Okay, maybe that’s a tad hyperbolic. But honestly, s’mores need peanut butter like Kanye needs Twitter. Magic bars are already over the top gooey and chewy, so why not have a little mouth party up in here? The week is going to be so much more pleasant with some sugar.
These are a riff on the standard magic bar, which comes together quickly and (of course) magically with fairly few ingredients and a can of sweetened condensed milk. SCM (as we bakers like to call it) is stuff of the gods and should not be put in a corner. Nobody puts Baby in a corner.
We’re heading into birthday season in my family, and it’s always a long run. Everyone’s birthday falls between March and August, and since we all live in the same area, it’s a lot of parties and cake. Can you guess who bakes a lot of the cake? Yep. I’m cool with it.
This year, my son has requested his usual vanilla cake with…ready? RAINBOW frosting. As in, all different colors. If I didn’t love the kid so much, I would have told him in no uncertain terms that I’m not in the mood to spend the next three weeks studying YouTube tutorials on how to get a rainbow cake accomplished with the least amount of pain. At the moment, the main decision lies between fondant and buttercream, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
The biggest problems always center around party venue. I don’t like having the parties at home because, to put it mildly, lots of children trash my house faster than a pack of wildebeests would. So we can pay oodles of money to a bouncy place, or a nature center, or a trampoline zone. But that’s all very been there done that at this point, so I’m out of ideas. #firstworldproblems
And don’t get me started on goody bags. Just do not.
I guess all of these issues are as widespread as the age-old question of what to eat for dinner. Check out my post on the Today Food Club website and click to the left of the Facebook icon to vote for me!
If all of life’s problems could be solved as magically as a, well, magic bar, I’d be a happy kid. These are so simple to make, and they hit all my happy places!
Hey, if only party planning could be as easy as a magic bar. But we can only have so much in life! In a world with peanut butter s’more magic bars, it’s not right to complain anyway!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil, letting the foil hang over the sides. Coat with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and peanut butter chips for one minute. Stir until smooth. Add the graham cracker crumbs, mixing until the crumbs are moistened.
- Press the crust into the prepared pan with a rubber spatula or your hand, ensuring that everything is packed in evenly. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove the crust from the oven. Evenly sprinkle the milk chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and marshmallows over the crust. Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Cool completely and cut into squares.
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You might have noticed that I didn’t really write a lot about Christmas, other than fact that the religion I belong to doesn’t do that holiday. Nope, I don’t have a tree. But I love baking for others during the holiday season even more. It’s such a great time for cookies and cheer!
When all the festivities have ended, my pantry is still full of holiday chips and holiday Oreos and the like. So this morning, I baked up these bars. They’ll be making the rounds to people this weekend who (I hope) appreciate them.
My post today is short because I spent the holiday yesterday with my family. I’m lucky enough to live near my siblings, and we had a great day together. Our kids love one another and, not having a Christmas dinner to consume, we went out to eat. French fries were involved. I was a happy camper.
But in the middle of the family and the hugs and all of the fun, I still had time to bake these, photograph them, and eat them. It added a little extra joy to the day!
If you’re like me and your pantry is full of half-used bags of holiday-themed treats, make these bars! I’ll write in the recipe what I used, but you can use any combination of treats you like.
And if you’d like to see me bake something specific in the new year, let me know! I’m having a bit of baker’s block these days, so suggestions are welcome!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Coat a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Melt the butter with the chocolate chips in a medium-sized bowl, heating for one minute. Stir until smooth.
- Stir in the graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar until all ingredients are combined. Press evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and layer on (in this order) the Oreos, holiday chips, toffee bits, and chocolate chunks. Pour the condensed milk over the top, trying to cover the entire surface.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until the condensed milk is incorporated into the bars. Cool completely.
- Cut into squares and serve.
I did not try a Twix bar until I was in my late twenties. No joke. Not even a bite. And though there’s usually a reason for travesties like that, I have no real reason to offer. My parents never bought them, I always wanted other candy, and it just never occurred to me to actually eat a Twix bar.
So you can imagine my grief at all the wasted years when I finally tried one. It was such a surprise. Not to shame Rolos, but why hadn’t I tried this caramel (and cookie-infused) candy? Why? Why?!
I was even more upset when I found out there used to be peanut butter Twix out there. I vaguely remember them being in red packaging. But I haven’t see any of those in a while, and it’s not for a lack of looking. Oh, life is so short. We have to seize the day while we still can.
Which is why I decided to give Twix bars some long-delayed love. Magic bars are one of my favorite desserts. I inhale them with delight, vaguely aware that my blood sugar is shooting up past reasonable bounds, and then I stop caring and keep eating them. They’re just such a rewarding explosion of chewy and sweet.
For these, I used refrigerated sugar cookie dough for the crust. I wanted a base that would be reminiscent of the cookie inside a Twix, and it paid off. Then I added milk chocolate chips, those lovely little caramel bits that Kraft makes, and chopped up fun-size Twix bars. Voila! Twix madness. Woohoo!
I gave these to some students, one of my most grateful test populations. They loved them and pronounced them, like, the best thing EVER. So if you put that into more perspective from being older, they’re pretty darn great. And so easy. Remember, I like easy. I have three kids and a full-time job. I need easy in my life!
This is a two-second recipe. Well, not two seconds. But it won’t take you long. If you start making them after work, they’ll be done by dinnertime!
Ingredients:
- 16 oz. refrigerated sugar cookie dough, not too cold
- 1 and 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
- 1 package caramel bits or chopped caramels
- 15-16 chopped fun-size Twix bars
- 14 oz. (1 can) sweetened condensed milk (I used fat-free)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil, using enough to let the foil hang over the sides of the pan. Spray with cooking spray.
Press the sugar cookie dough into the bottom of the pan. It will be sticky if it’s at room temperature, so don’t let it get too soft. Bake for 15 minutes until set and the edges are golden.
In the following order, sprinkle on the caramel bits, chocolate chips, and chopped Twix pieces, being sure to cover the surface evenly with all of the different elements. Drizzle the condensed milk over the top of the bars, covering the whole pan.
Bake the bars for 25-28 minutes until the edges are browned and the middle is fully cooked. Cut into small squares (they’re rich!) and serve or store in an airtight container for up to one week.
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