Thursday, October 10, 2013

Fluffernutter Bars

You know, I'd never actually heard the term fluffernutter until maybe a couple years ago, and even now it still seems a pretty foreign concept. You can put peanut butter and marshmallow fluff together, like, on a sandwich? That's a thing? Apparently not a thing in my house growing up! But it sounds pretty delicious, I have to admit. I'm sure I would've been obsessed with it as a child had I known it existed.

Fluffernutter Bars by freshfromthe.com

But as an adult, it seems a little bit taboo. Like, oh man, no way are you allowed to make yourself a fluffernutter sandwich and still be totally mature. Not that we need to be mature, but sometimes we need to keep up appearances, right? And these bars are totally a way you can keep up appearances. No one's going to look at you sideways for having a little dessert bar that just happens to have the whole fluffernutter magical combo.

And if they do? They have worse problems than sometimes wanting to appear semi-mature and adultish.

Fluffernutter Bars by freshfromthe.com

These bars are not the fluffiest ones you will ever encounter, so if that's what you're looking for, go ahead and look elsewhere. But if you want something soft and chewy and distinctly tasting of sugary peanut butter, well then, step right up. And can I recommend just one thing if you make these? Seriously, for real, make the homemade marshmallow creme first. I promise you will not regret making it, though obviously it will take more time than just getting a jar of fluff from the store. but it's so good! And super easy! DO IT!

How gooey and dense these become really depends on how liberal you are with the marshmallow creme/fluff/cream/whatever you want to call it. The more you put in, the denser it will get. I maybe put in a tiny touch too much for these ones, but it really all comes down to personal taste. You could also try throwing in a few actual marshmallows too if you want. Mix it up! Get wild! Think what your childhood self would've wanted!

Fluffernutter Bars by freshfromthe.com


Fluffernutter Bars

Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup marshmallow creme
Cooking Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a square baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside for now.
  2. In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Let it cool so it's not super hot, about five minutes. While it's cooling, whisk together your dry ingredients in a small bowl (flour, baking soda, salt) and set aside. Whisk in the egg, peanut butter, sugars and vanilla into the butter until thoroughly combined. Now add your flour mixture into the dough until just combined, not over-mixing.
  3. Fold in your marshmallow fluff in tablespoon dollops. Again, don't overmix or the stuff will just disappear. You want to see some streaks and pockets of marshmallow.
  4. Spread the batter into your prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake for 23-28 minutes until the center is just set. A toothpick will come out mostly clean. You don't want to overbake because they're best gooey, but you don't want too gooey either, so it's a delicate balance.
  5. Let cool completely, then cut up and go to town! These will probably taste even better on day two once everything has melded together even more.
(Adapted from Bakerita)

In Photos:


The ingredients, minus the marshmallow, are all mixed together. Forgot to take a photo before adding in the flour stuff, oh well!


Fold in the marshmallow creme so that it's still in large bits, otherwise it will completely disappear when baked. Dump that into your pan and spread out. Bake at 350F for 23-28 minutes.

Fluffernutter Bars by freshfromthe.com

And it will come out looking something like this. The middle will collapse a bit when you let it rest, don't fret.

Fluffernutter Bars by freshfromthe.com

Once you've let it cool, get to cutting. Do you like the outer crusts or the gooey middles? It's all up to you!

Fluffernutter Bars by freshfromthe.com

Some of the ooey gooey middle bars!

2 comments:

  1. Fluffernutter sandwiches were my favorite after school treat. We didn't get them often, but they are SO good. I can't wait to try these out!

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    Replies
    1. It's so funny, that was never even a thing at my house at all! You'll have to let me know what you think of these!! :)

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