Bready or Not: Ritz Krispy Treats
It’s summer. Time to bust out the non-baked goodies!
If you’re like me, you open up a box of Ritz crackers for some occasion and then it ends up squatting on a pantry shelf for a while. The good news is that just about anything is good if it’s pulverized and mixed with melted marshmallows. Who knew?!
These are especially good because you get that whole salty/sweet combination. A drizzle of chocolate and a touch of large grain salt really adds oomph.
This does produce a thin layer in a small casserole pan. If you want thick bars, double the recipe!
I think this would also work really well with Ritz Sandwich Crackers with Peanut Butter, with peanut butter added instead of Biscoff. You could also use Club or other kinds of crackers. There are a ton of options!
Bready or Not: Ritz Krispy Treats
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 cups mini marshmallows 1 bag
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup Biscoff spread or nut butter
- 2 sleeves Ritz crackers crushed (makes 3 cups)
optional:
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips to melt and drizzle
- pretzel salt or kosher salt
Instructions
- Prepare everything for quick mixing. Crush the crackers and measure the vanilla and Biscoff (or nut butter). Grease an 8x8 or 9x9 casserole pan.
- In microwave or on stovetop, melt butter in a large bowl or pan. Add marshmallows and continue to heat on low; in microwave, heat for 25 seconds, stir, 25 more seconds, stir, until everything blends together.
- Add the vanilla extract and Biscoff, then the crumbs. Stir until everything is well blended. Glop it into the prepared pan. Use a piece of wax paper and a glass or firm spatula to compress everything.
- To add some topping for oomph, melt the chocolate and drizzle it over the treats. Immediately sprinkle some salt over it all.
- Let set for an hour or so, until firm. Cut into small squares.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Oreo Chocolate Chip Caramel Cookie Bars
A picture is worth a thousand words, right?
The original version at Mom on Time Out looked pretty darn amazing to start, but as usual I decided to improve something by adding 1) Biscoff spread, and 2) Oreos.
These things will blow your mind and your waistline. Imagine dense bricks of caramel and goodness. I stored these in the fridge–because I live in Arizona and even at room temp chocolate goes too soft–and to my surprise, these bars didn’t harden. Nope. Even chilled, they were chewy and amazing. The Biscoff probably helped with the soft and chewy aspect.
Of course, you can also make this using any nut butter instead of the Biscoff spread, or substitute another cookie for the Oreos. Mix it up. So many things pair well with a thick layer of caramel.
Make these. You know you want to.
Modified from Mom on Time Out.
Bready or Not: Oreo Chocolate Chip Caramel Cookie Bars
Ingredients
Caramel Filling
- 11 oz bag caramels Caramel Bits work well
- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 4 Tbsp butter
Cookie Dough
- 1 1/2 sticks 3/4 cups unsalted butter
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup creamy Biscoff spread or nut butter
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 2 cups chopped Oreos about 1/3 of package, a little over 1 row
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil, and butter or use nonstick spray. Chop the Oreos and set them aside.
- Place caramels in a small saucepan with butter and sweetened condensed milk. On medium-low heat, stir often until caramels are melted and mixture smooth. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the Biscoff spread (or nut butter) and mix. Add eggs and then vanilla, and mix well.
- Combine the dry ingredients: flour, oats, baking powder, and salt in a small mixing bowl. Slowly pour the flour mix into the large mixing bowl. Stir in the chocolate chips and then the Oreo pieces.
- Drop about 2/3 of the dough into the prepared casserole pan and smooth it out over the bottom. Slowly pour the caramel mixture over the dough and spread out to the edges. Dollop the rest of the dough on top; don't worry about covering all of the caramel.
- Bake for 28-32 minutes. Cool completely and then cut into bars.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Biscoff Brownies
How about some beautiful brownies for Valentine’s Day?
Sometimes you want a brownie that punches you in the face with its chocolate flavor. Other times you want a gentle slap. This brownie is the latter.
These mild brownies blend the magic of Biscoff spread/Speculoos spread with chocolately brownies. Neither flavor is strong, but together they create something delicious, tender, and good.
Also, they are PRETTY. Look at that swirl!
These are photogenic brownies.
They also keep really well for several days in a sealed container at room temperature. If you can restrain yourself to make them last that long.
Slightly modified from Biscoff Brownies at Bake at 350.
Bready or Not: Biscoff Brownies
Ingredients
For the Biscoff swirl:
- 1/2 cup smooth Biscoff or cookie butter spread
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
For the brownies:
- 1 cup Dutch-process cocoa sifted
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 12 Tb unsalted butter 1 1/2 sticks
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325-degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with aluminum foil and grease surface.
- For the Biscoff swirl: In a small bowl, combine the cookie butter spread, cream cheese, sugar, and egg, until smooth. Set aside.
- For the brownies: Sift together the cocoa, salt and baking powder and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Remove from heat and add the sugar. Once they are mixed, return to the burner and keep stirring as it heats through. You don't want it to bubble.
- Remove the pan from heat and stir in the cocoa mixture. Let it cool a few minutes. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract until smooth. Stir in the flour. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth it out.
- Dollop the Biscoff mixture here and there on top of the brownie batter. Use a table knife to gently swirl the mixture every which way across the surface.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the swirl looks set and it passes the toothpick test. Cool on a wire rack before cutting.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Philly Biscoff Fluffernutter Cookies
A while back I shared my recipe for Biscoff Fluffernutter Bars. I couldn’t help but ponder ways to mix up the recipe. What if I did a cookie version? What would I use for a base recipe? This put me in mind of my Philly Chippers recipe. So, as though summoning Captain Planet, I combined elements to create something awesome.
The Philadelphia cream cheese in the mix creates a lush cookie dough. These are soft and dense in the best kind of way. The addition of Biscoff spread adds a touch of mildness. Mind you, you could also use nut butter instead (which is what Fluffernutter is all about, really).
I chopped up chocolate bars instead of using my usual chips here. The effect was awesome. Oozing pools of chocolate, people!
The marshmallows create pockets of sweetness. It’s a different kind of sweet than the richness of the dough, so it creates these complex layers of OMG. I ended up with about 40 cookies using a tablespoon scoop.
A Bready or Not original recipe combining my Philly Chippers recipe and Biscoff Fluffernutter Bars.
Bready or Not: Philly Biscoff Fluffnutter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter two cubes, softened
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/3 cup Biscoff spread
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 7 ounces chocolate chopped (about two bars)
- 2 cups mini marshmallows about 1/2 bag
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Cream together the butter, cream cheese, Biscoff spread, and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Sift dry ingredients together and slowly incorporate them with the wet ingredients. Add the chocolate and marshmallows and incorporate.
- Use a tablespoon scoop or tablespoon to drop dough onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Leave them on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before moving to a rack to cool.
OM NOM NOM.
Bready or Not: Biscoff Fluffernutter Bars
Air conditioning is what makes Phoenix habitable, but even that has limits. We keep our air set at 82-degrees. This keeps us comfortable but is still not quite cool enough for some stuff in our kitchen.
The chocolate chips in my pantry go soft. Miniature candy bars, stockpiled from holiday clearance sales, goes outright melty. Marshmallows and caramels begin to fossilize. I keep some things in the fridge but I can’t get all of it in there.
This means I obviously need to start baking and use up the stuff while it’s still good.
Traditional fluffernutter bars use peanut butter. You can certainly do that here–or use any nut butter–but I used my good ol’ Biscoff spread because, as you all know, I’m obsessed with the stuff. It makes everything taste like cookie dough. What’s not to love? I also used half a bag of mini marshmallows (you’ll find out what I did with the other half in another recipe) and a bag of chocolate chips.
You know what’s cool about using marshmallows in a recipe like this? CAVERNS. It creates pockets of invisible sweetness. Look! See?
My husband took this to work and it was, um, popular. The whole 9×13 pan’s worth of bars just kinda vanished and he had recipe requests.
I don’t believe in secret recipes. Share the love. If that love happens to involve chocolate, Biscoff spread, and marshmallows, all the better.
Recipe greatly adapted from Back for Seconds.
Bready or Not: Biscoff Fluffernutter Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cups creamy Biscoff spread or nut butter
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chocolate chips
- 5 ounces mini marshmallows half bag
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Prepare a 9x13 pan with aluminum foil or parchment and apply nonstick spray.
- In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, Biscoff spread (or nut butter), and sugars. Add the eggs and blend in, followed by all of the dry ingredients. Gently fold in marshmallows and chocolate chips. It'll be thick.
- Spread the dough into the pan and even out. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly browned on the edges. The center will jiggle slightly from the marshmallows but it will set after it cools.
- Cool completely and cut into squares. Store in a tightly sealed container.
OM NOM NOM.
