Back to School: Chocolate Peanut Butter Funfetti Granola Bars

My kiddos eat a LOT of snacks. I often announce lunch as just another snack time so they'll be more inclined to eat what I put in front of them. Whatever works, right?

The Loverbees are back to school with these Chocolate Peanut Butter Funfetti Granola Bars.

As the start of a new school year is upon us, fun and tasty snacks are a must - for all of us. These Chocolate Peanut Butter Funfetti Granola Bars will provide great energy and incentive to my boys and me as we begin the hard work of learning and teaching. These bars also make a fantastic after school snack or lunch box surprise.

Toasted oats make a big difference in these deliciously fun granola bars.

Start off by toasting your oats. Toasting them brings out a lovely nutty flavor. Let them cool a few minutes and then mix them up with the rest of your dry ingredients. In this funfetti version, I also added a couple tablespoons of sprinkles.



The gooey ingredients get microwaved for 30 seconds until they come together into a thick syrup.

This funfetti peanut butter granola mix has fun written all over it.

Pour the gooey stuff over your dry mixture and mix until well incorporated.



Pour out your luscious peanut butter scented mixture into a parchment lined pan and push the funfetti out of it with a rubber spatula. The better you pack it down, the better the bars will stay together when cut.



Melt your chocolate with a little bit of coconut oil in the microwave and spread evenly over the bars. Sprinkle with another tablespoon of sprinkles.



Set your pan in the fridge until cold and then cut into bars. They cut better when cold. Store them in an air-tight container. They'll last longer in the fridge, but make sure you take them out at least an hour before you want to eat them so that the chocolate is the right temp and texture.

Kids go nuts over these Chocolate Peanut Butter Funfetti Granola Bars!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Funfetti Granola Bars

INGREDIENTS
2 1/3 cups whole oats
1/3 + 2 Tbsp almond flour
1/3 cup desiccated coconut
a pinch of salt
a dash of cinnamon
2 Tbsp sprinkles (I used rainbow jimmies)
2/3 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup semisweet or milk chocolate chips
1 tsp coconut oil
1 Tbsp sprinkles for the top

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Spread your oats out evenly on your baking sheet and bake 7 to 9 minutes.
3. After the oats have cooled for a few minutes, combine them with the rest of the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
4. In a medium microwave safe bowl, combine the peanut butter and honey. Microwave for 30 seconds and then stir in the vanilla until mixture is smooth.
5. Pour peanut butter mixture over dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated.
6. Smash into a parchment lined 9 x 9 inch square pan with a rubber spatula. Really pack it down.
7. In a small microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and coconut oil and microwave in 15 second intervals until almost melted. Then, stir until all the chocolate chips are melted and the mixture is smooth. Spread over bars. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of sprinkles.
8. Refrigerate your pan until cold and then cut into bars.

Unicorn Funfetti Cupcakes

Unicorns are taking over the world! No, not really - but they may as well be. That's my political statement for the year, folks.

Gluten Free Unicorn Funfetti Cupcakes

Yes, I have jumped on the unicorn band wagon. What can I say? They're totally cute and they make my kids squeal with delight.



These adorable cupcakes are fairly easy to make. I made a gluten free cake mix according to the package directions and stirred in a quarter cup of sprinkles before baking. A regular vanilla or white cake mix will also work great.



I started this mystical culinary adventure by melting some white chocolate to make the horns. I piped the chocolate into horn shapes and sprinkled them with gold sanding sugar. I piped mine a little longer than they needed to be. An inch and a half should do just fine. You can also download or draw a template if eyeballing the horns is stressing you out. I'm not a complete perfectionist in the kitchen, so I eyeballed mine.

After your cupcakes are completely cool, whip up my favorite vanilla frosting. This recipe is creamy and dreamy and perfectly sweet. It's my "go to" vanilla frosting.



To put the unicorns together, use a wide round tip to pipe the lusciously perfect vanilla frosting onto your cupcakes. Sprinkle the tops and backs with more sprinkles, stick in the horns, and use a store-bought black icing tube to make the lashed unicorn eyes. I practiced on a plate to steady my hand and get my technique down.

A quick note about the horns: you really need to temper your chocolate so that the horns stay firm. Follow the directions below to do that. I didn't really bother when I made this batch of cupcakes and ended up with delicious, but flopped over, horns.


Also, these cupcakes are as delicious as they are adorable. Have lots a fun making and eating these magical treats.

Unicorn Funfetti Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

For the horns:
4 oz baking white chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup gold or yellow sanding sugar

For the cupcakes:
1 box vanilla or white cake mix and ingredients to making according to package directions (I used Betty Crocker's Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Mix)
1/4 cup rainbow jimmies for cake mixes that make 12 cupcakes and 1/2 cup jimmies for cake mixes that make 24 cupcakes

For the frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 to 4 Tbsp milk

1/2 cup rainbow jimmies for decorating
1 3.5 oz tube black piping gel

DIRECTIONS
1. Make your horns first as they'll need plenty of time to fully set. Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper and set aside.
2. Melt half of your white chocolate (2 oz) in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave in 15 second increments, stirring after each time. Add in the rest of the white chocolate and stir until all melted.
3. Snip off one corner of a Ziplock freezer bag about 1/8 of an inch. You can also insert a super tiny round piping tip into your bag, if you like. Fill your bag with melted chocolate and pipe 1 1/2 inch long horn shapes onto your parchment-lined baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle with gold sanding sugar. Place tray in the fridge to set.
4. Make your cupcakes according to the package directions stirring in the rainbow jimmies right before you scoop the batter.
5. Let cupcakes cool completely.
6. Make your frosting. Beat butter and shortening in a stand mixer for 30 seconds.
7. Beat in 2 cups powdered sugar until creamy.
8. Scrape down bowl and beat in 2 tsp vanilla.
9. Beat in 2 more cups powdered sugar.
10. Beat in milk 1 tablespoon at a time until the consistency is pipe-able (not too runny, not too stiff). Then, scrape down the bowl again and beat for 3 minutes on high until light and fluffy.
11. Put your unicorns together. Use a large round tip to pipe frosting onto your cupcakes.
12. Sprinkle tops and backs with more rainbow jimmies.
13. Push a horn into the top of each cupcake.
14. Use the black piping gel to pipe half circles and lashes on each cupcake for the eyes.

* If your cake mix makes 24 cupcakes, you 'll need to double the frosting recipe and the number of horns you make.

GF Funfetti Sandwich Cookies

Are you ready for some fun? Funfetti fun, that is. Who put the fun in funfetti anyway? It had to be someone fun, right?



Not only are these cute little cookies super fun, but they're gluten free too! And not only are they gluten free, but they're made from a gluten free cake mix! And not only are they made from a cake mix, but they're filled with banana candy buttercream! You heard me.



I'm having so much fun using these Betty Crocker gluten free cake mixes to come up with all sorts of wonderfulness. Stay tuned for more doctored cake mix recipes. 

There are a bunch of great recipes online for regular cake mix cookies for all of you out there who have no problem with gluten. Here's a link to a version from Betty Crocker. Just make the cookies teaspoon size and adjust the bake time to about 7 minutes. I have yet to try this recipe, so if you give it a whirl, let me know how it turns out.



I added 1/4 cup of rainbow jimmies to the basic gluten free sugar cookie dough recipe I got from Betty Crocker. This dough looks so fun already.



I scooped the dough by flat teaspoons full and rolled each into a ball. Then, I lightly flattened each ball with the back of my measuring spoon. It's a little tedious. Who am I kidding? It's a lot tedious, but you really want the cookies to be uniform when you're making sandwich cookies.

They baked up beautifully uniform, don't you think?



The banana candy buttercream starts with banana candy. Imagine that. I got the idea for this recipe from Real Mom Kitchen.



I melted down some banana taffy with a little bit of cream in my microwave until creamy.



The banana candy mixture gets beaten into a basic American buttercream. This buttercream is so yummy and so fun - perfect for a funfetti cookie.



Each sandwich gets a splendid dollop of buttercream. Scrumptious looking little things, aren't they?


These sandwich cookies are perfect for a tea party, or a kid's party, or just pop a few in your mouth, do a little dance, and make your own party.

GF Funfetti Sandwich Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 15 oz box Betty Crocker Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Mix
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup rainbow jimmies
For Buttercream:
10 fun size banana Laffy Taffy candies
2 Tbsp whipping cream
1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
2 cups powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Cream 1/2 cup butter in a stand mixer for 30 seconds.
3. Beat in the cake mix until combined.
4. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well combined.
5. Pour in the sprinkles and mix on low until they are well incorporated.
6. Scoop dough using a teaspoon measuring spoon. Roll dough into balls and place on cookie sheet 1 inch apart.
7. Flatten each ball slightly with the back of your measuring spoon.
8. Bake 7 to 8 minutes.
9. After a few minutes, transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
10. For the buttercream, place taffy and cream in a medium microwave safe bowl and heat in microwave for 15 seconds at a time until creamy, stirring after each go. Allow mixture to cool slightly.
11. Beat 1 cup butter for 30 seconds in your clean stand mixer.
12. Beat in 2 cups powdered sugar until creamy.
13. Beat in the taffy mixture.
14. Scrape down bowl and beat for 3 minutes until buttercream is light and fluffy.
15. Fill a Ziplock freezer bag with the buttercream and snip off a little less than 1/2 an inch off the corner.
16. Pipe a dollop about 1 1/2 to 2 tsp full onto a cookie. Top with another cookie and gently push down a little to spread the filling.
17. Don't forget to have FUN!