Stockpile Recipe – Can’t Leave ‘Em Alone Bars

Many, many years ago… back in the stone age (ie before the internet) people traded forms and coupons via refund magazines. There were 20 – 30 in their heyday of the 80s and 90s, three of which survive until this very day!

Back then you would answer an ad in a refund magazine by sending whatever item was requested, and then you would get back whatever was being offered. Sending a sase was the only other requirement.

Well, it could get kind of expensive to do this because if you were sending for forms, almost no one promised anything other than generic “forms” in return. You could be sent a pile of junk in return for your qualifier, sase and the postage it cost to mail, and as long as the correct number of forms advertised were sent back to you, it was too-bad-for-you! The trader filled their ad. So, folks tried to hook up with traders that were reasonable, reliable and honest. At one point I had 20 regular traders but that got ridiculous to keep up with (think of having 20 pen pals that you need to send great forms to as well as write every 7-10 days!). I only sent forms because I didn’t have great qualifiers (back then a CRT was never needed). We used to get outstanding mail in rebates in this area. Now, as with everywhere else, the forms have become scarcer and scarcer which was why I originally started my printable rebate form list.

Sooooo where is all this going? Well, way back when, one of my regular traders was a sweet young thing that had just started couponing. She was very new to couponing and refunding and lived in a very rural area. I truly think she just wanted a pen pal, something I was (and still am) horrible about! (From all this blathering you’d never guess, would you?) So, we only traded for a short while, but one thing that lived on was this recipe that she gave me called Can’t Leave ‘Em Alone Bars. Over the years I have modified it a bit, but it is essentially the same recipe my trader sent me over 20 years ago.

Can’t Leave ‘Em Alone Bars

350º
30 minutes
13″ x 9″ pan

1 white cake mix ( chocolate or yellow also work, but white is best)
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup chocolate chips (haha! I use an entire bag)
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Combine cake mix, eggs and oil in a medium bowl.
Mix together with a fork.
Pat half of the mixture on the bottom of a 13″ x 9″ pan (lightly spray with non-stick spray)

In a pot on the stove melt the butter and chocolate chips
When smooth, blend in the sweetened condensed milk

Pour chocolate mixture on top of cake in pan.

Drop remaining batter by spoonfuls on top of the chocolate mixture (“like in blobs” is what my original card says )