Bars – The Pajama Chef

#Choctoberfest: Pumpkin Chocolate Cereal Treats

October 19, 2018October 18, 2018 Sarah

Chocolate. Sprinkles. Pumpkin. Marshmallows. What’s not to love?? These yummy cereal treats are made with Sprinkle Pop sprinkles for #Choctoberfest and are oh-so-fun!

Last winter I made some kicked up rice krispie cereal treats and I’ve been thinking of them ever since, dreaming up a bunch of different flavors and add ins. I mean, the classic version is good (my mom made a batch when we were visiting my parents’ house last month)… but it’s also fun to go a little crazy sometimes! I’ve been scheming about making a pumpkin chocolate version but was a little unsure about adding pumpkin puree to a crisp treat. What to do, what to do.

Enter SPRINKLE POP and their cute little sprinkles! As soon as I starting browsing their site in preparation for their sponsorship of #Choctoberfest, I knew how I could make pumpkin chocolate cereal treats. WITH PUMPKIN SPRINKLES!!! Sorry for the caps, but I am just SO excited. They have so many fun sprinkle options for each season. Their fall/Halloween section is so much fun, but I also am in loooove with their Christmas/holiday options. So cute. They have a ridiculous amount of beautiful, sparkly sprinkles as well as fun shapes and mixes for all occasions. They can also make custom blends! So fun.

To make these Pumpkin Chocolate Cereal Treats extra special, the cute little orange pumpkin sprinkles are pressed into the bottom and top of the pan. Sprinkle Pop’s sprinkles are water based, so the colors could bleed and I didn’t want to that to happen, even if orange and black are seasonally appropriate. 🙂 These cereal treats are filled with two types of chocolate–chocolate chips and cocoa powder, as well as two types of pumpkin flavor–pumpkin oats cereal (Aldi brand, woot!) and pumpkin pie spice. Double the fun, twice! These little treats are so addictive. They would be perfect at a Halloween party. Can you imagine them cut out into little pumpkin shapes?? Gah, why didn’t I think of that before? Now you can try that out and report back to me! You could even do that with your prizes if you win the awesome #Choctoberfest giveaway with lots of chocolate, cooking gear, and sugar for all your baking needs. Enter here if you haven’t yet!! 🙂 And happy Friday, friends!

one year ago: Chocolate Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake
two year ago: Old Fashioned Chocolate Cobbler
three years ago: Beef Stroganoff
four years ago: Homemade Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer
five years ago: Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cake with Nutella Frosting
six years ago: Apple Peanut Butter Muffins
seven years ago: Pumpkin, Sausage, and Spinach Lasagna
eight years ago: Southwestern Pepperjack Baked Penne

Please check out more chocolate recipes here!!

Pumpkin Chocolate Cereal Treats

Servings: 16
Time: 10 minutes + time to cool
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Ingredients:

Pumpkin Confetti Sprinkles by Sprinkle Pop
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
7 1/2 cups (approximately 12-13 ounces) mini marshmallows, divided
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3 cups crisp rice cereal
3 cups pumpkin flavored toasted oats cereal (like Cheerios–I used the Aldi brand!)

Directions:

Generously spray an 8×8 inch baking dish with cooking spray, then sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of Pumpkin Confetti Sprinkles into the bottom of the dish.

In a large pot, melt butter with 6 cups of the mini marshmallows over medium heat. When most of the marshmallows are melted, add the cocoa powder and pumpkin spice and stir vigorously to incorporate. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips. When melted, quickly fold in cereals and reserved marshmallows.

Using greased hands or a spatula, transfer cereal mixture to prepared pan and evenly press down. Sprinkle generously with Pumpkin Confetti Sprinkles, then gently smooth out. Cover and allow to set (at least two hours is best!) before cutting. Keeps in an air-tight container for about a week.

Disclosure: I received free product from Sprinkle Pop to use in this recipe for #Choctoberfest. I was not required to review them or provide positive feedback. All opinions are my own. You can learn more about Sprinkle Pop and get great recipe ideas from them on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Bars, Desserts, Recipes

Incredible Chocolate Marshmallow Krispie Treats #FoodBloggerLove

February 12, 2018February 10, 2018 Sarah

Seriously the BEST marshmallow krispie treats you’ve ever had. These little bars are incredible–so chocolately, so marshmallow-y, and full of fun mix-ins like coffee, pistachios, and coconut. The perfect treat for your Valentine or anyone, anytime.

Seriously the BEST marshmallow krispie treats you've ever had. These little bars are incredible--so chocolately, so marshmallow-y, and full of fun mix-ins like coffee, pistachios, and coconut. The perfect treat for your Valentine or anyone, anytime. #FoodBloggerLove

Hey, hey! It’s Monday… and it’s #FoodBloggerLove, organized by The PinterTest Kitchen. It’s sort of a spinoff of The Secret Recipe Club days of olde, where we would swap blogger names each month and make a recipe off someone else’s site. But, in the newest twist, #FoodBloggerLove has a little more freedom. We could make a Valentine’s Day recipe OR we could write our post to celebrate another blogger. I took the latter option, since I ❤ SRC, and was given the lovely Amy of Amy’s Cooking Adventures. So today, I’ve made Amy (and all of you awesome readers), the most INCREDIBLE rice krispie treats I’ve ever had the privilege to taste. They are chocolately and super marshmallow-y and also are studded with pistachios, coconut, and a hint of coffee flavor. Basically, they’re the best. If you’re looking for fancy rice krispie treats… look no further. You’ve found a winner of a recipe.

I wish I could hang out with Amy in person today and share some of these cereal bars with her. We’d have a lot to talk about… we’re both busy working mamas (though she has two kiddos, and I just have one). And, drumroll please… we’re both librarians! She works at a school and I’m at a university, but we’d have lots to chat about I’m sure! She loves cooking healthy homemade meals for her family, desserts, bread, and carbs. Meeeeeeee too, girl, me too!

I know the next treat you’re going to make in your kitchen are these rice krispie treats, right?? *wink wink* They really are absolutely wonderful–I shared them with a few different groups of people and they received rave reviews. All the chocolate and mix-ins add a little extra personality, but it’s the abundance of marshmallows that truly takes these treats over the top! But, I also want you to check out some of Amy’s recipes. I made this Turkey Sausage Penne Skillet the other week, and it was amazing! The weather prevented me from taking photos but you better believe it’s a make-again recipe. 🙂 (Actually, my husband made this! Super easy!) Some of Amy’s other recipes on my radar for the future are this delectable S’mores Frappuccino, Rosemary Pan Bread, and Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies with Chocolate Ganache. Can you say y-u-m??

Hope you enjoy these treats–share some with your Valentine! And be sure to show Amy some love today. Connect with her on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. She always has great recipes and fun pics of her kiddos and her latest eats to share. 🙂

one year ago: Peanut Butter Honey Oatmeal Cookies
two years ago: Tangy Sweet Potato Hash
three years ago: Spiced Fig Turkey Mini Meatloaf
four years ago: Sweet Potato Pork Quesadillas
five years ago: Chewy Peanut Butter Brownies
six years ago: Caramel S’more Cups
seven years ago: Bacon-Wrapped Feta & Almond Stuffed Dates

Be sure to find more great Valentine’s Day recipes and tributes to other food bloggers at the linky below!

Incredible Chocolate Marshmallow Krispie Treats

Servings: 24
Time: 15 minutes + time to cool
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slightly adapted from Love & Flour

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter (4 ounces or 1 stick)
2 – 10 ounce bags of mini marshmallows
5 cups rice krispies cereal
1 cup dark chocolate chips (or semi sweet or milk chocolate)
1/2 cup unshelled pistachios
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 teaspoons ground coffee (not instant)

Directions:

Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish and set aside.

In a pot set over medium-low heat, melt butter. Reduce heat a bit and add one bag of marshmallows. Stir frequently until mostly melted, then add 1/3 of the second bag of marshmallows. Stir constantly until melted.

Remove from heat and stir in cereal.

Fold in chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, ground coffee, and remaining marshmallows. Stir until fully incorporated, then transfer to prepared pan.

Use a bit of wax paper or your greased hands to press down. Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving.

Enjoy!

Bars, Desserts, Recipes

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Brownies

December 12, 2017December 11, 2017 Sarah

Chewy peanut butter bars with lots of milk chocolate chips. These seriously taste like a peanut butter brownie, and they are so easy! Add them to your holiday baking list, stat.

Chewy peanut butter bars with lots of milk chocolate chips. These seriously taste like a peanut butter brownie, and they are so easy! Add them to your holiday baking list, stat.

So, it is December 12. And I haven’t made a single Christmas recipe yet. Eeeek. I had hoped to do that over the weekend, but we all came down with colds (boo) so baking was a no-go. Maybe next weekend. But I still have a sweet treat to share with you guys!! These Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Brownies may not be the most Christmas-y recipe you’ll ever make, but they’re pretty darn delicious. If you’re making a big platter of Christmas cookies for a party or making treat bags for friends and neighbors, be sure to include a batch of these. You probably have all the ingredients in your pantry already. I know I do!

Chewy peanut butter bars with lots of milk chocolate chips. These seriously taste like a peanut butter brownie, and they are so easy! Add them to your holiday baking list, stat.

My favorite thing about these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Brownies (besides how yummy they taste!) is that they have the texture of a gooey, fudgy brownie–including that crinkly top!!–but the taste of a Reese’s cup. It’s crazy!! Crazy good, that is. I can’t wait to make them again soon! If you wanted to make them extra-special for the Christmas season, adding some red and green sprinkles on top would be a fun addition. Or add some chocolate icing and sprinkles… yum! Enjoy, friends!

Chewy peanut butter bars with lots of milk chocolate chips. These seriously taste like a peanut butter brownie, and they are so easy! Add them to your holiday baking list, stat.

one year ago: Jalapeno Beer Cheese Spread
two years ago: Pumpkin Cornbread
three years ago: Mini Apple Cupcakes with Cranberry Buttercream
four years ago: Dark Chocolate Ginger Squares
five years ago: Caramel Apple Dip
six years ago: Honey Yeast Dinner Rolls
seven years ago: Pumpkin Pancakes

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Brownies

Servings: 24
Time: 50 minutes
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from Bunny’s Warm Oven

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
12 ounces milk chocolate chips (reserve 1/3 cup to sprinkle on top if desired)

Directions:

Grease a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. When melted, remove from heat. Whisk in peanut butter until melted. Stir in sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Fold in flour and baking powder, then stir in chocolate chips (reserve 1/3 cup to sprinkle on top of bars if desired).

Immediately transfer batter to prepared pan. Sprinkle reserved chocolate chips on top, then bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown on top. My brownies took a few minutes longer. Don’t overbake them though!

Cool and then cut into squares to enjoy!

Bars, Desserts, Recipes

Flourless Monster Cookie Bars (Gluten Free)

May 31, 2017May 30, 2017 Sarah

These monster cookie bars are an easy, chewy dessert that you’ll enjoy all summer long! They’re also a great gluten-free dessert when made with gluten-free oats so everyone will enjoy them!

These monster cookie bars are an easy, chewy dessert that you'll enjoy all summer long! They're also a great gluten-free dessert when made with gluten-free oats so everyone will enjoy them!

I LOVE cookie bars. I love cookies too, but making them can be a huge pain. So I usually choose to make cookie bars. This recipe intrigued me because they looked ooey gooey (especially the center pieces!) AND they’re baked in a half size sheet pan so the recipe makes a ton! They’re perfect for every social event of the summer, from cookouts to pool parties and everything in between. Of course, they can also be made year-round. 🙂

These monster cookie bars are an easy, chewy dessert that you'll enjoy all summer long! They're also a great gluten-free dessert when made with gluten-free oats so everyone will enjoy them!

As with any other Monster Cookie, these bars are full of oats, peanut butter deliciousness, M&Ms, and mini chocolate chips. As the recipe is written, it calls for both old-fashioned and quick oats. It’s a texture thing I guess, and I’ve always followed the recipe in that way everytime I’ve made them. I usually just pulse some old-fashioned oats in the food processor to achieve a finer texture. If you only have one kind of oats or the other, that’s fine too… the recipe should turn out.

These monster cookie bars are an easy, chewy dessert that you'll enjoy all summer long! They're also a great gluten-free dessert when made with gluten-free oats so everyone will enjoy them!

One reason I was excited to make these cookie bars (aside from their simplicity and fabulous, addictive taste) is that they are so easy to make gluten free! Our family isn’t gluten free (and I’m not an expert) BUT I do have some friends who are, so I like to have some tried and true recipes on hand that they can enjoy as well. For this recipe, you just need to make sure to use gluten free oats. In my experience, most of the other ingredients should be gluten free naturally–but check labels if this is an issue for you, particularly for the peanut butter, vanilla, and M&Ms. If you are gluten free and I missed anything, please feel free to share in the comments! I hope you love these bars as much as we do!

These monster cookie bars are an easy, chewy dessert that you'll enjoy all summer long! They're also a great gluten-free dessert when made with gluten-free oats so everyone will enjoy them!

P.S. They free wonderfully and taste great at room temperature or heated up in the microwave for 10-15 seconds–so don’t be afraid of the large batch… I’m sure you’ll find a use for them. 🙂

one year ago: Honey Banana Muffins
two years ago: Ricotta Pancakes
three years ago: Italian Tortilla Rollups
four years ago: Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese
five years ago: Cinnamon Carrot Muffins
six years ago: Sweet Potato Waffles

Flourless Monster Cookie Bars (Gluten Free)

Servings: 45 small bars
Time: 30 minutes
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from Together as Family

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter (I use regular/not natural peanut butter for baking)
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups gluten-free quick oats (I usually just pulse old-fashioned oats a couple times in the food processor to break them down a bit)
3 cups gluten-free old-fashioned oats
1-2 cups mini M&Ms (pssst: at my grocery story, mini M&Ms found in the candy aisle are cheaper than the “baking bits” M&Ms found in the baking aisle and seem to be the same)
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13×18 inch rimmed baking sheet (half size sheet pan) with parchment or a silpat.

With a stand mixer, beat together brown sugar, sugar, peanut butter, and butter until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla, and beat until combined. Mix in baking soda.

Add oats and beat on low to just combine, then use a wooden spoon to mix in most of the M&Ms and mini chocolate chips until well incorporated. You can save a little of each to press on top of the bars if desired.

Turn out dough onto prepared baking sheet. Spread the dough out–it is a little tricky, but i found that greasing my hands or a spatula were the best ways to spread out the dough. Top with reserved M&Ms and mini chocolate chips, pressing them in gently.

Bake for about 17-20 minutes–do not overbake! The edges should be just browned and the middle will look underdone but it will finish baking as it cools. Cool for at least an hour so the bars can set.

Once cool, slice and enjoy! These bars also freeze well.

Note: I am not an expert, but I THINK if you use gluten free oats, this would be a great gluten free dessert recipe. From what I’ve read, most M&Ms (including mini M&Ms) are gluten free. You may need to check labels of other ingredients like the vanilla and peanut butter–the brands I use at home are gluten free but all are not. If you’re gluten free and I’ve overlooked anything, please chime in!

Bars, Desserts, Recipes

Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Bars

April 11, 2016April 8, 2016 Sarah

These gooey and quick from-scratch cookie bars are filled with lots of chocolate and butterscotch. They’re perfect for when you wanted dessert an hour ago. 🙂

These gooey and quick from-scratch cookie bars are filled with lots of chocolate and butterscotch. They're perfect for when you wanted dessert an hour ago. :)

There’s nothing worse than wanting dessert an hour ago and not getting it, right? My problem always is that I talk myself out of making something, and then a couple hours have gone by and I still want that yummy treat I didn’t make! Ugh, I hate when I do that to myself! In those cases, you have two choices. You can go out and get something [but I’m so frugal and such a homebody that option doesn’t appeal to me very often] OR you can make something quickly. In the latter scenario, you need recipes that do not require softened butter. Because softening butter in the microwave never works. At least not for me!

In the past, my go-to solution for this was these brownies. They’re chocolatey, they’re delicious, and they have you melt the butter on the stove. Perfecto! [And you can make them sans mint too, btw.] Sometimes though, you want something that isn’t quite so intensely chocolatey. Enter these Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Bars! They are cookie bars through and through–crisp tops and chewy middles. Not quite a blondie, not quite a cookie. Cookie bars are their own entity, and they are pretty darn delicious, if I do say so myself. 🙂

These gooey and quick from-scratch cookie bars are filled with lots of chocolate and butterscotch. They're perfect for when you wanted dessert an hour ago. :)

These cookie bars are bursting with tons of butterscotch flavor… from the brown sugar to the butterscotch chips, their flavor has the best sweet butter/molasses/sugar notes you can ask for. And the chocolate chips? Well, they’re just a bonus. A delicious bonus! Enjoy! 🙂

one year ago: Butternut Squash and Mushroom Tart
two years ago: Oatmeal Fudge Bars
three years ago: Neely’s Lemon Pasta Salad
four years ago: Pineapple-Apricot Teriyaki Chicken
five years ago: Sweet and Tangy Pork Chops with Pineapple with Coconut Toasted Rice

Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Bars

Servings: 24
Time: 30 minutes
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from Just a Little Bit of Bacon

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, 12 ounces
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 6.5 ounces
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch pan with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a medium bowl or saucepan, melt butter in the microwave or on the stove. When butter is melted, add brown sugar and whisk until smooth. Bonus–you can use the same bowl or saucepan! Just move the saucepan off the heat.

One at a time, add in the eggs and stir until incorporated. Then add the vanilla, salt, and baking powder and stir to combine. Add flour and stir until almost combined, then fold in chocolate chips and butterscotch chips.

Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Do not overbake! The bars are done when the tops are set and a little shiny, golden brown in color, and pulling away from the side of the pan. Cool completely [or most of the way] before cutting into bars if you want them to look pretty. Otherwise, they can be cut pretty soon; they just might be messy. Enjoy!