I have had a craving to somehow combine peanut butter cookies with a vanilla-infused, brown sugar-sweetened peanut butter sauce and create a no-bake dessert.
And then I wanted to top the whole thing with chocolate frosting.
After pondering how I was going to do this, it finally came to me…
This recipe combines the peanut butter, brown sugar, and vanilla “sauce” I use in my Special K Bars…
That’s the “sauce”: Peanut Butter + Brown Sugar + Karo Syrup + Vanilla= heaven
…And just takes it one step further: adding a pound of Nutter Butter peanut butter cookies.
Here’s what I came up with. I think you’ll like it.
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No-Bake Nutter Butter Special K Bars
1 pound of Nutter Butter cookies (or vanilla/peanut butter “sandwich” cookies of any sort)
4 c Special K cereal
1/2 c butter/margarine (1 stick)
1 c Karo Syrup (this is kept near maple syrup in the grocery store, it’s cheap and has been around forever)
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Grind the Nutter Butter cookies in Vita or food processor and put into a big bowl along with the Special K.
In a sauce pan on the stove, combine the butter, Karo syrup, brown sugar and bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the peanut butter and vanilla extract and stir until combined. Some lumps from the peanut butter is ok.
Take the peanut butter sauce mixture from the stovetop and pour over the ground Nutter Butter cookies and Special K. Stir to combine everything.
Pour and press mixture into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Chill in refrigerator or freezer until set up.
Optional: Chocolate Frosting. Use prepared chocolate frosting or make your own. Follow my recipe for Vegan Chocolate Frosting. Or simply pour 1.5 to 2c of melted chocolate chips over the top of the bars.
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A visual guide
Ignore the marshmallows. I thought I may use them in the recipe but realized I had enough sugar going on for one recipe.
Grind the Nutter Butters and place into a big bowl with the Special K
Make Peanut Butter + Brown Sugar + Karo Syrup + Vanilla Sauce on the stovetop
Take the Peanut Butter Sauce and pour over the ground Nutter Butters + Special K. Stir to combine.
Press into the pan.
Make the chocolate frosting or melt chocolate chips and pour over the top
Place in fridge or freezer for a few minutes until they are set up and then, slice, serve. And let the moaning begin.
These bars are every bit as amazing as I hoped they’d be.
They combine peanut butter sandwich cookies + peanut butter sauce
Plus adding chocolate on top of anything always helps the cause
They are dense, sweet, rich, peanut buttery, vanilla-ey, and chewy.
Sinking your teeth into these is a beautiful thing.
Pretty much everything I want in a dessert, these have it: No-Bake, Sweet, Dense, Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter Cookies, Vanilla, Very Rich
They are not vegan, they are not gluten free, they are not light or healthy. They are delicious.
Enjoy!
From my last post about it Being a Zoo Out There with running errands on the weekend, yes it is! But such is life.
I had fun reading about if you’ve ever tried a blogosphere recipe and it was a fail for whatever reason. Sometimes things just don’t turn out how I’d hoped, and glad to know I am not the only one who’s had that happen.
Questions
1. Best thing you’ve done or eaten this weekend?
Best thing I’ve eaten was, hands down, these bars.
Best thing I’ve done was spending time with Skylar and getting a great workout in.
2. Are you a Peanut Butter fan?
I know some of you are going to say you like almond butter or other nut butters more than peanut butter. Those don’t hold a candle to PB for me. The only nut butter that beats/ties with peanut butter for me is Sunflower Seed Butter (TJ’s house brand rocks). But I am truly a huge peanut butter fan.
If you need a post showcasing my Peanut Butter containing recipes in everything from desserts to peanut sauce to roasted vegetables to one-pot meals with peanut butter in them, that’s your post. Of course in all the recipes you could use another kind of nut butter, too. Because I know blog readers are nut butter fiends!
3. What kind of dessert should I make next?
No Bake or Baked, Cookies, Cake, Brownies, Balls/Bites, Pies, Bars…give me some suggestions. And also flavors you’d like to see incorporated. My wheels are turning and I aim to please.
P.S. If you’re just catching up on Weekend Posts, here are mine since Friday:
- A Zoo Out There & Recipe Fails
- What Caught My Eye This Week
- Big Produce & Being Flexible
- The Best Things In Life Are Free
- Photo Editing: Before & After, Truths & Trickery
WAAH!!…”Nutterbutter Void” in my neck of France….Any Europeans out there with an idea for a suitable sub?!…I can find Special K…but not the other “key” ingredient…Would a speculoos or noisette/hazelnut or almond biscuit work…perhaps with something subbing for the cream in the middle?
These look stellar Averie…as is ALWAYS the case.
Oreo cookies (Golden oreos if possible) or any other vanilla or cream-filled sandwich cookies. Or use chocolate flavor based on preference. The biscuits you speak of – not familiar but they sound promising!
Oh LAWD! Those look and sound insanely good. Painfully so. I may have to cave and make a batch and then give away all but a few so that I won’t *accidently* eat the whole batch! Yipes! And your photos are beyond tempting – as usual! : )
LMK if you end up making them…they’re crazy good :)
Cut the salt in half in your favorite recipes. Most of the time this will not produce a noticeable taste change. Consider replacing part of the salt with an herb or spice, flavored vinegar, citrus juice or peel. Garlic or onion power (not garlic or onion salt) work well in meats, soups, and sauces. Make your own mix of garli
Hi Averie! I attempted to make the Special K Bars that these are based upon and would love to try these. However, I’m not sure if my Special K Bars turned out properly. I was wondering if you could tell me what the texture / consistency of the bottom bar part is supposed to be – it’s hard to tell from the photos. Is it supposed to be hard and crunchy or chewier/stretchier? Either way, they taste wonderful. I’m just curious, thanks a bunch!
not hard and crunchy. Chewy and stretchy but not so much that they fall apart. Pour the hot PB Sauce over the Special K and add 5 ish cups of Special K. And that should be about perfect :)
These look freaking amazing!! My kids would die and go to heaven if I made these… bookmarking the recipe for the next time I’m asked to bring “bars” (so Minnesota!) to an event.
I used to like peanut butter as a kid.. followed by YEARS of distaste.. but now I again find myself craving the creamy goodness! Weird right. Same thing happened w/ Cheetos (though I rarely allow myself to ‘indulge’ in that!)…
Holy Moly…those bars look SOOOO good! I am definitely gonna make them, as my boys absolutely LOVE peanut butter! I do like peanut butter, but not a ton, really. I would rather have white chocolate any day! :-) Btw, Averie…I made your marshmallow treats the other day and they were a HUGE hit in my house. In fact, they disappeared the same day I made them! I love how easy there were because I just don’t have tons of time to be baking!
Best thing I did this weekend was attend the high school musical here in Santa Cruz, where my boys go to school. Such fun!
As for what to bake next, I would say cookies of some kind. Those are a huge hit in our house and fun to bake! Hope you are having a great Monday, Averie! :-)
Oh my goodness!! I need these bars in my life right now. I can’t stop drooling over them, they look sooooo good. :)