April's Gooey Bars

Julie Andrews makes me cry!! Growing up singing, I idolized her. She was everything I wanted to be, right down to her perfect diction. I memorized every song from My Fair Lady (she was Eliza in the Broadway production), Mary Poppins and Sound of Music. I would challenge myself with those high yodeling notes in "The Lonely Goatherd" and tried to be Mary Poppins to every kid I babysat. 

And then she had surgery. Did you know that?? She had routine surgery on her vocal cords, and it went wrong. She can barely sing anymore. She did a tiny little simple song in the second Princess Diaries movie and I bawled the whole time. Now every time I hear her sing, I cry. But I can't stop watching those movies, especially since Mary Poppins has been little Stephen's favorite movie since he was two! He would yell "Steppin Time!!" and dance with the chimney sweeps. We watched it every day. And he still dances. 

Anyway, all this reminiscence comes not only from the fact that the boys are watching Mary Poppins while I toss this recipe together, but from the recipe itself! When I was a teenager, this was my family game night specialty. I had no idea what the recipe was called, or where it came from, so I dubbed them "Gooey Bars". I love words that end in "y". My husband says that before he married me, he never heard an adult use the words "gooey", "sparkly", and "yummy" before. And I use them a lot. :) So here they are, a blast from the past, my Gooey Bars!

April's Gooey Bars
Printable Recipe

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light Karo syrup (corn syrup)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1 cup cocktail peanuts
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

Line a 9x13 baking dish with buttered/greased wax paper or parchment paper, and set aside.

Combine the sugar and syrup in a large pot or saucepan. Bring to a boil at medium-high heat, for less than a minute, just till sugar is dissolved.

Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until smooth fully mixed.

Stir in the peanuts and cereal until fully coated, then pour into the baking dish. Smooth out and press down and into the corners. I like to rub some butter on my fingers and do it by hand, because it's so sticky!

In a microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate and butterscotch chips. If I have both, I like to use half milk and half semisweet chocolate. You can use either! Microwave for 1 minute, remove, and stir well. Return to microwave for 30 seconds, remove, stir again. One more time for 20-30 seconds and you're done! Spread over the top of the cereal mixture.

You can leave it out at room temp for a few hours to set, or pop it in the fridge to set it quickly. Cut into squares, (it helps to butter the knife) and serve!

After my poor husband almost had a stroke trying to cut these things out of the pan, I remembered that they were easier to cut all those years ago... and thinner... so do as I say, not as I do, and don't use an unlined square dish!!! It might have helped if they weren't cold too...

Caramel and peanut butter. Topped with chocolate and stuffed with salty nuts. Yum!

Stephen of course thinks the chocolate is the best part. I like the chewy part best. Whose side are you on??