What I’m Making: Josine’s Favorite Bars

I was thrifting and found a treasure.  It was a local church cookbook that I didn’t have.  YAHOO.  I keep telling myself no more cookbooks, but I’ve given up.  I’ve learned that they are my hobby and what’s a hobby without a collection??  It was $3 so it’s not like I’m spending money wildly.

This one is from the neighboring town to the east of here.  I know many of the people who submitted recipes to the book.  The grandma’s of several of my childcare kiddos have recipes in here.


I read cookbooks like more people read books…crazy I know.

This is the recipe I decided to try…Josine’s Favorite Bars.


I don’t keep oleo or margarine on hand so I opted to use real butter.


Other than that… I followed the recipe.  2/3 of the mix went in the bottom of the pan and baked.


Then I mixed sweet and condensed milk with peanut butter.  It was hard to mix so I warmed the two in the microwave for 30 seconds and then it mixed up super easy.

The mixture of peanut butter and sweet and condensed milk was the reason I was prompted to give the recipe a try.


I thought these would also be great to try as I had some Christmas M&Ms.


Had I known, I might have put more of the dough mix in the bottom and less on the top so the M&Ms showed through more.

Here they are done and cooled.  YUM.  Yep, it was me that tried them…Gannon ate the other one.  We both liked them a lot.  I’ll definitely be making these again.


Note the recipe says bake 15-20 minutes during the last time in the oven. I would definitely lean towards the 20 minutes.  I’d also not put as much topping on the bars and more in the crust to let the M&Ms show a little more.

All in all the recipe is a keeper!!

8 thoughts on “What I’m Making: Josine’s Favorite Bars”

  1. I love to read cookbooks, too!!! I have a lot on my tablet. I would be glad to share. I read them, take out the few recipes that I will ever make, and give them away.

  2. Old church cookbooks ate the best
    They are filled with somebodies favorite recipes. Have a few myself. Been in a few myself. Love them

  3. Hi Jo,
    They look real good. I think they would be prettier with the m & m showing to. I don’t think it would change the taste any.
    I only use butter. I haven’t bought Oreo or margarine in years. My sister uses margarine in her chocolate chip cookies and she says they spread so much more than mine. I think it’s the water content in the margarine that thins them out.
    I am a cook book reader to. Out house burned in 2008 and I had 300 plus cook books I had to throw away. The good part is I got paid for them. Lots of smoke and water damage. We had insurance that replaced everything at that day it burned prices. We got all code upgrades and everything. So I got a new house and all new stuff. There was some antiques that I lose but I could have replaced them but decided not to as my kids would have sold them or gave them away. I did buy 2 featherweights.
    After Christmas I’ll try those bars. I have to much Christmas candy right not to have everyone eat.
    Love the family pictures you posted. Boy are they all growing so fast. I have 5 great grandkids 3 live on our property so I see them a lot they are 4-2 and 6 months. All boys. The oldest ones want to come down everyday.

  4. I have been looking for the Emanual Lutheran Church Kiester, MN, cookbook for years. My aunt attended that church. My cookbook is falling apart.

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