Buckeye Cookie Bars (a.k.a. Amazingly Delicious Bars!)

Hi there and welcome back to the Barbershop. I have another dessert recipe for you! Now, you may notice that the titles of my posts are typically pretty straightforward; they just name the item that was baking in the shop. But this time I had to add in the extra, "Amazingly Delicious Bars" because that's what these are! Amazingly delicious! It's a new recipe I haven't tried before, and I was pleased with the result...as were the people with whom I shared these bars. :)

I'll start with the recipe, which is from a cookbook I've mentioned before, "Cake Mix Magic." These are the ingredients as they're listed in the recipe...I changed it slightly, and I'll share that change with you soon.

Buckeye Cookie Bars:

-1 package (18.25 oz.) chocolate cake mix

-1/4 cup vegetable oil

-1 egg

-1 cup chopped peanuts

-1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

-1/2 cup peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, oil, and eggs; beat at medium speed until crumbly (I did not use a mixer, just a spoon!). Stir in peanuts. Reserve 1 and 1/2 cups crumb mixture; press remaining crumb mixture firmly on bottom of greased 13 x 9 baking pan. 

In medium bowl, beat sweetened condensed milk with peanut butter until smooth; spread over prepared crust. Spring with reserved crumb mixture.

Baked for 25 to 30 minutes or until set. Cool, and cut into bars. Store tightly covered at room temperature. Makes 24 - 36 bars.

Here is a picture of most of the ingredients. Notice the package of reverse (or, vanilla) Oreos? Well, that's what I used to change up this recipe. Instead of adding chopped peanuts, I added crushed reverse oreos! I have had the package of oreos for a while, and I just wasn't eating them. So I decided to use them up in this recipe! The taste and texture of the oreos really added to the overall enjoyment of the bars, I think. ;-) Who says baking always has to be exact? There are often ways to change up recipes, I say!!

Can you take a guess as to how I crushed the oreos? 

Here is the first layer. Oh, and I probably added more oil than the 1/4 cup called for in the recipe...maybe more like 1/3 cup or so - just an FYI if you make these! I think it helps the mixture stick together a bit more, although the mixture is not intended to be like a typical brownie batter or anything...so don't expect that! If it seems a tad crumbly, it's okay. When you press it into the bottom of the pan, it all works out just fine, I promise.

Sweetened condensed milk & peanut butter (did I mention that this is NOT a cooking light recipe?).

Yum.

This has the liquid layer and the reserved crumb mixture sprinkled on top.

Here's the final product, after it's baked! The edges look a little brown, but it wasn't burned at all. It's just the golden color that the milk and peanut butter layer becomes once it's cooked.

I am glad I gave most of these bars away. I think that if they had been in our house, I would have eaten too many of them! They're pretty darn delicious (well, amazingly delicious to be exact) -  and I think you should try them!! :)