Rocky Road No Bake Bars

It’s Friday afternoon.  Motivation is gone.  Snack-ivation is in full force.  What’s a girl to do?

Make the easiest cookies EVER – and then make them even better with mini marshmallows and crunchy salted peanuts!

And then eat the whole pan and feel very very bad for a while.

I should not be left at home, unattended, with chocolate and marshmallows and peanuts in the house.  While I’m pregnant.  Or, you know, EVER.

One year ago on C&T:  Chocolate Chai Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

Two years (whoa, missed my 2nd blogiversary!) ago on C&T:  Slow Cooker Pork Tacos (super yum) and Chocolate Labrador Sugar Cookies

Rocky Road No Bake Bars

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup milk (cow, almond, buttermilk, your choice)
  
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 cups rolled oats (instant or regular)
  
• 1 cup mini marshmallows
• 1 cup roasted salted peanuts

Line an 8 x 8 inch square pan with wax paper or parchment paper sprayed with baking spray.  In a medium saucepan, combine butter, cocoa powder, sugar, and milk.  Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and mix in peanut butter, vanilla, salt and oats.  Mix well and allow to cool just slightly (two minutes or so) before mixing in the peanuts and marshmallows.  For prettier bars, reserve a handful of peanuts and marshmallows to decorate the top of the bars.  Pour mixture into prepared pan and top with reserved peanuts and marshmallows (if desired), pressing slightly to make sure they stick.  Allow to set about 10 minutes, then remove from pan while still warm and cut into 16 bars.  Bars will cut much more cleanly while the mixture is still a bit warm and not fully set!  After cutting, allow to set completely. Makes 16 bars.

Alternatively, skip the pan altogether and simply scoop the mixture into mounds on wax paper, as you would a typical no bake cookie.