Recently I was asked by FoodBuzz to become a Brand Ambassador for Frigidaire. My first task was to highlight one of my favorite recipes for spring.
These bars are what I came up with. Gooey enough for you?
That’s a yellow cake base, topped with coconut flakes, butterscotch and chocolate chips, and the whole thing is drizzled with a peanut butter and sweetened condensed milk mixture.
When they baked, the peanut butter and sweetened condensed milk formed a “shell” over the top layer, but it’s a very delicate shell.
It’s silky and smooth, not sticky.
The sticky is inside these babies.
When you sink your teeth into one, you may want to channel your inner Dorothy and break out into, “Somewhere over the rainbow, Skies are blue, And the dreams that you dare to dream, Really do come true.”
Yes, the dream I dared to dream did come true.
Somewhere over the rainbow, call The Wizard, and tell him these are keepers.
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Coconut Peanut Butter Magic Cake Bars
Makes 24 bars
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon water, optional if necessary
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut flakes
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup butterscotch chips (or white chocolate chips or peanut butter chips)
1 can (14-ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a 9-by-13 inch pan by lining it with aluminum foil and then spraying it with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, butter, egg, vanilla and mix. The batter will be extremely thick and will be difficult to combine, but keep stirring or use your fingers and knead it together, adding the water if necessary. Press the dough it into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the coconut evenly over the dough, then sprinkle the chocolate and butterscotch chips evenly.
In a mixing bowl (the same one from the cake mix is fine), combine the sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter, stir until well combined, and pour mixture evenly over dough, using a spatula to even it if necessary. Bake for 26 to 29 minutes, or until edges of bars begin to brown and pull away slightly from the sides of the pan, or until the middle of bars has barely set, taking care not to overbake. The bars will set up considerably upon cooling. Allow bars to cool well before slicing and serving. Store in an airtight container on the countertop for up to five days or freeze for up to three months.
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Take a box of yellow cake mix (you could probably use white, spice, or a golden cake mix), add butter, an egg, vanilla, and stir or knead until you create a very thick dough, and press it into the pan.
Top the dough with coconut, butterscotch, and chocolate chips.
Make a mixture of peanut butter and sweetened condensed milk and flood it.
This is the only time when floods are welcome.
Bake it up and wait patiently.
The smell wafting while these are baking is heaven-sent and being patient will be your virtue.
These do the trick for me and have all the right elements going for them:
Two kinds of chips; butterscotch and chocolate.
Peanut butter and sweetened condensed milk. The sweetened condensed milk definitely dominates the flavor of these bars. So rich, creamy, and dreamy.
A sheet cake and a pan of bars, in one.
Bars, not cookies; much faster and less fussy to make.
Coconut and vanilla extract. If you’re not a huge coconut fan, that’s okay because these are not strongly coconut-flavored. It adds texture more so than imparting an overly strong coconut flavor.
They’re a light, fat-free, low-cal, favorite springtime recipe. Sure.
And they sure are good.
If Magic Eight Bars…
and White Chocolate Vanilla Marshmallow Cake Bars….
got married…
And had a first child named Marshmallow Peanut Butter Double Chocolate Pillowtop Bars (GF with Vegan options)…
…This is their second child.
Have you ever tried Magic Bars or Seven Layer Bars as they’re also known?
I love them and they remind me of childhood because they were one of my mom’s signature desserts. She’d make them and bring them to potlucks, bake sales, and neighborhood get-togethers. They’re easy and everyone seems to love them.
What are you looking forward to making this spring?
This post was sponsored by Frigidaire. When you check out Suzanne Goin’s springtime recipes at www.maketimeforchange.com, Frigidaire will donate $1 to Save the Children’s U.S. programs. Plus, you’ll be entered for a chance to win the new Frigidaire Range with Symmetry™ Double Ovens– featuring two large ovens (that can each fit up to a 28 pound turkey!), providing the flexibility to cook multiple dishes at the same time at different temperatures, so you can get more on the table at the same time.
P.S. The winner of the Soyfoods Giveway is Erica
I would love these but peanut butter in our family is a no no. What could you substitute for the peanut butter?
I haven’t ever tried but perhaps Cookie Butter (Biscoff Spread) for a similar texture. I wouldn’t go with almond butter, too runny IMO.
I am assuming when this recipe was written it included the 18 oz box of cake mix. How can I adjust the recipe using the new smaller boxes of cake mix?
Make the same way. The ounce or two will not matter in this recipe.
I made these the other day but substituted chocolate cake for the yellow cake mix because I was craving chocolate and peanut butter. I think these are by far the best bars from your collection, Averie. They even taste better the next day! This will definitely be one of our go to recipes when we are craving something sweet- they are so easy to make and delicious too! Thanks for another tasty treat!
Thanks for trying them and I bet with choc cake and the PB/sweetened cond milk sauce, they were wonderful. I loved this recipe so much that I put it in my cookbook! Glad you agree that it’s one of my best. Thanks for the compliment!
Thanks for the lovely recipe. Wish they were low-fat, but I love them.
just made these… WOW! Delicious!
Had a bunch of cake mix I wanted to use and I googled what to make with it and found this recipe. So glad I did! I happen to have all the ingredients and it was super easy and delicious! Thanks it’s a keeper:)
The bars you made are perhaps my fave cake-mix bars on my site but here are 15 more ideas in case you have more cake mix laying around :)
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/06/recipes-using-cake-mix.html
Glad you liked them and thanks for stopping back to tell me!
Averie!! I just baked these using devil’s food cake mix for my clinic group and am SOOO excited at the result. Looks delicious! Can’t wait to see what they think tomorrow. It’s sitting on my counter waiting to cool…and I’m dying to cut them up!! Thank you for such a fun and easy recipe! :)
long time no chat!! glad to hear they aer such a hit and that you made them with choc cake mix
check these out then!
http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/04/white-and-dark-chocolate-cream-cheese-chocolate-cake-bars.html
These are in the oven right now… I made a half batch because I don’t trust my own self control, hahaha. I’m staying with my mom for a week and the bad news is that the can of sweetened condensed milk she had was a use by 2009 and I didn’t see that until after I’d started the recipe… so I had to improvise a bit.
How did you make a half batch with the egg/cake mix situation? Did you literally crack an egg, beat it, and use half and then use half the box of cake mix & bake in a 8×8 pan? Totally do-able just curious! Glad you found ways to improvise. LMK how things pan out!
Do you think you could sub canned coconut milk for the sweetened condensed milk?
Yes I do but you may want to sweeten it with stevia or agave or just sugar. And if you use it, let the can settle, and then when you open it, pour off the top layer of “skim” coconut milk and use the “2%” part if that makes sense. The thicker the better so try not to “jiggle” the can for at least an hour or two before you use it so it can separate into skim/2% layers of coconut milk.
I already follow you on Pinterest and I pinned the magic eight bars!
haha oops, ignore this! Meant to write it on the giveaway post :D
What an honor from FoodBuzz, congrats! The bars look very decadent and sweet, a total treat! Awesome job and I adore the photography. For spring I’m looking forward to bright fruits and veggies.
You are officially insane! Wow.
These look so amazing Averie! I grew up eating magic bars too and they are still one of my favorite desserts.
I love that the base is yellow cake and then all of the other flavors are layered on top. They look so decadent!!
Man, what the pictures of what you make are a delight. I know they would be heartstopping and yet I wish to consume them all… :)
Don’t be surprised if you see you lurking outside your front door, in search of one of these goodies!
Delicious!!!
Oh my goodness! These look heavenly. I love magic bars, but these look about 10 times better. Pinning this page now!
Thanks for pinning!
You can’t be serious…those bars are insane…I’m on the fence if making them or not. Because if I do I’ll eat them all and then who’s going to be able to train???
;)
Yummm, I love cake mix bars… and anything with coconut!! Gosh, we would have such a good time in the kitchen together.
If it weren’t for the boxed cake mix, I would have made this in a second. I’ll need to find a good from-scratch recipe and then make these one day. The top part looks amazing.
These look amazing. You’re a genius!
Coconut & Peanut Butter are like magical words in my life at this point – I’m obsessed! These bars look AMAZING and super rich!
Thanks, Stacy!
I have tried 7 layer bars and I really like them. I haven’t made them that I can remember.
This spring I look forward to putting a big dent in my bookmarked recipes.
these take the best parts of magic/seven layer bars and make them even a little better b/c of the cake base IMO :)
Delicious! i want to top these with colorful sprinkles…Perfect for a spring picnic…Thanks Averie!
I know, I thought about pastels for Easter but thought I’d hold off :)
Those look sinfully delicious!! Oh my word, best flavor combinations ever!! And your pictures are stunning!
Thank you so much, Annie!
I want one right now!! These look incredible.
YUM, these look so tasty! And gorgeous photos! :)
thanks, Sara!
I want to channel my inner dorothy! Oh heavens.. I love all the flavors. Butterscotch is my favorite.
YUM!!! another amazing flavor combo recipe from Averie :) You are a genius in the kitchen!!!! my mom always made magic bars when i was growing up. i’ve never attempted them myself. im looking forward to making chocolate covered peeps for easter this spring. :) I got the idea from Christi at Love From the Oven!
they’re super easy but dare I say, these take the best parts of magic bars and make them even a little better b/c of the cake base!
Oh my gosh, these look so delicious and gooey! You’re killing me with all of this greatness. Yum!
Oh man! These look temptingly good!!! :D …there is so much to look forward to about spring…but probably the nice running whether is on the top of my list!
Gooey GALORE is right! These looks incredible. I like the idea of mixing coconut and peanut butter.
Such a good combo!
*I die.*
And if those chips were white instead of dark chocolate…well…I’d die even harder.
;)
I was going to add them, too, but honestly these already had so much going on that I figured I could hold off…for now with those…. :)
When you posted yesterday a teaser that you were going to produce yet another amazing bar, I couldn’t wait! Oh.My.Gosh!! These look so good! I especially like the “gooey galore” description in the photo! You have the greatest ideas for bars. In fact, Averie, you should do a cookbook of just bars. Your photos are exquisite, your recipes are spot on and they are simple to make and the ingredients are no big deal! It would sell, I am sure, and I – ahem – would be the first to buy it!! Great work, as always, lady! :-)
I think you’ll love these because they combine bars that I love (and I know that you’ve made, too!) and they’re so easy.
And your support and encouragement is wonderful…thanks as always, Michele!
Wonderful!
I LOVE the cake mix addition–much better.
You go girl!
We finally have sun–I’m so not baking today.
And not only does it taste great, it’s easy-peasy, which is key around here! Enjoy your nice weather!
I have plans later to make a breakfast cookie of sorts with a lot of these flavors, although slightly more healthified ;)
It’s a great combo and so versatile. All those other bars were sort of “cousins” to this bar. Enjoy your breakfast cookie!
I love magic eight bars and like the idea of using cake mix for the base. I could go to town on these!! I am looking forward to getting my little “salad garden” going very soon (my husband built me a small raised garden box). Hopefully I can pick and make my own spring mixes in a couple of months.
I love magic bars, too. A salad garden sounds perfect!
I am a huge fan of magoic cookie bars. Whenever I make them, everyone loves them and they store easily in the freezer.
This spring, I am excited to make ANYTHING from the farmer’s market. We just got a new grill and grilling season has officially begun. Hooray!
That’s my experience, too…that everyone loves magic bars!
I’ve had a few seven layer bars in my time but they were never my mom’s signature or staple. I sort of want to try making a paleo version these days though! Gorgeous photos, so bright and fun.
Thanks for the photo compliments…and paleo, meats and heavy fats is what comes to mind for me when I think paleo. These have fat in them…so you’re halfway there. Lol
These look so amazingly gooey! I love the yellow cake layer mixed with all of these flavors. They look amazing!
Thanks, Cassie!
Beautiful. I’ve never made or had any bars like this. And congrats on the ambassador. Hopefully it means good things ahead.
Thanks, my friend.
And I hope the same!
we used to make seven layers bars when growing up. we have not tried to make them in years, not really sure why, I guess other sweet treats keep taking over haha
Oh I know….there are so many things to make and with a blog, wanting to make NEW things is key…so sometimes the oldies but goodies take a backseat!
No words. HEAVEN!
You’re so sweet :)
Girl you need to write a book ~ these look beyond amazing!
I heart you. Thanks, my friend!
i would have absolutely no self control around these… they’re pretty much all my favorite dessert flavors mixed into one. YUM!
It’s been a challenge for me too..Lol
I want one now!! All of your bars look so delectable
Thanks, Colleen.
What a fabulous bar! I love how chewy and sticky this looks. This is a keeper for sure!
Chewy & sticky is key..otherwise why bother is my attitude!
Congrats on the sponsorship! Thats fabulous. The bars look yummy. I enjoy seeing how you combine different flavors (especially different types of chips). Good stuff!
Thanks, Erica! And enjoy your soy :)
Oh my GAWD! Those sound so gooey and delicious! I’ll take a whole tray right now!! I want to swim in that flood, lol.
You have to make these! If Dustin likes coconut at all, make them. And even if he doesn’t, more for you that way :)