A key part of living, laughing, and loving in the Deep North is the BARS! No, not the place for drinking Michelob Goldens and watching sports. The dessert bars made in a tray or pan. Most moms // aunts // grandmas have a signature bar that they bring to the potluck that no one else is allowed to make. The social dynamics of all of that alone is enough for a full separate post, and honestly should be studied by sociologists. If you’ve spent any time in the upper midwest you’ll see bars at bake sales, church functions, funerals, grad parties, book club nights, and sports // Bachelorette watch parties alike. But the BEST is when there is a tray of 5+ different bars lined up in rows or mixed up chaotically. It is true midwestern culture that has been around since the early 20th century.
I’ll never forget when I lived in NY and casually said to my roommates that I thought it would be cute to have a bar tray at a party of ours they were very confused. We already had a bar cart so why did we need a bar tray? Would the alcohol just get moved to a tray? Why make that effort? Talk about a cultural exchange - LOL! So it was then that I realized that bars (dessert bars) were a regional phenomenon.
Last year when my husband’s grandma died, the dessert spread at the luncheon after her funeral was straight up a dream. Not only were there jell-o salads galore, there were more than 10 different kinds of bars - rice krispie bars, lemon bars, scotcheroos, chocolate chip cookie bars (aka blondies), brownies, 7 layer bars, Neiman Marcus bars, mint chocolate bars, and more that I’m forgetting. I’m telling you - heaven. There were also the most incredible pickles I’ve ever eaten at that luncheon. Read more about them below. The people in the upper Midwest know how to make a mean (delicious) bar.
Growing up, my mom was known for her peanut butter bars, which are a layered bar that go by many names up here including scotcheroos and special K bars. I think she called them peanut butter bars because that was the flavor she was most excited about in them, but are called scotcheroos because of the butterscotch chips mixed with chocolate chips for the top layer. Special K bars are essentially the same but instead of the rice krispies, they’re made with Special K cereal. Everyone’s mom growing up made them slightly differently, with various ratios of peanut butter to cereal and chocolate to butterscotch. But my mom’s were perfect tbh. Everyone loved them. I still use her recipe today, which is always a hit, and her method of cutting the bars.
My mom would cut the pan of bars up so they were all different sizes. Not only is it a useful fraction lesson, but by having a bunch of different sizes, you avoid the Minnesotan urge to continually cut something in half until it's microscopic. Instead people can choose the size they want from the get-go. Although, there are usually a couple people who still will cut the smallest bar down. There is a time for a 3” x 3” bar (afternoon snack // coffee break) and there’s a time for a tiny square (as you’re passing through the kitchen). This was intuitive eating before intuitive eating was well-known. I still do this method with pans of bars I make and people are a little mind blown the first time they see it. Highly recommend that you try it!
We all know about the holiday cookie exchanges where everyone makes one kind of cookie and then everyone gets a handful of all the kinds of cookies. I think we should do that with bars too! A bar exchange?! I really believe that there are enough delicious options to make this happen. I know plenty of holiday cookie boxes have a bar or two in them but those tasty rectangles deserve their own whole moment, right? Who’s with me?, we ride at dawn, etc. etc.
The Recipe
Things I Like
These Tevas which I think are ugly but I also WANT. Going to just chill on these and see if I find them in the wild to try on because I’ve got *foot problems* 🙃 so I have to be picky about shoes these days
Stretches for crocheters//knitters - need to start these immediately
Bird feeders - really into birds lately tbh
Shredded chicken leftovers frozen in Souper Cubes that are at the ready for burritos (last Monday’s dinner) or BBQ chicken sandwiches (last Tuesday’s dinner)
Our first spring CSA box came this week! Watch me unpack it here
Let me know what your best bar recipe is below! I’d love to build my bar recipe collection. May your week be gentle and may you eat well.
Love the dessert bar theme! What are leap year bars?
My mouth instantly watered reading the list of bars at the luncheon, and now I want one of each of them! :) love a good bar tray!