Maple Marshmallow M&M Bars

Prepared with chocolate, maple flavoured marshmallows, candy, and more, Maple Marshmallow M&M Bars are a cross between homemade fudge and a store-bought candy bar. Whip up a batch and keep them in your freezer. They are super delicious when eaten frozen on a cold, summer day!

These are decadent and rich, and you won’t be able to stop eating them! I used to not make many confections with marshmallows until recently. I do love them, but after just one or two, I seem to go into sugar shock. Ha! When it comes to snacks and treats, I’m all about salty snacks. I can easily forego sugary snacks. That was until I tasted these Maple Marshmallow M&M Bars! These are so delicious! I swear, I could have eaten a dozen of them!!

I’m one of those people who will eat one or two of something and then I don’t want to see it anymore. I bake a lot, so it’s quite common to try one or two of whatever it is, and package the rest up for a friend or a neighbour. In some cases, especially if I make something with chocolate, John.e refuses to let me get rid of it. He loves chocolate!

As you know, Dear Reader, John.e is a vegetarian and marshmallows have gelatin in them. Gelatin is made using collagen from animal parts, so obviously, he isn’t going to eat anything with marshmallows in it. Sounds gross, doesn’t it!? So, I was quite happy to find vegan marshmallows, and now I can make more marshmallow treats. You can 100% use regular mini marshmallows, but I used Dandies Vegan Marshmallows in this recipe. Needless to say, don’t tell him I told you, but he might have eaten about 20 of these!

DANDIES VEGAN MARSHMALLOWS

Now, if you just so happen to click on the link for Dandies in the last paragraph, you will note that the brand has both large and mini marshmallows. Depending on the time of year, they also have flavours like pumpkin and peppermint – and now maple too!

This post is not sponsored by Dandies, and I don’t want you to think that I’m preaching veganism at you, because I am far from vegan. However, whenever I find a product that I love, I always share it with you. You most certainly don’t have to be vegan to enjoy Dandies marshmallows. They also have no artificial colours or flavours, which is always a bonus.

If you have any friends or family with food allergies, you might want to consider using Dandies as well. Unlike real marshmallows, there’s no corn syrup, they are kosher, and have no GMOs. Dandies are manufactured in a gluten free environment and are free from many common allergens such as wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, eggs, shellfish, fish, mustard, corn, and sesame. Seriously, what do you have to lose!?

In the spirit of full disclosure, I will tell you that a representative from Dandies did reach out to me after reading one of my previous recipes using their product. They offered to send me marshmallows twice now – one of those shipments being the maple marshmallows used in this recipe. Still, I would not promote the product without fully supporting it. Honestly, they taste wonderful and I’m not sure I could tell the difference between a vegan marshmallow and a “real” one! They’re really that good! So, thank you, Dandies!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare these Maple Marshmallow M&M Bars. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Chocolate Chips – I used semi-sweet chocolate chips because I find that milk chocolate chips are sweeter. I didn’t want the squares to be too sweet. You can use milk, semi-sweet, or even dark chocolate in this recipe.
• Butterscotch Chips – I have tried this recipe with other types of baking chips, but none of them worked quite as well as butterscotch. You can find butterscotch baking chips in the baking section of most large chain grocers.
• Peanut Butter – I used creamy peanut butter, but you could use chunky if you want the addition of peanuts. Do not use natural peanut butter!
• Maple Syrup – You can use either the real stuff or the imitation.
• Maple Extract – If you don’t have this, don’t worry about it. The end result will still taste maple-y just based on the syrup and the maple marshmallows alone.
• Mini Marshmallows – Again, I used maple vegan mini marshmallows. You can use regular or even multi-coloured marshmallows.
• M&M Candy – To keep my version looking more fitting for Canada Day, I only used red M&Ms. You can use whichever colour you prefer!

LET’S TALK PEANUT BUTTER!

Before you are tempted to send me an email or a comment knocking my choice of peanut butter that is not natural and organic, hear me out! This recipe will not work with natural peanut butter. I repeat: this recipe will not work with natural peanut butter. There, I said it. Now, if you go ahead and make this recipe using natural peanut butter and it comes out a big, wet mess, you cannot blame me.

John.e uses only natural peanut butter, but I do not. I do not like it at all. Yes, it’s healthier and better for me, but I’d rather not eat it at all if I have to choose the natural stuff. I grew up on Kraft or Jiffy peanut butter and it’s the only peanut butter I ever use.

For these Maple Marshmallow M&M Bars, you have the choice of smooth peanut butter or crunchy. But, you do not have a choice between all-natural and the sugar-laden, mass-produced stuff. The squares will not set up firmly when chilled. Mostly, it certainly will not taste right. If you are completely against using non-natural peanut butter, as harsh as it may sound, this recipe is most certainly not for you.

REAL VS IMITATION MAPLE SYRUP

Maple syrup is one of those things where John.e and I disagree. He prefers real maple syrup, but I prefer the artificial stuff. Whenever I include maple in my recipes though, I always use the real maple syrup. (I save my fake, cheap stuff for myself!) I know Pearl Milling Company Original Syrup is not authentic maple syrup, but it has maple flavour and I love the thickness of it!

Since maple can be a little bit sweet, I didn’t use a whole lot. Plus, you just want a hint of maple flavouring, because if you’re using maple-flavoured marshmallows and maple extract, it might be a little too much maple flavour. Yes, I think that just might be possible! So, if you’re planning to use the real stuff, which can be rather expensive, don’t worry because you won’t be using too much of it. Did you know that maple syrup is synonymous with Canada?

Maple products are considered emblematic of Canada, and are frequently sold in tourist shops and airports as souvenirs. The maple leaf has come to symbolize Canada, and is depicted on the country’s flag. So, Happy Canada Day – let’s enjoy some Maple Marshmallow M&M Bars!

CANDIES, CANDIES, AND MORE CANDIES!

I know I use M&Ms quite often in many of my cookie and no-bake treats, but there are other candy-coated chocolates out there that you can use. Here in Canada, we have something called Smarties. I think in the United States, smarties are those flat, pressed-powder-like candy that comes in a cellophane-wrapped roll. They’re often found in large bags for Halloween treats. In Canada, smarties are candy-coated chocolate much like the popular M&M.

You might also consider using Cadbury Mini Eggs – they are my all-time favourite! They release bags at Christmastime with red and green candy-coated mini eggs, although unless you have stashed some of those away, it might be hard to find them now. Hershey’s also has bright red candy-coated chocolate.

HOW TO MAKE MAPLE MARSHMALLOW M&M BARS

This no-bake recipe comes together quickly and easily. The first thing you should do is to prepare a 9 x 13 inch baking pan by lining it well with parchment paper. Fold the parchment paper so that it fits snugly in the pan. I use two sheets – one folded to fit the length of the pan and another folded to fit across the pan. Allow the excess parchment paper to hang out over the side of the pan. Once the chocolate is firm, use the excess parchment to lift the whole block out of the pan to make it easy to cut into slices.

Next, add the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, peanut butter, maple syrup, and maple extract to a large microwave-safe bowl. Whenever you microwave chocolate, you should microwave on medium power for 30 seconds. Then, if it’s still not silky smooth, microwave in increments of 5 or 10 seconds, depending on your microwave, stirring with a rubber spatula after each increment.

Add in the mini maple marshmallows and one cup of the red M&M candy. Use a rubber spatula to fold them in until everything is well coated. Next, pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Use the spatula to gently push the mixture into the corners and to flatten it so that the entire pan has a level layer of chocolate and marshmallow mixture. Top with the remaining half cup of M&M candy.

It’s important to allow the chocolate to firm up at room temperature, which is slow, but it works. If you place the pan into the fridge to speed up the re-hardening of the chocolate, you run the risk of separating the milk solids. That will result in chocolate with white streaks through it. It’s best to let it sit at room temperature for two or three hours. The chocolate will slowly cool down and the milk solids will not separate.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

Most no-bake confections are made without the need to freeze them for long periods of time, but they can be frozen. For this recipe, I have tested whether or not they can be frozen, and they certainly can! Once they are completely hardened, pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!  You can freeze these for up to three months.