Turn Van's Simply Delicious PB&J Bars into cute Gluten-Free Beach-Themed Party Treats. Each "sandy beach" bar is topped with a sweet little starfish and will make wonderful snacks at your summer party.
This post is sponsored by Van's Simply Delicious.
When I created all the desserts for my nephew's Beach Themed Graduation Party, I didn't take into consideration the number of party guests who were on gluten-free diets.
Honestly, it didn't even cross my mind. I was making desserts for 150+ guests, and I hadn't made one single treat that was specifically gluten-free. Fortunately, there were a few treats on the dessert table that were naturally gluten-free or quite a few guests who have Celiac Disease would not have been able to enjoy a dessert.
Needless to say, I will now be so much more aware of this and be sure to create more gluten-free recipes.
After the party, I spoke to a friend who maintains a gluten-free diet, and she suggested I try some of Van's Simply Delicious products. She and her family really enjoy their snacks and she really appreciates the standards the company upholds. They use only clean, simple ingredients that are nutritious and delicious.
At the same time, she was recommending the product, I was presented with the opportunity to create this sponsored post using Van's Simply Delicious products which are available at Meijer.
The timing couldn't have been better.
I thought it would be fun to use them to create a gluten-free beach-themed treat. The PB&J Bars are soft and chewy, and when topped with all-natural peanut butter and some cereal crumbs, made the perfect little patch of sandy beach.
To make my little beaches come to life, I wanted to add a sea creature and chose to make starfish because they are often found on the beach.
By blending a PB&J bar with some peanut butter, dates, and dried cherries, I got a really flavorful, soft dough that could be shaped into a cute little starfish. I attached two candy eyes and my beach scenes were complete.
These treats are so easy to create, look festive enough for a party, but are easy enough to make for an afternoon snack.
To make the power bar dough for the starfish, simply pop one PB&J Bar into a mini food processor or blender along with dates, dried cherries, and peanut butter. Pulse until you get really fine crumbs.
When you scoop out some of the crumbs, you should be able to squeeze them and they will hold together.
Then squeeze all the crumbs together into a disc and flatten that out to about ¼ inch thickness.
Use a small 1 ½ inch star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out 9 stars. When you get to the last bit of dough, just push it into the cutter, then lift the cutter up and off the dough.
Once you have your stars cut, pinch the points on each star to better shape them into starfish.
To create the sandy beaches you'll need to crush some Honey Crunch Gluten Free Cereal into fine crumbs.
Spread peanut butter over top of the PB&J Bars then sprinkle them with crumbs.
To make the starfish come to life, dab a bit of peanut butter on the back of a candy eye and press it onto the starfish.
Then attach the starfish to the sandy beach bars using more peanut butter.
You can store these bars in an airtight container for up to a few days if you are making them for a party or they can be eaten right away.
How fun would these gluten free treats be to pack up and bring to the beach?
Recipe
Gluten Free PB&J Bars are decorated to look like sandy beaches and are topped with sweet little starfish. They are great for beach and pool parties or any graduation party!
- 10 Van's Simply Delicious Gluten Free PB&J Bars
- 2 dates finely chopped
- 1 ½ tablespoons dried cherries
- ⅓ cup peanut butter divided
- 18 candy eyes
- ½ cup Van's Simply Delicious Gluten Free Honey Crunch Cereal
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Unwrap one of the PB&J bars and put it into a mini food processor or blender along with the chopped dates, dried cherries, and 4 teaspoons of the peanut butter.
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Pulse until really well chopped.
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To test if it's chopped enough, squeeze about a tablespoon of the mixture in your hand and it should stick together.
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Dump all the crumbs out onto your work surface and squeeze together into a flat disc.
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Flatten the disc of dough out to ¼ inch thickness.
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Cut out 9 small stars using a cookie cutter, reworking the dough as needed.
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Pinch the points of the stars to look more like a starfish.
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Attach two candy eyes to each starfish using peanut butter.
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Brush a teaspoon of peanut butter over each of the remaining PB&J Bars.
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Crush the Honey Crunch Cereal into fine crumbs.
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Sprinkle crumbs over top of the peanut butter coated PB&J bars.
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Spread a small amount of peanut butter onto the backside of a starfish and press it into the sandy cookie crumbs.
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Repeat, creating a total of 9 sandy beaches topped with a starfish.
I was compensated by Van's Simply Delicious to create this recipe and share it with you, but all the opinions expressed here are my own. This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Van's. The opinions and text are all mine.
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Karen @ Sugartown Sweets says
Super cute and gf too! You make them sound so yummy I'm gonna have to try 'em. I'm loving all your adorable beach treats.
Beth says
The kids really liked these treats and I did too. I made some extra starfish and have been snacking on them every day. I love that they are gluten free. I do hope you give some of these beach treats a try!
The Partiologist says
Great news to find another gluten free option and then you go and make it even better by making it so cute!
Beth says
Thanks, Kim. You should definitely try the Van's Gluten Free products. I was really impressed with their flavor.