Gooey Funfetti Cake Bars

I made these delicious cake bars last week for the wonderful friends who came over to help us move out of our apartment in Florida.  I knew they were going to work so hard (and they did), so I wanted to make sure that I had something special to treat them with.

As I was scouring through my dessert boards on Pinterest, I saw these, and I just knew they would be perfect!  Lots of sprinkles, chocolate chips, and of course, a super gooey center.

They could have been slightly better if I hadn't gotten them a little over done in the oven.  Of course, I set the timer when I put them in, but then I went and worked on packing.  So when the timer went off, it didn't register in my brain until a few minutes later, at which point, I screamed and sprinted into the kitchen, all while Thomas was frantically asking "WHAT???" and looking at me like I was crazy. 

So they were a little crunchy on the outsides (a little crunchier than I'd prefer) but still gooey and delicious in the center.  I will definitely be making these again!!!

Gooey Funfetti Cake Bars
Adapted from: Crazy for Crust (You should really go check out her pictures; my one snapshot does not do these delicious things justice.)
Makes: 16 squares (a 9x9 pan)

Ingredients:
1 box Funfetti cake mix (just the dry mix)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1/3 cup sprinkles
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk (out of a can)
1 cup chocolate chips/chunks (You can use any variety.  I used half white chocolate and half milk chocolate.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a metal 9x9 pan with parchment paper.
2. Combine cake mix, softened butter, and the egg in a bowl.  Blend with a mixer until a thick dough forms.
3. Divide dough and press 2/3 of it into the prepared pan.  (I used wax paper to help me make it a little more even.)
4. Sprinkle with the chocolate chips/chunks, the sprinkles, and pour the sweetened condensed milk on top.
5. Roll the remaining dough into balls and then smoosh them flat and lay them on top of the mixture.  Try to cover as much of the pan as possible.  (Once again, I used a sheet of wax paper over top to smoosh it all together.)
6. Bake the bars for 30 minutes or until the edges begin to brown.
7. Remove from oven, and use the parchment paper to remove the bars from the pan.  Place on a wire rack to cool before cutting into 16 squares.

Like I said, even slightly burnt, these were amazing!  If you like gooey butter cookies, chess squares, or whatever else they're called, you should try this fun variation!