The Quest For a Cereal Bar

Right now, one of the most highly prized snacks in our house is the Kashi TLC Cereal Bar. My boys would eat them all day, every day, if I let them! As much as that would not suffice nutritionally, it would also not work financially. Being that those sweet little treats run anywhere between $3-$4.50 a box, it works out to be about $.50-$.75 a bar! That habit can get expensive quick! So I did what any mom with internet access would do. I Googled it. And so began my quest for a cereal bar recipe.

While these bars are not anywhere CLOSE to the beloved cereal bar, they really were good! They sort of boasted a little bit of shortbread, which paired deliciously with the preserves! So while I was a little bummed that they seemed to lead me astray, I guess you gotta start somewhere...and there's not a one left!

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter {softened}
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups oats
1 teaspoon almond extract
16oz. preserves of choice

DIRECTIONS:
Cream margarine and sugar. Add dry ingredients. Mix well. Add almond extract. Press 3/4 of crumb mixture into greased 9 x 13 pan. Spread with preserves. (*Use Strawberry, raspberry, peach or other favorite). Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture. Bake at 350* for 20-25 min. Cool and cut into bars.

THE Gold Bar

WAY back in elementary school, there was a little $.25 treat that ALL the kids would go bonkers over. It was the Gold Bar. And at my school, it was only sold on Wednesdays. Now if you don't remember the Gold Bar, or you've never had a Gold Bar, let me explain. It's very much like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup but in bar form. Peanut butter mixture on the bottom and a thin layer of chocolate on top. And it was served cold and individually wrapped, which only added to how good it was. (Isn't it strange the things you remember?!) So awhile back, I had the thought to ask my dad if he could run down the recipe from a school cafeteria lady before he retired. AND HE DID! However, the entire recipe is in grams and calls for ingredients like chocolate emulsifier (??) which has made it nearly impossible to replicate the APS Goldbar. So I did what any other desperate Gold Bar fan would do and I Googled the ingredient list, which led me to this recipe. Although a tad different (it calls for graham crackers instead of rice crispies) the overall taste is there. And I don't have to use math conversions that I can't remember for the life of me :) So here you go Sue! Gold Bar away! And Dani, if you're reading and your's is different-hit us up with your recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
4 tablespoons peanut butter

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, mix together the butter or margarine, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.
In a metal bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread over the prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

Snicker Bars

These.are.wonderful. I kinda feel like I'm cheating when I make them since I don't have to make the cake or the caramel sauce from scratch.. but then I get over it and use that time to fold laundry, dust, play with my son..

INGREDIENTS:
1 package German chocolate cake mix
2/3 c. evaporated milk, divided
1 c. chopped nuts (I prefer pecans)
28 (9oz) caramels
3/4 c. melted butter
1 c. chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
Combine cake mix, melted butter and 1/3 c. evaporated milk. Press half of the mixture into a greased and floured 9 x 13 pan. Bake 6 minutes at 350.
In a double boiler, dissolve caramels and 1/3 c. evaporated milk. (Today I was lazy and quit when this mixture was a bit lumpy.. they were still wonderful!)
Remove cake crust from oven. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and nuts, and then pour dissolved caramels over the top. Crumble the remaining cake mix on the top and return to oven for 15 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE!!
Cool and cut into squares.

Butterscotch Bars

More butterscotch! Although, messy and not very pretty, these bars were fabulous!

INGREDIENTS: 1 cup packed brown sugar 5 tablespoons butter, melted 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 large egg, lightly beaten 2 cups flour 2 1/2 cups quick cooking oats 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda Cooking spray 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk 1 bag butterscotch chips 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/2 finely chopped walnuts, toasted (optional)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl. Stir in vanilla and egg. Combine flour, oats, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Add oat mixture to sugar mixture; stir with a fork until combined (mixture will be crumbly). Place 3 cups oat mixture into the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Press into bottom of pan. Set aside. Place sweetened condensed milk, butterscotch chips, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute or until chips melt, stirring every 20 seconds. Stir in walnuts. Scrape mixture into pan, spreading evenly over crust. Sprinkle evenly with remaining oat mixture, gently pressing into butterscotch mixture. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. Place pan on cooling rack; run a knife around outside edge. Cool completely and cover.