Circus Animal Cookie Magic Bars

 

Hello! Welcome to those who have never visited my page before and welcome back to those who have. Today's recipe is all sweet and no light since it is a sugary bar that is dense and gooey. For those with a huge sweet tooth, you've come to the right place. These bars are made of a Funfetti bottom with frosted circus animal crackers, white chocolate chips, sprinkles, and condensed milk on the top. These toppings create an ooey gooey texture throughout the bar, but still have that crunch from the cookies. Similar to the No-Bake Cake Batter Pie recipe I reviewed, Funfetti lovers will be in heaven with this one. Along with Funfetti, the main component here is frosted animal crackers. If you remember eating the white and pink crackers as a child, this recipe will be a blast from the past. This recipe was created by The Domestic Rebel, the same woman who made the No-Bake Cake Batter Pie. Once again, she didn't disappoint me. 

HOW TO MAKE CIRCUS ANIMAL COOKIE MAGIC BARS

You Will Need:

• 1 box Funfetti cake mix
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil (may substitute with 1/2 cup melted butter)
• 1 11oz bag circus animal cookies (roughly chopped)
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup rainbow sprinkles
• 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
• Rainbow non-pareils for garnish after baking

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13x9 rectangular light metal baking dish with foil, extending the sides of the foil over the edges of the pan. Spray the foil with cooking spray; set aside briefly.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, egg, and oil (or butter if using) with a rubber spatula or wooden spool until a soft dough comes together. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake the dough base for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven but keep the oven on.
3. Liberally and evenly top the dough base with the chopped cookies, white chocolate chips, and rainbow sprinkles. Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top. Return to the oven and continue baking for 20-22 minutes or until the top is a very light golden brown and the bars appear set.
4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan until room temperature (about 2 hours) or refrigerate for 1 hour to really set the bars for clean slices. You could even cover and let sit overnight if you prefer.

MY REVIEW

As I said above, this recipe is perfect for Funfetti lovers. While the recipe calls for cake mix, the bottom tastes like a super sweet cookie. Between the base, the cookies, the chocolate chips, and the condensed milk, there are a lot of textures here. The base as well as the white chocolate chips are soft while the cookies add a crunchy layer. The sweetened condensed milk is put on the top and sinks down to the bottom of the pan. The top gets a sticky texture similar to a cooled roasted marshmallow while the milk that is baked in the middle provides a soft, gooey center. The various textures really add to this dessert. As for the taste, it is definitely good. I don't get a ton of animal cracker flavor, but I definitely get the Funfetti cookie taste. If you don't love super sweet, you might want to skip out on this one. This is the type of dessert that you eat a few bites of but can't finish on your own. For those reasons, I'm giving this recipe an 8/10. 

Original recipe: https://www.thedomesticrebel.com/2020/05/14/circus-animal-cookie-magic-bars/#wrpm-recipe-container-18887