Scarecrow Treats

These yummy treats are the perfect bar cookie for fall! They were fun to make, too! Just remember when working with the corn syrup/peanut butter mixture you have to work quickly!! If you don't, the mixture will harden and will be all but impossible to get out of the saucepan! These treats are an "active" baking project....just be aware of that before you set out to make them. The recipe comes from the Land O' Lakes website. Enjoy!

Crust:

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 (18.25-ounce) package pudding in the mix yellow cake mix

1 egg

3 cups miniature marshmallows

 

Topping:

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups crisp rice cereal

2 cups salted peanuts

1 cup candy corn

 

Preheat oven to 350F 

Combine butter and cake mix in a large bowl. Beat on low speed until well mixed. Add egg; continue beating until well mixed. (You really must use a hand mixer for this step)

Press onto bottom of a greased 15x10x1-inch jelly-roll pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until set and edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven.

Immediately sprinkle marshmallows over hot, partially baked crust. Return to oven; continue baking for 1 to 2 minutes or until marshmallows puff.

Meanwhile, combine corn syrup, sugar and brown sugar in LARGE saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until mixture comes to a boil (2 to 4 minutes). Remove from heat; stir in peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Stir in cereal, peanuts and candy corn. Immediately spoon over marshmallows; spread to cover (I used a piece of parchment paper to spread mixture evenly over the marshmallows- this is a great trick when making any type of Rice Krispie treat- the hot mixture will not stick to the parchment paper and you can smooth it out perfectly). Cool completely. Cut into bars.