magic bars | pixiedustkitchen

Seven Layer bars with peanut butter, Oreo cookies, Mini Marshmallows, Chocolate Chips, and Popcorn.

So… I know you all just read that and are now thinking “Faith… what were you thinking when you developed that recipe? I’ll tell you what I was thinking. I had a bunch of stuff in my cabinets that I wanted to get rid of. I wanted 7 Layer Bars. They fit together wonderfully.

We start with a graham cracker crust, and top with melted peanut butter. You must spread the peanut butter carefully- it sinks into the crust a little and if you spread too quickly, you’ll pull the crust apart. Learn from my mistakes! On the peanut butter goes a few Oreo’s broken in half, marshmallow bits, chocolate chips, popcorn, and it’s all topped with a can of sweetened condensed milk.

If you’ve never baked with sweetened condensed milk, and you’re anything like me, you probably are a little weirded it out by SCD. Milk… in a can? I know, I know. It’s kind of weird. Just don’t think about what it is, and pour it over your bars and bask in the ooey, gooey, chewiness it adds to the bars. And don’t accidentally eat a whole spoonful of it before the bars bake… not that I did that. (Grossest thing ever!)

These bars are ooey, gooey, chewy, and moist. They’re perfect for when you have a bunch of random things sitting in your cupboards that you need to get rid of, and they’re totally customizable! Do you eat a lot of peanut butter, so you don’t want to use the last bit of your jar, but have a jar of butterscotch that no one is using? Just just butterscotch instead of the peanut butter layer! Feel free to use a different type of cookies if you’re not an Oreo fan, and and potato chips can work in place of the popcorn.

Kitchen Sink Popcorn
Source: http://www.pixiedustkitchen.com
Ingredients

9 full graham crackers (2 cups crumbs)
6 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 C peanut butter
10 Oreo cookies
1/2 C marshmallow bits
1/2 C chocolate chips
1/2 C popped popcorn
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a 7×11 pan with aluminum foil and spray with baking spray.
crush graham crackers in a plastic bag and mix in a small bowl with melted butter. Press into bottom of prepared pan.
Melt the peanut butter and spread on graham crackers. Top with Oreo cookies broken in half, marshmallows, chocolate chips, popcorn, and sweetened condensed milk.
Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes (Until the middle doesn’t “jiggle” when you move the pan); after 15 minutes top with foil to keep from browning. Let cool completely before cutting and serving.

Oreo Peanut Butter Caramel Popcorn Mix

If I was in school this semester, it would be finals week for me. But I’m not in school. I’m not even employed right now. I have no reason to be stressed- but I should be stressed around this time of year, be it finals or work.

But you know what’s not stressful? These bars. Making them isn’t stressful. And eating them is FAR from stressful. (Although stopping eating may be a bit stressful- they’re THAT good.)

So let’s break these babies down. They’re the same as 7 layer bars- minus two layers, making them magic bars. White Chocolate, chocolate chip cookies, and chocolate chips are all sandwiched between sweetened condensed milk and a brownie crust. I had never made 7 layer bars before this. I had also been scared of working with sweetened condensed milk before- namely because I have no idea what it actually is. Now I’m over that fear, and I see many more magic bars in my future.

Back to these bars. My mom and I can’t stop eating them. I’m hoping there will be enough for other people to try in the next few days!

Recipe:
Yeilds 20 bars.
Ingredients:

1 box brownie mix
6 Tbs butter, melted.
3/4 c white chocolate morsels, or finely chopped baking bar
1/2 c semi- sweet chocolate chips
1 140z can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup crumbled chocolate chip cookies + additional cookies for topping. (I used store brand soft baked cookies)

Preheat oven to 350˚. Line 9×11 pan with aluminum foil and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine butter and brownie mix. Add more butter if necessary Press in the bottom of prepared pan.
Sprinkle white chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate over the crust. Add crumbled cookies and pour sweetened condensed milk over top. Add more cookies if desired.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until middle is set. 15 minutes into baking, pull out and fold the edges of the foil over so the edges of the bars don’t brown.