Galaxy Bars

What is it about outer space that is so fascinating to us?  Maybe it's the idea of the unknown or just the thought that there are things out there that we haven't seen, but know they are there, like giant stars and black holes.  From a young age, I remember learning about the planets, moon, stars and galaxies and finding it all so interesting.  My kids are getting to the age where they are experiencing the same wonder and it's been fun to relearn with them.  (I even got to tell my kids about how "when I was a kid, we had nine planets".  Talk about feeling old!)  Today I'm sharing a family recipe with you that I've adapted to go along with the space theme and I'm calling them Galaxy Bars.

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These bars look like a sugar cookie bar, but are a little sweeter and more dense like a brownie, without being over the top (although they are buttery *wink*).  As I was making them, my kids thought it was so fun that I was making different colors of batter.  To be honest, I wasn't totally sure how these would turn out, but I think the end result was pretty close to what I had in my head. Yay!  And of course, sprinkles always make desserts better.

This post is part of a monthly series I co-host called Movie Club Monday.  This month's theme is action flick.  Can you guess which movie I was inspired by to make my galaxy bars...?  I know there are a lot to choose from so I'll tell you: Guardians of the Galaxy!  (Although I could have chosen Star Trek, Stargate, Galaxy Quest or any number of space movies.)

Here's what you'll need to make your own galaxy bars:

First, add your butter and sugar to a bowl.  (If you didn't have time to soften your butter ahead of time (guilty), you can always put it in the microwave for about 20 seconds to soften it.  You don't want to melt it.)  Cream the butter and sugar together with a mixer until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until well mixed.  Then, add the flour, milk and powdered sugar.  Start with 1 Tbsp of milk.  Because you will be adding coloring, you don't want to add too much milk, as the batter isn't supposed to be runny.

Once everything is mixed together, divide the batter up into four bowls as evenly as possible.  Add a few drops of food coloring (5-7 drops) to 3 of the bowls and mix well.  I used the neon food coloring so I didn't have to mix any colors together to get the blue, purple and pink.

Grab your 9x13 pan, line it with tin foil and spray with cooking spray.  Drop each color of batter by large tablespoonfuls randomly into the pan.  Use the back of a spoon or a silicone spatula to carefully press the batter into the pan and swirl it around.  Don't do too much, otherwise you'll end up with a muddy color instead of cool galaxy swirls.

Bake for 22-25 minutes at 325 degrees F.  You'll know it's ready when the edges are slightly brown.  Remove and let cool before cutting into squares.  Sprinkle the gold sprinkles on top and enjoy!

Galaxy Bars
makes 24 bars

Ingredients:

• 1 c. butter, softened
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 c. flour
• 1-2 Tbsp. milk
• 1 c. powdered sugar
• food coloring (I used the neon set.)
• gold sprinkles

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs and vanilla.  Beat well.
4. Add flour, milk and powdered sugar.  Mix well.
5. Divide evenly into four bowls.  Add a few drops of food colors to 3 of the bowls and mix together.  (I used 5-7 drops in each bowl to get the color I wanted.)
6. Line a 9x13 pan with tin foil and spray with cooking spray.
7. Drop the different colors of batter randomly into the pan, then use the back of a spoon or silicone spatula to spread it out and carefully swirl the batter.  Don't do too much or you'll end up with a muddy color.
8. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown.
9. Remove and let cool before slicing and putting sprinkles on top.

Check out what the other co-hosts chose for their action flick and see how they were inspired!

An InLinkz Link-up

Next month, our theme is musicals and I'm SO excited!