The internet is a dangerous place when you are hungry. One minute you are researching a kale salad recipe and the next minute you are binging on chocolate #foodporn.

Today I’m inspired by bars.  No, I’m not talking drinking bars with names like Frosty’s or Suds or Benders.  I’m talking chocolate bars, with names like 3 Layer Brownie Goody Bars and Triple Chocolate Cookie Bars and I Can’t Believe How Amazing This Tastes I Think I’ve Died and Gone to Heaven Bars.

So I’m sharing three dessert bar recipes that I can’t wait to try. One of the things we promote here at The Nostalgia Diaries is anticipatory nostalgia–the creation of “memories-to-be.” You know, mindfully engaging in activities and experiences now so that when you and your kids look back in 30 years, you will remember how much fun you we had making those Triple Decker Dark Chocolate Dipped Brownie Bars with grandma. And maybe you will want to dig out that old recipe and try it with your own grand kids.

Baking is nostalgic in-and-of itself; add in all the amazing smells and tastes and the tremendous sense of time and place that goes with it, and you can make memories that will last a lifetime. Memories you will love looking back on. Memories you will want to pass down. Memories that will keep you connected. Happy. Fulfilled.

So today, fellow nostalgia seekers, I want to share three dessert bar recipes that I found while perusing the interwebs that look exceptionally delicious. I can’t wait to try them!

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1) Butterscotch Chocolate Chunk Blondies with Smoked Salt

The first is a recipe from a great food blog we read and also follow on called “a farmgirl’s dabbles”. These Butterscotch Chocolate Chunk Blondies with Smoked Salt bars look amazing.

Smoked salt?! Who knew there was such a thing? But I gotta tell you, this bar recipe sounds utterly delicious. The “farmgirl” (Brenda is her name) describes them in her post as “rich with the flavors of butter and brown sugar.” And as you know from my post about my grandmother’s zucchini bread, we love butter (and brown sugar) in this house. So sign me up!

The other awesome thing you will see in the farmgirl’s post is how she describes instilling in her daughters “the thoughtful act of being grateful, every single day, for both the big and the small.” With that, she describes how she encourages the writing of handwritten thank you cards.

That’s a wonderful idea and a great nostalgic activity we support here at The Nostalgia Diaries. Our post earlier this week explored the idea of handcrafted notes. Emails and Facebook posts have replaced thoughtful thank you notes and handwritten personal letters–tangible love and kindness we can feel in our hands. We should work to bring back a personal touch in our communications with others.

And we should work on those Butterscotch Chocolate Chunk Blondies!

Go visit a farmgirl’s dabbles blog to check out this great recipe!

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2) Addicting 5 Ingredient Crockpot Chocolate Bars

The second bar I found was called Addicting 5 Ingredient Crockpot Chocolate Bars. They are found on halfbakedharvest.com.

Crockpots: Not just for dinner anymore! The bar “batter” takes 3 hours in the crockpot and another 30 minutes to cool and solidify before cutting. Makes 20-24 bars. Or, you know, one really big bar. Or if my five-year-old daughter Zoey has anything to say about it, two big bars.

Okay . . . maybe I can share . . .

Seriously though, these crockpot bars look amazing. Maybe a great treat for the holidays?  Perhaps a new tradition!? Zoey would like that idea! (As would I!)

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3) Salted Caramel Pretzel Crunch Bars

Everyone knows the deliciousness of pretzels and chocolate.  Add caramel and it’s mic drop time.

So with that in mind, take a gander at these bad boys on sallysbakingaddiction.com:

These are Salted Caramel Pretzel Crunch Bars. I can’t wait to try my hand at making these hunks of pure unadulterated goodness.

The recipe seems slightly more involved than the others, but I would venture to say worth every minute it takes.

Have you made any of these bars? Let us know! Have any other great bar recipes to share? Stick ‘em in the comments. We’d love to hear from you!

 

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At The Nostalgia Diaries, our goal is to help you simplify, enhance, and engage your lives by focusing on the most important things: remembering, appreciating, believing, and becoming. It’s all about celebrating the past to create better days today.

P.S. Don’t forget to follow our colorful, creative spaces on , and . We’re fun and happy and whimsical and nostalgic over there, too. Pinky swear.