Coconut Peanut Butter Magic Cake Bars

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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?

Coconut Peanut Butter Magic Cake Bars

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.

Coconut Peanut Butter Magic Cake Bars

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.

Coconut Peanut Butter Magic Cake Bars

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.”

Coconut Peanut Butter Magic Cake Bars

Yes, the dream I dared to dream did come true.

Somewhere over the rainbow, call The Wizard, and tell him these are keepers.

Coconut Peanut Butter Magic Cake Bars

 

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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.

Yellow cake mix on bottom of pan

Top the dough with coconut, butterscotch, and chocolate chips.

Yellow cake mix with chocolate and butterscotch chips and on bottom of pan

Make a mixture of peanut butter and sweetened condensed milk and flood it.

This is the only time when floods are welcome.

Finished batter in pan

Bake it up and wait patiently.

The smell wafting while these are baking is heaven-sent and being patient will be your virtue.

Cooked Coconut Peanut Butter Magic Cake Bars

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.

Coconut Peanut Butter Magic Cake Bars

They’re a light, fat-free, low-cal, favorite springtime recipe. Sure.

And they sure are good.

Coconut Peanut Butter Magic Cake Bars

If Magic Eight Bars

Stack of Magic Eight Bars

and White Chocolate Vanilla Marshmallow Cake Bars….

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)…

Marshmallow Peanut Butter Double Chocolate Pillowtop Bars

…This is their second child.

Coconut Peanut Butter Magic Cake Bars

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 Symmetryâ„¢ 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

About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

Comments

  1. 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.

  2. 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!

  3. 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.

    1. 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

  4. These look so amazingly gooey! I love the yellow cake layer mixed with all of these flavors. They look amazing!

  5. Beautiful. I’ve never made or had any bars like this. And congrats on the ambassador. Hopefully it means good things ahead.

  6. 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

    1. 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!

  7. i would have absolutely no self control around these… they’re pretty much all my favorite dessert flavors mixed into one. YUM!

  8. What a fabulous bar! I love how chewy and sticky this looks. This is a keeper for sure!

  9. 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!

  10. 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.

    1. You have to make these! If Dustin likes coconut at all, make them. And even if he doesn’t, more for you that way :)