I’m a self-proclaimed baking snob. I try to avoid boxed cake mixes and frostings unless I absolutely have to use them (note that cake pops are a perfect occasion to use a boxed cake mix and prepared frosting). Needless to say, I have very few boxed cake mixes in my pantry, but they mostly sit there unused.
I wanted to make a dessert one day but really didn’t feel like turning on the oven. It was one of those days. I came across this no bake Funfetti cookie dough bar recipe on Chelsea’s Messy Apron and thought it would be worth a try. It didn’t require me to turn on the oven, and it also used up some of the dry cake mix that was hiding out in the pantry.
Although I’m not a big fan of boxed cake mix, these bars were great. The texture really was reminiscent of cookie dough since every bite contains a bit of the crunchiness from the sugar granules. The frosting hardened and cracked when I tried to slice into them, so if you are presenting these or want them to be picture-perfect, cut into them with a warm knife in order to allow the frosting to melt.
These bars were on the sweet side – almost to the level of traditional buttercream frosting. You may be able to cut down on the sugar since the frosting, chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk and cake mix all contain sugar. Otherwise, they were a fun and welcome no-bake treat.
No bake Funfetti cookie dough bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter room temperature (no substitutions)
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dry cake mix I used Funfetti
- 1 and 1/3 cup flour
- 2 cups (1 package) white chocolate chips, separated
- 1/3 cup + 4 tablespoons sprinkles separated
- 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Line a standard 8"x8" baking pan with parchment paper. Or, use a silicone baking pan like I did. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla until nice and fluffy.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk until it is smooth.
- Then add the salt, dry cake mix and flour and mix until no flour remains and is well incorporated. If the batter is too sticky, add more flour, about 1 TBSP at a time. Your final batter should look shiny/glossy and should not be sticky.
- Stop the mixer and stir in 1 cup of the white chocolate chips and 1/3 cup of the sprinkles by hand. You should use a wooden spoon or a spatula to fold these in.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared baking pan and press down with a spatula.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the remaining white chocolate chips with the oil in 30 second bursts until the chocolate has melted and is spreadable. Pour the melted white chocolate on top of the cookie dough and spread it evenly with a spatula. Add the 4 TBSP of sprinkles on top if desired.
- Transfer the pan to your refrigerator and allow it to cool for at least 3 hours.