Funfetti Blondie Bars

Need an easy dessert recipe? These blondie bars loaded with sprinkles and white chocolate are super moist, yummy and perfect for any occasion! Uses a boxed cake mix and a few extra ingredients... Can’t get much easier than that! Lower in fat too!

Funfetti Blondie Bars

Yield: 9 – 12 bars

Ingredients:

1 box white or vanilla cake mix
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup applesauce
(for regular blondies use 4 tablespoons butter, melted)
2 eggs
1/3 cup low fat milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup assorted sprinkles, divided
1 cup white chocolate chips, divided

Glaze:

3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons low fat milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Extra sprinkles for decoration

Equipment needed:

Medium mixing bowl
Dry and liquid measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Rubber spatula
Small (11 x 7) oblong or 9 x 9 square pan
Small mixing bowl
Small wire whisk or rubber spatula

So last week I was looking to make a Funfetti cake for my step son’s birthday, as it is his favorite... but didn’t want to take the time to frost one. Why not make bars, I thought? Easy process, but all I had was a white cake mix. I have seen bar recipes that use yellow cake mix, but I think white creates a prettier product with better meal appeal. I have made many recipes using a boxed mix to start, my Choco-Cherry Cake, for one...so this recipe was born! Decided to cut the fat a bit too by using applesauce for half of the butter. Results in a super moist dessert too. If you don’t have applesauce, you can make them regular if you like. Doubling the butter is all you need to do. Doesn’t take long and with a drizzle of glaze... perfect party dessert! Grab your sprinkles and let’s bake!!

Preheat oven to 350 F.

This recipe is super easy and can be ready in under an hour! Begin with placing the cake mix in a medium mixing bowl. Add the eggs, melted butter, applesauce and vanilla to the mix and stir about 5 times. Pour in the milk and continue to stir until almost smooth, about 1 minute. No need to use a mixer as these are similar to brownies and remember… don’t over mix. Pour in half of the sprinkles and half of the white chocolate chips and stir until sprinkles are well blended.

Spray a small oblong pan or 9x9 inch pan with vegetable spray or rub with butter. Pour in batter and spread with the rubber spatula to evenly fill the pan. Sprinkle the remaining white chips and sprinkles on top of batter, as shown above. Bake in preheated 350 F oven for 28 – 32 minutes or golden brown. Center will be a bit less done than edges. Remove pan from oven and allow to set to cool to room temperature before glazing.

Pic of frosting ingredients & prep

Don’t the bars look yummy and so pretty? Smell delicious too!! Time to make the glaze while the pan cools. The bars can be frosted if you prefer, but I like mine glazed. Adds a little bit of sweetness without covering the flavor of the bars. Allows the pretty sprinkles to show through too! Place the powdered sugar, softened butter, and vanilla and almond extracts into a small mixing bowl. Add one tablespoon of milk and mix thoroughly. Glaze will be quite tight. Add remaining milk, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition until glaze is slightly runny. If you accidentally add too much milk, add another couple of tablespoons of powdered sugar until proper consistency is achieved. Remember... it is easier to add smaller amounts of milk than to thicken with added powdered sugar. Taking your time is essential! After all, you can’t glaze the bars until they are cooled anyway... right?

Pics of glazing bars

To glaze the bars, use the wire whisk or a fork to scoop up icing and drizzle across the surface of blonde bars. Keep drizzling until you achieve your desired look, leaving gaps to allow the colorful bars to show through. Sprinkle a few more sprinkles on top of the icing while it’s still moist to allow the sprinkles to stick to the surface.

Wasn’t that simple and don’t they look sooo pretty? My granddaughter has decided she wants these for her next birthday party. Her favorite color is “rainbow” ... and most little girls love rainbows! Perfect for that unicorn party too! Cut the pan into 9 or 12 squares and plate them or put candles on top of the glazed pan... Enjoy!!