No-Bake Nutter Butter Special K Bars

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