Muddy Buddy Smores Bars

I have been a little MIA lately on the blog front thanks to a couple cake orders.  One for last week and one for this week.   Last weeks cake is below.  My first zebra cake, it was pretty fun.   This weeks cake is a Barbie cake.  I love doing Barbie cakes.  They are always so cute and pretty.  I just wish I could see the little girls faces when they see it for the first time.   Although the one scary thing about barbie cakes is that the barbie is not a complete barbie. It is only a head and torso on a stick that fits into a cake.  If that little girl prematurely pulls out barbie from the cake before Mom can get to it she may be in for a mildly traumatic experience.   So if you are a mom, have a back up Barbie ready.  I am pretty sure I will be making on for my little one in a 4 or 5 years. 

10 Days of Cookies - Day 7 - Butterscotch Rolo Chex Bars

I guess offering up myself to do 12 days of cookies with a new born was a little keen of me.  At present I don't think I will get through to day 12 before the year is over.   How about 8, 9 or 10 days of cookies.

The last couple days have been a whirlwind, as I am sure it has been for many of you.   Two turkey dinners and a breakfast with our families. I am stuffed.   It was exciting though,  as it was our first Christmas with Samantha.  Although she has no understanding of anything that is going on,  it was still fun to dress her up in cute Christmas outfits and put gifts in front of her she can't open. She has been my favorite gift thus far.  As she gets older I know Christmas will only get better and she gets excited about Santa, get togethers with the family and of course, baking with her mom.

I hope everyone has enjoyed all their festivities so far.   Enjoy these bars before the new year diet starts.  You could even have these bars for breakfast, they have cereal in them.

Butterscotch Rolo Chex Bars

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 cups rice checks
• 1 cup corn syrup
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup Skor bits
• 3/4 cup butterscotch chips 
• 1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup mini Rolos
• 3/4 cup chocolate (semi sweet or dark ) for on top drizzle

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Combine rice checks, skor bits and Rolo in a very large bowl. 

2) In a medium sauce pan combine corn syrup and sugar.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, boil for 1 minute.   Remove from heat and add chips.   Stir until melted and smooth. 

3) Cover chex mixture with the warm mixture.  Stir to combine and cover the chex well.   Press into a 9x3 pan.  Let cool completely. 

4) Melt chocolate in a double boiler, drizzle over the bars and let set.   Cut into squares. 

Move over rice krispies, Chex bars are very very delicious.  Maybe it was all the chocolate and caramel, either way I will be making more Chex bars in the future. 

Peanut Butter Oat Cereal Bars

It is rare that a long weekend comes and goes with out us going to the cottage.  It is also rare that a cottage weekend comes and goes with out me making some sort of delicious treat.  I always tend to do a quick snacking dessert like cookies, quick breads, brownies or bars.  Something you can quickly grab before heading down to the dock or while casually reading in the sun room.  Maybe even after an nice mid day nap.   I also tend to try and incorporate peanut butter and chocolate.   Long weekends at the cottages are often a family affair so I like to appeal to the masses as several seem to have a  peanut butter and chocolate dessert addiction.   I came across this recipe in a one of my daily dessert emails.  Some I keep and send to the baking folder and some I delete.  Most desserts that pop up chocolate and peanut butter are keepers. 

Peanut Butter Oat Cereal Bars

(Recipe adapted from My Recipes)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats 
• 3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar 
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 
• 3/4 cup butter, melted 
• 1 large egg 
• 1 cup light corn syrup 
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar 
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter 
• 4 cups crisp rice cereal 
• 10 oz. dark chocolate 
• 1/2 cup peanut butter  
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
• 1/4 cup mini reeses pieces 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Preheat oven to 350F. Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl into a moist crumb.  Press firmly onto bottom of a sprayed and tin foil lined 9x13 pan. Bake 12 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 10 minutes.

 2) In a sauce pan on medium to low heat, combine corn syrup, sugar, and peanut butter.  Stir until melted and smooth. Stir in cereal, until all krispies are coated and press into pan on top of the oat mixture.

3) Using a double boiler, melt dark chocolate and peanut butter, stir until smooth.  Spread over cereal mixture using an offset spatula.  Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and reeses pieces. Cool at least 45 minutes. Cut into bars.

It is very hard to go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter but I felt like these bars were one layer too many.  I didn`t feel the oat layer added anything special to the bar and if anything only took away from the peanut butter and chocolate combination.  Next time I make this I will remove the oatmeal base and try to figure out another recipe I could use it for.  It did have a great crunchy oat texture just didn't fit with this bar. 

MEG's RATING : D-EEE-LICIOUS!