Reese's peanut butter cups and Reese's pieces turn these chocolate cake mix bars into a peanut butter lover's dream dessert. Make these Reese's Gooey Cake Bars for after dinner, and watch everyone go nuts for them.
Remember a few weeks ago when I admitted HERE that I was struggling remembering any kind of 9th grade science?
Well, it's gets worse people. Now I can't even do 4th grade math. Seriously! My brain has decided to go bye bye when it comes to scholastic anything.
Last night our youngest was working on a math sheet after dinner. All of a sudden I hear him yelling out for me to come make sure he is doing it right. That should have been my first clue to run as far away as possible. Math is not (and never was) my strongest subject. But...I headed into the dining room to see what all the yelling was about.
He showed me a math problem, and asked if he did it right. Clue number two to turn tail and run. Do I listen? Nope! I looked it over and promptly told him, he did it wrong. Then I tried to explain why I got a different answer from him. He starts arguing with me that his teacher told him to do it this particular way. Clue number three...if the teacher told him one way, I should just run and not even try to answer a math problem. Still not paying attention to the clues...
Again, I try to reason with the 4th grader. At this time my husband comes in to see what all the commotion is about. He looks the problem over and immediately tells me how wrong I am. Apparently I really have lost all concept of math. Maybe if it was just adding and subtracting, but no they had to go and add some parentheses and multiplying and dividing to said problem.
Next time I need to see the clues and back away as fast as possible from all math questions. It never ends well for me!
Now I have a fun math story problem for everyone:
Mom has 1 bag of Reese's peanut butter cups and 1 bag of mini Reese's pieces. She adds some of each to 1 cake mix, 1 egg, and 1 stick of butter. The bars take 30 minutes to bake, and 3 hours to cool and set. How many bars does mom share with the family that ridicules her math skills? The answer? 0!!!! Laughing family members get none, and mom eats all of them to get over her math shame.
Ok, fine I did share these gooey bars with my family. They devoured these bars as soon as I gave the okay to eat them.
There is just something magical about sweetened condensed milk and a cake mix. It bakes up so gooey and delicious!
Adding peanut butter cups to the middle was just the thing these chocolate bars needed. Make sure you freeze the peanut butter cups first though. The first time I made them, they kind of melted into the bars. Still just as good to eat, but not quite as impressive when you cut into them. Freezing the peanut butter cups helps them not melt into the dough.
Now who wants to buy a some bags of candy and work on math problems with me?
I got it when math involves baking!
Recipe
Reese’s Gooey Cake Bars
Reese's peanut butter cups and Reese's pieces give these gooey cake bars an extreme hit of peanut butter goodness.
Ingredients
- 1 chocolate cake mix
- 1 egg
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 16 regular sized peanut butter cups, frozen and unwrapped
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup mini Reese's Pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 pan with nonstick spray.
- Combine the cake mix, egg, butter, and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Beat until a soft dough forms.
- Press half the dough into the prepared pan.
- Arrange the frozen peanut butter cups over the top of the dough. You may need to trim the edges of a few.
- Press the rest of the dough over the tops of the peanut butter cups evenly.
- Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the top of the dough. Sprinkle with the Reese's Pieces. Bake at for 30-35 minutes. They will look very gooey and undone.
- Let the bars cool completely before cutting into 16 squares. Store in a sealed container on the counter.
Notes
*The recipe says use an 8x8x2 pan...that means make sure the sides of your pan are 2 inches high, so the mixture does not bubble over!!!!
**Make sure you freeze your peanut butter cups at least a few hours before you start to make these bars.
***Make sure you also let these bars set completely before cutting into them. They will appear very gooey and undone, but do not worry. They will set up. I usually make them the night before and let them set up overnight before cutting.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 210Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 148mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 17gProtein: 4g
Other ways to enjoy Reese's that are kid approved in our house:
Marshmallow Reese's Blonde Brownies
Maria
I'm new to your site. These look wonderful and I'd like to try baking them.
Could you please let me know the number of ounces of cake mix that the recipe is written for? I see different numbers on different brands, and all are fewer ounces than they were just a few years ago. Thank you for your help!
Jocelyn
I usually use Pillsbury cake mixes and those are 15.25 ounces. Most cake mixes are about that size and will work for this recipe.
Amanda odonnell
I Made these tonight for the first time. I thought they were very good and so did everyone else who had one. I'm not use to eating a lot of sugar so I found them to be very rich and could only eat about four bites, however those four bites were good. It will definitely be in my dessert rotation.
Jocelyn
I'm so glad to hear that you liked these bars. They are definitely rich, so I always cut them into small bite sized squares!!!
Ronda
I've made these twice now and am about to make them a third time because people love them so much. Thank you for the great recipe!!
Jocelyn
Woo hoo! I am so glad to hear that this recipe is a winner for you 🙂
Lora
The back of the cake mix says 3 eggs. Do I use those and another egg as called for in the recipe? So 4 eggs total? Or just the 3 from the box?
Jocelyn
Hi, Lora. You only use 1 egg like the recipe states. Do not follow the box directions, or these will not turn out. Using 1 egg and butter creates a cookie dough like texture. I hope you enjoy them 🙂
Melissa
I've made these twice and they are so delicious! I have one problem though. Both times that I've made them, the middle sags down soon after I take it out of the oven. The first time I baked it for 30 min, the second time for 35. I followed the recipe exactly. I don't understand what happened. Any ideas?
Jocelyn
I am so glad you have made them a few times and love them. The centers of mine always sink a little too...I just didn't photograph those ones.
Brittany
I had very high hopes for these bars. They look so good in the picture. I made them last night to take to Easter dinner. I followed the recipe to a T and made sure to use an 8x8x2 pan as the other comments had overflowing. This morning I checked them and they turned out awful. The middle is sunken in and the sides are so hard that I can't even cut it. Really disappointed. Also, you should reconsider the high amount of advertising you have on your site. It takes an unusually high amount of time to load the page just to get to the recipe. I attempted access on both a computer and a tablet. It seems you get a high amount of traffic regardless, but definitely something that I find to be a turn-off on any site.
Jocelyn
I am so sorry to hear these didn't turn out for you. I have never had them not turn out, and so many people have made and loved them. I would highly suggest still cutting into them because I bet they still taste amazing. And I'm sorry you had so much trouble loading the time. I'm working with my ad company to get that fixed.
g
When I hear gooey, I think of brownies.
What is the consistency difference between traditional brownies and the gooey chocolate cake?
Jocelyn
I think gooey bars and brownies are pretty similar in their consistency...at least if you like your brownies slightly under baked like I do 🙂
Josie Blanton
Just a question, so you just use any chocolate cake batter & don't follow the mixing instructions for it? Just add what you said & it will work out?
Jocelyn Brubaker
Yes, just use the dry cake mix and the ingredients in the recipe. I hope you enjoy the bars!
Melissa
These look delicious and plan on making these tomorrow! I do have a question... the cake mix I bought calls for 3 eggs (the store only had 1 chocolate cake mix!). Do I follow the cake box recipe and make it with 3 eggs, or do I make it with 3 eggs plus the one egg this calls for, or just the 1 egg that this calls for?
Jocelyn Brubaker
Hi, Melissa. Do not follow the box directions because we are not making cake. You want to only use the egg called for in the recipe, so the bars turn out. Also, make sure your pan is an 8x8 pan with 2 inch tall sides. I hope you enjoy the bars! They are one of my favorites!
amanda
I mixed my cake mix, egg, vanilla, and butter but i didnt get a dough like consistency, should i add more cake mix? (its not runny by any means, but it is sticky to the touch and i couldn't roll a ball of it in my hand if i tried)
Jocelyn Brubaker
It should be a soft dough. Was your butter softened or melted? Go ahead and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to get it to stiffen up so you can press it in the pan.
Heyentah
On that gooey cake, seems like a yummy alternative would be York Peppermint Patties and Mint M&Ms for the Reese's -- Peanut butter for me, Chocolate Mint for hubby, everybody's happy 😉
Jocelyn Brubaker
LOL! I've got you covered...here is the Peppermint Pattie version I made first 🙂 https://insidebrucrewlife.com/peppermint-patty-gooey-cake-bars/
Christine
Made these tonight and they are amazing!!!! I'm surprised to read other comments about watery messes, since my dough was very thick. I started it in my kitchenaid but has to hand knead it to get it all mixed together. Spreading it enough to cover my 8x11 pan was a chore. I managed a thin layer on the bottom and just barely got the cups covered on the top. All looked fine once it rose. They taste delicious. I'm in love.
Jocelyn Brubaker
I am so glad to hear that these turned out great for you. I have never had a problem getting the dough mixed together or spread out. I did notice that you said you used an 8x11 pan...that would be one reason your dough was thinner...I always use an 8x8 pan for this recipe. But yay, for them turning out and and you being in love with them 🙂
danielle
Hey there. I was supposed to bbe studying but I'm baking now before that happens !! Quick question though. Do you mix what the box says for the cake mix too or just the one egg etc.
Thanks! Can't wait 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker
Hi, Danielle. Baking always trumps studying 🙂 LOL! You can study while it's in the oven. No, do not mix the cake like the box says. Just follow the directions in my recipe for the 1 egg and 1/2 cup butter. Hope you like them!