#2,713: Loaded Blondies

It is not a secret in our house that I will do almost anything to get Matthew to snuggle with me.  So when he's avoiding bedtime, he will ask to lay in bed and watch food videos with me.  I know he's stalling, but I'll take that snuggle time even if it is as he's trying to pull one over on me!  When we were watching videos recently, we came across this recipe and he quickly declared that we HAD to make it for dad for Father's Day.  I had everything on hand except the M and M's so I figured adding one more ingredient to my grocery list wasn't a big deal.  Sadly, they were out of stock on the holiday ones so we just used regular plain ones instead.

As I took this picture Matthew kept asking "Am I a cook?"  Yes buddy, you sure are!  He was so proud to make these for his dad for Father's Day.  And his dad doesn't like pretzels in his cookies/bars, so his dad was a great sport for eating them anyways!  These look nothing like what the original post/video/recipe showed, but Matthew didn't care one bit!  These were made with love and are perfect just the way they are! 

1 ½ cup brown sugar

1 ½ sticks butter

1 ½ cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

¾ cup M and Ms Red, White and Blue Milk Chocolate Candy (or regular plain ones if you can't find 4th of July themed ones)

⅓ cup pretzels, crushed

⅓ cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350℉/175℃.  

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan, allow to cool.

In another large mixing bowl, fold together cooled butter and brown sugar.

Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, and stir until fully incorporated.  Fold in the reserved flour mixture.  Fold in M and M's , chocolate chips, and pretzels, reserving ¼ of each for topping.

Pour batter into a lined 8x8 inch bake dish and sprinkle with reserved toppings.  Bake at 350℉ for 30-35 minutes until skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool before cutting into 36 pieces.  (If you cut these into 36 pieces they will be TINY!  I got about 16 pieces!!) 

#2,058: Blueberry Zucchini Oat Bars with Lemon Glaze

I had both blueberries and shredded zucchini in my freezer that I wanted to use up, so I figured this would be the perfect recipe to use them with.  I made these bars for my kids for breakfast...although they loved them as a dessert as well! These were a big hit, and I'd definitely make this again.  I still have frozen blueberries, so zucchini might go on my grocery list for next week!

1 cup mashed banana (about 2 large bananas)

1/3 cup maple syrup (I used agave)

1/4 cup oil (coconut or canola work well)

1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt (I used heavy cream)

1 large egg

2 cups old fashioned oats (I ground mine up so they were a little less noticeable)

1 cup white whole wheat flour (I used all purpose)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup shredded zucchini (about 1 large zucchini)

1 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease 9x13" pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together bananas, maple syrup, oil, yogurt, and egg until well combined.

Add oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, and stir until combined.  Fold in zucchini and blueberries.

Pour into prepared pan. Bake 38-40 minutes, until golden brown and toothpick comes out of the center clean.  Cool.

I then made a powder sugar glaze using about 1 heaping cup of powder sugar, 5 drops of Young Living Lemon Vitality Essential Oil (you could use lemon juice if you don't have it), and a bit of milk to thin it out.  I poured that over the bars....my kids loved it!  

#2,043: Snickerdoodle Bars

Ok, obviously this picture above does not look like a "bar."  It isn't!  The rest of the batter I made in a 9x13 pan, so it WAS a bar, but I wanted to try this before giving it to my friend.  So I saved a little bit of the batter and made a mini one in a small ramekin (this actually looks bigger in the picture than it was in person).  Although I thought this was a little dry, I really enjoyed it.  BUT it needs to be made in an 8x8 pan if you want it to have 2 layers and a cinnamon sugar middle like the recipe says.  I only had enough batter to fill the 9x13 pan and then sprinkle/mix in the cinnamon sugar on top.  It was still quite good that way though.  Since I did think it was a tad dry, the powder sugar glaze is definitely needed!  Next time I'd at least double the cinnamon sugar filling to make it stronger. 

2 1/3 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cinnamon Filling

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1 to 2 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla 

Heat oven to 350° F. Spray or grease bottom only of a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on high speed until creamy. Beat in sugars. Gradually beat in eggs and vanilla into sugar mixture until combined. On low speed, beat in dry ingredients until combined.

Spoon half the batter into pan; spread evenly. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over batter.

Dollop teaspoon size amounts of remaining batter evenly over cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

In a small bowl, stir glaze ingredients until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle over bars. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows.

#2,036: Two-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars

I needed to bring something to work for a potluck/snack-type event, and wanted something that was super easy to throw together, that wouldn't require me being in the kitchen for very long.  I found this recipe which used a tub of Pillsbury Gluten Free Cookie Dough and peanut butter cups.  Uh, yes please, this sounded easy enough!  I doubled the recipe to use a 9x13 pan, and also used 2 tubes of regular chocolate chip cookie dough instead of the gluten free version.  I cut the dough into equal size circles and let them sit out on the counter for a few minutes to soften up.  Then I laid them in the pan and pushed them together to form one large cookie bar.  

These seriously are super delicious!  I had to put the leftovers in a container to take to work because we would have eaten them all!  

2 tubes (16.5 oz each) of chocolate chip cookie dough
11 oz package of mini peanut butter cups, unwrapped (you will need about half of the package)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside.

Press three-quarters of the dough into the base of the pan to create a smooth, flat, even base layer. Reserve the remainder.

Evenly place peanut butter cups on top of dough, about 1 inch apart.  

Haphazardly crumble the reserved dough over the top in marble-sized pieces.

Bake for 13 to 14 minutes, or until edges have set and top is just beginning to set, even if slightly undercooked, pale and glossy in the center.  (I cooked mine for about 16 minutes because they seemed too soft.  They are slightly undercooked, but SO good this way!)  Allow bars to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing. As you can see from the photo above my chocolate was still soft and melty.  After I sliced them, I carefully placed them on a plate and put it in the fridge to finish cooling and firm up.  I left them in the fridge overnight. 

Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 4 months.

#1,877: Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars

I had about a cup of canned pumpkin leftover from the Pumpkin and Oat Cookies I made for my kids, and knew I couldn't let this yummy veggie go to waste.  So I did a quick google search for pumpkin muffins (I wanted to make something healthier for my kids for breakfast) and came across this recipe which I adapted a little (obviously 1 adaption was to make it into bars instead of muffins).  Let's be honest, as much as I love cooking, the less time I have to spend prepping or cleaning up, the happier I am.  These fell apart a little when I tried to cut them before they cooled (only becuase I was too impatient to try them), but held together pretty nicely when I did actually give them time to cool.  My kids LOVED these.  As soon as the pan was gone, my kids asked me to make them again!!  I am more than happy to oblige!  :) 

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 tablespoons almond butter (I used 3 tbsp melted coconut oil)

1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

2 and 1/4 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F and then grease or line a muffin tin for 12 muffins.  (I used an 8x8 pan)

Starting with the wet ingredients first (pumpkin, maple syrup, eggs, etc.) layer everything except the chocolate chips into a blender or a food processor and blend for about 30 seconds, or until smooth.  (I put the pumpkin, syrup, eggs, vanilla, almond milk, and coconut oil in a blender.  Then I put everything in a bowl and mixed it together so that the oatmeal was more chunky).  

Using a spoon, gently stir the chocolate chips into the batter. Pour the batter into the muffin tin, filling each about 3/4th of the way full. Bake in the oven for 22 minutes, until light golden brown.

Allow to to cool for at least 10-15 minutes.  

#1,874: Chewy Peanut Butter Brownies

I was looking for a really easy, quick, and (hopefully) tasty dessert to take to a friend's house, and I had every ingredient on hand for this recipe, so I figured I'd give it a try.  Simple is definitely the word for this recipe!  I whipped this together literally in about 5 minutes (I put the butter in the microwave to soften it).  One of my girls helped me make it too!  This is really good for being such a simple recipe.  I LOVE peanut butter though so rarely can I make something with peanut butter and not like it.  This isn't the best dessert I've ever had, but I certainly enjoyed it.  

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

2/3 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup peanut butter and milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 8x8 pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

Place butter and peanut butter in a large bowl and stir until smooth. Add sugars and stir until combined. Add eggs and stir until incorporated. Stir in vanilla. Add flour, baking powder and salt and stir until just combined. Do not overmix.

Place peanut butter batter in prepared pan and spread evenly. (Batter will be thick) Sprinkle peanut butter and milk chocolate chips on top of batter. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until brownies are set.

Cool and cut into squares to serve.

#1,864: Tahini Blondies

Just the other day I was looking at a half used jar of tahini in my pantry and thinking I should probably just get rid of it because I don't see myself using it any time in the near future, and I've had it for a while.  Then wouldn't you know, I come across a recipe for Tahini Blondies in a recent issue of Real Simple magazine that will use up almost exactly what I have left in my jar!  Thankfully I also had every other ingredient on hand that I needed, so I whipped up these babies on our icy day (soon to be weekend) stuck inside and at home.  (I also may be using cooking as an excuse to avoid doing some school work...just maybe!).  

I am trying to be more mindful and health conscious, so I didn't really want to eat these, so I had a bite of one to try it.  You definitely get the aftertaste of the tahini, so if you dislike tahini, I would avoid these.  My kids think they taste like peanut butter (they do a little) and I'm thinking peanut butter or sun butter would be another good substitution.  BUT the purpose of making these was to use tahini so I'm still glad that's what I used.  1 of my kids wasn't overly impressed with these and said she could take it or leave it.  The other 2 however, ate a piece of one and then immediately asked for another.  These 2 are my nut loving kids though!  

1 3/4 c packed light brown sugar
1 c tahini
1/4 c melted butter
2 large eggs
1 1/2 all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp baking soda

In a bowl combine the brown sugar, tahini, melted butter, and eggs.  Stir in in the flour, salt, and baking soda. 

Transfer to an 8 inch square baking dish lined with parchment paper.  Top with 1 tsp flaky sea salt (I used about half).  Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  (After 25 minutes, I bumped the temp up to 350 and baked for about another 10 minutes because mine still were not done in the middle). 

#1,488: Peanut Butter Avalanche Bars

Here is a real simple, no bake updated version on rice krispie treats!  This does have peanut butter in it so if you have a nut allergy or don't like peanut butter you can forget this recipe.  It is pretty rich so one of these little bars was definitely enough for me.  I did really like it though and I would definitely make this again.  

12 oz bag of White Chocolate Chips

¼ cup creamy peanut butter

3 cups Rice Krispies

1½ cups mini marshmallows

¼ cup mini chocolate chips + 2 Tbsp for garnish (I just added 1/2 cup or more to the batter/mixture and didn't add any extra on top). 

Line a 9x9 or 8x8 pan with foil and spray with non-stick spray.  

In microwave-safe bowl pour in white chips and heat on 50% power for 1 minute. Stir and continue in 30 second increments until chips are melted.

Combine the peanut butter with the melted chips and add the rice krispies.

(Mine was not super hot so I didn't have to let mine sit/cool.  It just has to be cool enough so that the chocolate chips don't melt when you add them in).  Let cool approx 15 – 20 minutes stirring every 5 minutes or so to help cool.

Add the marshmallows and the mini chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Pour mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly, pressing lightly with the back of your spoon, but do not compact too much, otherwise they will get hard. Press the remaining chocolate chips into the top for garnish.

When the bars are completely cooled cut into squares and enjoy!

#1,463: Perfect Rice Krispie Treat Recipe

I have never been very good at making rice krispie treats . Don't get me wrong, I know how to make them but I always thought they came out kind of dense and stiff.  THEN I came across this recipe and my life of making rice krispies has totally changed.  Holy heck are these gooey and soft...and delicious!  I think I'm in love with these.

Oh and for anyone like me who did not know this tip...don't push the rice krispies too hard down/compact into the pan.  The more you condense them the harder they get.  Duh.  (I really didn't know that though!)

5 Tbsp butter

8 cups, plus 2 cups mini marshmallows (This was about 1 1/2 bags)

6 cups Rice Krispie Cereal

½ tsp salt

Line a 9x13 pan with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray, set aside.

In a large pot over low heat, melt butter. Once butter in melted add in 8 cups mini marshmallows, stirring constantly.

Once the marshmallows are just melted remove from heat and stir in your cereal and salt until just coated in marshmallow mixture. Now stir in the remaining 2 cups of mini marshmallows.

Pour mixture into prepared pan and press in evenly.

Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares. Best if served same day. 

#1,458: No bake Kettle Corn Granola Bars

I have been dying to make these since the second I came across this recipe!!  I made these for the little one to take to school to share with his friends.  I'm hoping they enjoy these as much as I do!! :)

This is so easy to make, but it doesn't make a very big batch (about 8 granola bars).  You might want to double this and make in a 9x13 pan instead.  These aren't going to last long!

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup oat bran (I used wheat bran)

2 cups kettle corn, blended to a broken consistency

1/2 cup nut butter of choice (I used almond butter)

1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp honey 

2 tsp sugar

1 cup mini chocolate chips, divided

In a large mixing bowl, combine the rolled oats, oat bran, broken kettle corn, and sugar.  Set aside. 

In a small saucepan or microwave safe bowl, combine the nut butter of choice with the honey and heat until the mixture is melted completely. Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture and stir until combined. 

Allow to cool slightly and stir in the chocolate chips and mix very well. (I didn't let this cool for very long and my chocolate chips melted (as I expected them to).  I think it still tasted great though!).

Line a 9 x 9 inch baking dish with baking paper. (I used 8x8 pan and mine were a little thicker).  Pour the mixture into the pan and press firmly with your hands evenly. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Remove from the pan and cut into 8-10 bars.

Note: These bars can be kept outside the refrigerator for up to 1 week, otherwise store in the refrigerator. Try using a mild tasting nut butter like almond or cashew to maintain the kettle corn taste. 

#1,427: Skor Squares

Whenever I use/think of Skor candy, I think of my dad.  He is the only person on the earth that I know who can literally take ONE bite of candy and be done for the night.  I did not get his lack of love/addiction to candy and sugar!  One of his favorite types of candy is Skor, so when I saw this recipe I thought of him...and always will. :)  This is such a super simple recipe to make and Chloe (age 5) helped me make this one.  I'm taking these bars with me to book club tomorrow.  This makes an 8x8 pan, but they are already super thick, so I made/filled 6 regular sized muffin cups with the mixture too.  This also gave me a slight excuse to try one (or two) without cutting into the 8x8 pan before book club!  I think these are really good!  Personally, I also think it could have used a tiny bit more sweetened condensed milk, but I didn't want to open/waste another can, so I went with the original recipe.  Probably would be good either way.  Definitely save some of the skor to add to the melted chocolate on top (I did that for the 8x8 pan but not the ones pictured above), mainly because it makes it so much nicer looking when finished.  Still delicious without it on top though!

1 (11.3 oz) box Ritz crackers

1 (8 oz) bag toffee bits

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup milk chocolate chips (I used about 3/4 of a bag)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray an 8x8-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Place all of the Ritz crackers in a food processor and process until they are fine crumbs. Pour them into a bowl.

To the bowl of crackers, add 1 cup of the toffee bits and the can of sweetened condensed milk. Stir until combined. Press into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven.

Immediately pour the chocolate chips evenly over the top of the bars. Allow them to sit for a few minutes to melt, then spread evenly over the top. (If they aren't melting, stick the pan back into the oven for a minute or two.) Sprinkle on the remaining toffee bits. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

#1,404: Loaded M&M Oreo Cookie Bars

As you can see from the photo above, this was greatly undercooked!  I overcooked this (based on the recipe instructions) by about 10 minutes and it was obviously still super underdone.  Not sure what happened, but since it was just for our family, it wasn't a big deal.  If I was serving this to others though, I would have been disappointed. I ran out of Oreos so I added some chopped pretzels instead.  I LOVED it in there, but the pretzels = Brian not eating this.  :(  A great recipe, but it needs to be cooked more...at least in my oven it did!

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
1 large egg
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
18 Oreo Cookies, coarsely chopped or about 2 heaping cups of coarsely chopped add-ins including leftover cookies, graham crackers, chocolate-covered pretzels, etc.
1/2 cup M and M's

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.

In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.  Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don't scramble it. Add the egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and whisk until smooth.

Add the flour and stir until just combined, don't over mix. Stir in the Oreos.

Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.

Evenly sprinkle the M and Ms over the top, lightly pressing them down with your finger or a spatula.

Bake for about 20 to 22 minutes, or until done based on add-ins used. Top should be set and edges slightly firm. A toothpick inserted in the center (if you can find a bare patch to test) should come out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Allow bars to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

#1, 371: Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Brownies

This week I hit my second goal weight...the one that my coach set for me and I thought was completely unrealistic and unattainable.  Obviously it wasn't.  :)  One of my "rewards" for reaching my goal was to make these Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Brownies that have been torturing me on my Pinterest board.  I've been dying to make/eat them!!  So...I gave in and made them.  Now that I've got it out of my system of thinking about them non-stop, it's time to move on and get back on my FoodFuels plan and start eating healthy again and working towards my next goal weight (another -5 lbs + hoping some toning now!).

Although I really, really loved this recipe, it is so rich, so you can cut this into pretty small squares.  I also think it needs more peanut butter cups (I used the mini's) and there wasn't a peanut butter cup in every piece like I think there should be!  I also think I have this craving out of my system now!  And my book club friends and co-workers will be enjoying the leftovers!    

1 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips, divided

3/4 cup butter 

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 cups white sugar (I used 1 cup)

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

8 regular-sized Reese's peanut butter cups, chopped (Or 1 cup mini Reese's peanut butter cups)

Rice Krispie Topping:

1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter

1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

1 tbsp. butter 

1 1/2 cups rice krispie cereal (I used about 3 cups)

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.

Combine 3/4 cup chocolate chips and butter in a large bowl. Microwave on high heat for 45 seconds. Stir and then microwave in 15 second increments and stir again until mixture is smooth.  Stir in sugars until well combined.

Add the vanilla extract and stir until smooth.  Whisk in eggs. Fold in the flour until just combined.  Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips and then pour batter into pan.  Bake for 25 minutes or until center is set. 

Remove from oven and sprinkle chopped peanut butter cups and remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips over the brownies and continue baking for 3-4 more minutes.

Remove brownies and let cool.

Prepare topping by combining peanut butter, chocolate chips and butter in a medium bowl.

Microwave on high heat for 1 minute. Stir and then microwave in 15 second increments and stir until mixture is smooth.  Add rice cereal and mix until fully coated.

Spread cereal mixture in a smooth layer on top of brownies and then cover and refrigerate for at least 90 minutes or overnight.

#1,368: Easy Chocolate Banana Oat Bars

There are 2 reasons I made this recipe: 1. I had bananas that were over-ripe.  2.  I had so many boxes of raisins that I wanted to use up!  So this was the perfect recipe to make to use those leftover ingredients.  I made one change to this recipe though, which was to add chocolate chips to it.  That was a GREAT idea.  I personally loved this recipe.  My kids however did not!  They wouldn't even barely try these bars.  These bars froze well and are an easy breakfast to pull out of the freezer and take to school or work!  I'm sad my kids weren't more impressed by these!

2 cups quick oats (not instant)

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped (I omitted but next time I will definitely add this in)

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 bananas, mashed

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ingredients together in a large bowl. Press dough in a 9"X 9" baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack. When cool, slice into squares or bars and serve. 

#1,286: Chewy Coconut Bars

It's recipes like this one, that make me totally blow my diet and go off my food plan.  This seriously was so good I had to put all the leftovers in the freezer to get them out of sight.  I would have been happy to eat these frozen though too.  They are SO good, but I love pretty much anything that gets served in a bar form.  :) 

2 cups all-purpose flour
 1 teaspoon baking powder
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 2/3 cup shortening (I used butter)
 2 cups packed brown sugar
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used about 1 tbsp)
 3 eggs
 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used an entire bag)
 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (I used 1+ cups)
 1/2 cup shredded coconut (I used at least 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In large bowl, cream the shortening, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Slowly blend in flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until well blended. Fold in chocolate chips, walnuts and coconut. Spread the mixture evenly in pan.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool before cutting into bars.

#949: No Bake Cookies and Cream Bars

I made these to take to my Father-in-law's Retirement party this past weekend.  I figured they were super easy and all I needed to get were some Oreos.  Perfect recipe when you only need 1 extra ingredient.  I followed the instructions to grease the parchment paper (both sides, which I think is rather pointless) and I pushed it all down with wax paper like directed.  I should have sprayed the wax paper.  This mixture totally pulled off the parchment paper but it was so stuck to the wax paper.  I tried putting it in the fridge to cool to see if that would help un-stick it.  It didn't.  Not really.  That doesn't look appetizing does it?!  Eventually I just cut off the top layer and the kids and I enjoyed eating the bottoms.  Allison says it tastes like chocolate Laffy Taffy.  It kind of does.  It has a really chewy texture.  I thought for sure after the disaster in making these that they would be terrible, but they really weren't.  They are odd, but they are good.  I don't think everyone would love these because of the texture but the kids and I sure did.

One 16 oz package of Oreo Cookies
5 cups large marshmallows
4 tablespoons butter

Butter an 8X8 inch baking pan. Line the baking pan with parchment paper letting the paper extend up two sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. Butter paper; set pan aside.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse Oreos until ground.
In a large, microwave safe bowl, melt butter and marshmallows in the microwave until puffed, about 1½ - 2 minutes. Stir in ground Oreo Cookies until combined. Transfer to prepared baking pan. Using a piece of wax paper THAT HAS BEEN SPRAYED WITH COOKING SPRAY, press mixture evenly into prepared pan.  Let set up for at least 10 minutes. Cut into bars and serve.

 

#932: Oatmeal Pumpkin Bars

I have been looking for some healthy (slightly sneaky) recipes to give my carb-loving 1 year old.  I had a little (stress the word LITTLE) time on Friday night to throw together this recipe.  The center is really soft so if you want to just sneak this into a bigger kids snack, they are totally going to know something is up with this recipe.  My girls were not huge fans of this.  Chloe wouldn't even try it, and Allison ate a bite (and said she liked it) but didn't want any more.  Matthew however enjoyed this.  So I'm sticking the rest in the freezer so I can pull it out for his breakfasts and lunches. 

Cooking Spray
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 ¼ cups All Purpose flour
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup cold, unsalted butter cut into half inch cubes
2 cups pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
¾ cup brown sugar
½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat an 8X8 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Cut in the butter to the dry mixture until it resembles a course meal. Do not over mix, but leave some of the butter in chunks.
Pour half the dry mixture into the baking pan and bake for about 15 minutes until slightly browned.

In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, egg, sugars, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice. Mix thoroughly. Pour wet mixture onto partially baked crust, and sprinkle with remaining oat mixture. Bake until the topping is slightly browned, about 25-30 minutes.

#911: Cookies and Cream Double Chocolate Cake Bars

Doesn't the name of this recipe just sound sinful??  I made this recipe to take to book club tomorrow and didn't realize that book club got pushed back a week.  So I stuck these delicious cake bars in my freezer.  I don't know if they'll last until next week...I may have already snuck one...or two. 

These cake bars are delicious.  The cake part on the bottom is light and super fudgy.  You just might go into chocolate overload with these bars.  The edges are quite crispy (and not very pretty) so to make these bars more uniformed, I just cut them off (and stuck them in Brian's lunch bag for tomorrow...shhh don't tell him!).  I let the girls eat one of these and they both went on and on about how good they were. I would definitely make this recipe again.  It was so simple to make.

1 Devils Food Cake Mix
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
14 Oreo Cookies, broken into bite size pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a 9×13 inch baking pan with tin foil sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Place cake mix, butter and egg into a large bowl, mixing to combine. Use your hands, it works much quicker Press into prepared baking pan. Top with broken pieces of cookies.

Pour sweetened condensed milk over cookies and top with chocolate chips. Bake for 23-25 minutes, until cooked through. Remove from oven.

After 5 minutes of cooling, run a plastic knife around edges to loosen, this makes it much easier to remove from foil.  Let cool completely, remove foil from pan, then cut into squares.

#524: Peanut Butter Bars

I made these cookie bars to take with me to book club tomorrow.  Now that I'm on maternity leave, I'm trying not to buy too many unnecessary ingredients at the grocery store to keep our food costs low (as low as I can with food prices anyways!).  And since I had all of the ingredients for this except for the peanut butter, I figured it would be a good one to make. 

I don't know if my fellow book-clubbers will enjoy this, but I love it!  And, I've got the extras that I'm not taking to book club in the freezer and let me tell you, they are just as good frozen as they are refrigerated!  Mmmm! 

My only gripe about these bars is that if the crust isn't totally moist and mixed in, the bottoms tend to break apart/off when you cut them.  MOST of mine were totally fine though! 

2 cups chunky style peanut butter
2 cups powder sugar
2 cups crushed graham crackers
1 stick + 1 Tablespoon melted butter
12 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips

Melt butter and mix with the peanut butter, powdered sugar and crushed graham crackers. 
Spread mixture into 13×9 pan and press down to form the crust.  Make sure it's really pressed down/compacted.

In the microwave, melt the chocolate chips and spread on top of the peanut butter layer.  Refrigerate for exactly 1/2 hour and cut into about 24 pieces/bars. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to enjoy.

#478: Snow Covered Crunch Bars

It's my turn to bring treats in for work and it's a very busy week for our house, so I was looking for super, super easy snacks to bring that I could either make a few days ahead or could throw together very quickly.  This was one of the recipe I decided to make. 

Doesn't that look yummy??  The girls and I certainly thought so!!  Hopefully the teachers will enjoy it too!  This was easy and really good...I'll definitely make this again.  My only complaint is that it's kind of hard to cut into squares (although it does cut really cleanly...or at least mine did).  I thought I was going to put myself into labor pushing so hard.

1 lb 1.5 oz Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 egg

12 oz semisweet chocolate chips

2 1/2 cups peanut butter

6 cups Rice Chex® cereal

1/2 to 1 cup powdered sugar

Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, 1/2 cup butter and egg until soft dough forms. Press dough in bottom of pan. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 15 minutes.
In large microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and the remaining 1/2 cup butter on High about 1 1/2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until melted and smooth. Add peanut butter; mix until well blended.

Place cereal in 1-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag. Using your hands, gently break cereal into small pieces. Gently stir cereal into chocolate mixture until cereal is coated. Spread cereal mixture evenly over cookie crust; gently press. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until bars are set. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows. Store covered at room temperature.