• Red Cottage VIP Printable Library
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Red Cottage Chronicles

All Things Home

  • Home
  • About
    • Work With Me
    • Contact
    • Legal Stuff
  • Recipes
    • All Things Sweet
    • Appetizers and Dips
    • Mains and Sides
    • soups & salads
    • vegan/vegetarian
  • Around the Home
    • Housekeeping/Homemaking
    • Home Decor
    • Tablescapes
    • flowers and wreaths
    • gardens
    • Seasonal, Holidays & Special Occasions
  • DIY
    • One Room Challenge
    • Thrift Store Upcycle Projects
    • Seasonal, Holidays & Special Occasions
    • DIY Renovation Projects
  • Lifestyle
    • Explore Niagara
    • Family
    • health and well being

All Things Sweet Baking Christmas Recipe

Sweet Marie Bars

Caramel, crispy bits and peanuts

For some reason I find it really funny that we share a border with the United States and we travel pretty freely between each others countries,  but there are over 10 kinds of chocolate bars we can only get in Canada!  In fact we call them chocolate bars and in the US they call them candy bars!  And did you know that we have one Italian chocolate confection here in Canada called Kinder Surprise Egg that is actually illegal to bring into the US?!  I wouldn’t dare try to smuggle one across the border!

(I know, it is puzzling what goes through my mind sometimes!)

Since we live a mere 10 minutes from the US border, we would often spend our weekends in the summer time at a campground south of Buffalo, NY called Rainbow lake (know known as Allegany Mountain Resort).  They had so many fun activities for the kids, but the one they always looked forward to was Saturday night Candy Bar Bingo!

Holiday Baking Recipes

Instead of paying for their bingo cards with money, each card cost 1 chocolate bar.  They would play several rousing games with prizes varying from 1 chocolate bar for a 1 line bingo to 3 bars for around the free or a letter X.  The highlight of the night was always the Jackpot game!

One Saturday night one of our girls got lucky enough to win the Jackpot and we walked back to the camper with over 70 chocolate bars!!  Lets just say there was lots of sharing.

Holiday Sweet Marie Bar Recipe

Equally excited for the Saturday night chocolate bar bingo games were all the US kids who would always remind us to bring our “Canadian Candy Bars” every week.  The kids always wanted the Mr.Big bars and the Crunchie Bars.  The adults wanted the Coffee Crisp!

One Canadian chocolate bar that I absolutely love is the Sweet Marie bar.  A bit of caramel, a lot of crunchy bits and peanuts.  Goodness in every bite.  They kind of remind me of the US candy bar, Pay Day, which has finally made its way North of the border!

Holiday Baking

When I was flipping through some of my mom’s old cookbooks I came across a recipe for Sweet Marie bars.  While they are not technically chocolate bars, they have the same sweet caramel flavour and delightful crunch.

Holiday Rice Krispie Sweet Marie Bars

Since they call for a crisp rice cereal and the holidays are coming up, I opted for Holiday Rice Krispies and a few little holly leaves and berries to give them a festive touch.

The recipe makes a generous 9 x 13 pan and I was able to cut  them into 48 bars.  Perfect for a holiday cookie exchange.  If you want to cut them into smaller bite size pieces you could easily get 60 or 70. They freeze well too!

Looking for other recipes inspired by a chocolate bar you can find on both sides of the border?  You can find one right here!

Now tell me, what is your favorite Chocolate Bar? Or is it Candy Bar?

 

Sweet Marie Bars
 
Author: Kim Hagan
Prep time: 30 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 48
This is adapted from a recipe found in an older cookbook called “Banking On Food” published as a fundraiser by Scotiabank
Ingredients
  • 1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1 cup golden corn syrup
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 cup salted peanuts
  • 4 cups Holiday Rice Krispies Cereal
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 cup butterscotch chips
Instructions
  1. Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with parchment paper or non-stick spray and set aside.
  2. Combine brown sugar, corn syrup and peanut butter in a saucepan. Melt over medium heat, stirring often until smooth and creamy. DO NOT BOIL.
  3. Transfer melted mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add the peanuts and Rice Krispies and gently fold in with a spatula until well combined.
  4. Press mixture evenly into the prepared pan and set aside.
  5. In a double boiler combine the chocolate and butterscotch chips and heat until melted. Spread over the Krispie mixture in the pan to cover completely.
  6. Refrigerate until chocolate topping hardens. Remove from fridge about 20 minutes before slicing with a sharp knife into either 48 generous sized squares. Or, you can cut them small and yield about 70
 
3.5.3208

 


9 Comments

Subscribe

Get all the latest news from our little red cottage straight to your inbox!

« Christmas Gift Guide – Kitchen Edition
The Moment I Said ‘I Do’ »

Comments

  1. Jenice says

    November 30, 2018 at 5:32 pm

    In the picture there is something red in the bar but don’t see anything listed in the recipe. I looking forward to trying this treat.

    Reply
    • Maureen says

      December 2, 2018 at 7:06 am

      Hi Jennifer! I used the Holiday Rice Krispies that have red and green as well as the regular krispie rice pieces! I do make them other times of the year with regular Rice Krispies too!

      Reply
  2. Jess says

    December 15, 2018 at 10:27 pm

    These look super yummy! But is there anyway to make these without peanuts and peanut butter? Maybe some type of substitution? Sadly I have many family members who are allergic but I love this idea!

    Reply
    • Maureen says

      December 16, 2018 at 1:54 am

      Thank you for your comment! I would just omit the peanuts and use a PB alternate such as Wowbutter!

      Reply
      • Jess says

        December 16, 2018 at 1:18 pm

        Perfect! Thank you 🙂

        Reply
  3. Paula Fletcher says

    October 25, 2019 at 2:59 pm

    My goodness, I miss Sweet Marie chocolate bars. They were my favourite. Can’t wait to try your recipe.

    Reply
    • Maureen says

      October 28, 2019 at 6:58 am

      Thank you Paula! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. The Ultimate List of Holiday Themed Rice Krispie Treats! says:
    October 23, 2018 at 2:08 am

    […] Sweet Marie Bars […]

    Reply
  2. Ginger Spice Cookies Recipe - Red Cottage Chronicles says:
    November 16, 2019 at 5:03 pm

    […] Isn’t funny how our tastes change over the years. As a child, whenever I was presented with a cookie tray I would always choose the most colorful, festive looking cookie. Like these empire cookies or sweet Marie bars. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Red Cottage Chronicles

Oh, hi there!

Well, hello! I am Maureen, and welcome to our little Red Cottage. Married to my high school sweetheart, I am a passionate baker, accidental DIY'er and love all things home! Read More…

Follow Us!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Stay updated!

Get all the latest news from our little red cottage straight to your inbox!

Categories

Instagram

[instagram-feed]

tablescapes

tablescapes

STAY UP TO DATE

Get all the latest recipes straight to your inbox

Disclosure & Privacy Policy

Disclosure & Privacy Policy

More From Red Cottage Chronicles

This and That

DY tissue paper flowers

DIY Tissue Paper Flowers

alfresco fall dining

How to Style An Early Fall Dining Table

12 DIY Wood Christmas Decor Ideas

Organizing your linen closet

Linen Closet Organization

Copyright © 2023 · Site by Pretty Pink Studio

Copyright © 2023 · Divine Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in