to the cream cheese mix if you are looking for that chess pie taste.

This is a great recipe! I never had these with the pecans. Now pecans are a must! The only thing I did different was, I only used 1 cup of sugar and vegan butter. "PERFECT "! Thanks for this recipe. Very easy!

They taste exactly how they should. I lived in the south (Mississippi) for 2 and a half years and yep, this is how they make em. I love em, they are super yummy and I've always had rave reviews when I make them too. I recommend this one! My only complaint is that the recipe doesn't tell you that the cream cheese part rises up quite a bit. The person who said a 9 in round must have used 1/2 the cream cheese part because I too used a 9 inch round and half the cream cheese is sitting at the bottom of my oven in my smoke filled kitchen. Don't use a 9 inch round people.

I have made this recipe several different ways, for those that say its too sweet I have a suggestion. Use the low fat cream cheese. I made some and it cut down the sweet and made them a bit tangy but they cooked up the same.

Made it, shared it, everyone impressed.

Loved it. A bit too sweet though.

This is wonderful as written, but being diabetic I had to do some adjustments. Instead of 4 cups confectioners sugar, I adjusted it to 1 3/4 cups sugar and it was great. Also, one time thickened a quart of lemonade with cornstarch, then mixed in the cream cheese and finished as written. Was superb with a touch of sweet and tart!

I’ve made this multiple times my husband ABSOLUTELY LOVES IT… the Ingredients to this recipe are now always in my house as he wants this recipe often… I definitely rec come get it

Great recipe I use strawberry cake mix

Yea, I was trying to reconnect with the chess squares I grew up eating for thanksgiving in SE GA. These are not it. Yellow cake mix....? Chess squares should be like a lemon bar custardy consistency, but just taste like butter and vanilla. This was entirely too sweet. I think the cake mix is the issue. Plus all the extra sugar on top of it.

These were to die for...a little bit cakier on the bottom than Im personally use to and the pecans were a new one on me but I plan to use this recipe just the way it is for a long time to come!

Made my own cake mix instead of using the boxed cake and it turned out amazing.

Yummy.