Caramel Peanut Butter Bars

Sometimes I crave peanut butter and these Caramel Peanut Butter Bars are delicious. They almost taste like a sundae without the ice cream and of course you can add the ice cream. They freeze well and make an excellent afternoon treat with coffee or tea.

I use boxed cakes for convenience. Consisting of flour, sugar, and leavening cake mixes provide a shortcut to many desserts. The possibilities are endless with a boxed cake mix. I don’t know if nonna would agree, but I am sure she is looking down and laughing. Today the cake mix helps to make the crust. This recipe is so good, your guests will be shocked when they find out that it all started with a boxed cake mix.

Now, make your own caramel sauce. This is an easy recipe with many uses. I use this for ice cream or to dress cakes. It has 4 ingredients and you simply cook it for a few minutes. Refrigerate it and use as needed. You can double or triple the recipe.

Another one of my favourite squares https://recipesatmytable.com/limoncello-cheesecake-blondies/

For more delicious sauces see https://www.brit.co/ice-cream-topping-recipes/

Ingredients

1 white or yellow cake mix
1 cup of quick oats
2/3 cups of creamy peanut butter
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 batch caramel sauce (recipe follows)
1 brick of cream cheese
1/2 a cup each of white chocolate chips and dark chocolate chips

Caramel Sauce

1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup each of milk and cream
1/2 cup butter
1/2 tsp of vanilla

Process

In a small pan place the brown sugar, butter, milk and cream. Bring to a boil and cook for a few minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. You can do this ahead of time and let it cool. I usually let it cool overnight.

I preheat my oven to 350 F and I grease a 13. X 9 inch baking pan. Take the cake mix and introduce the oats.

Now cut in the peanut butter until the mixture is crumbly. I used a fork to bring it all together. Beat the egg and milk and add it to the bowl. Mix together. Set aside 1 1/2 cups of the mixture .