Mud Hen Bars
Updated June 02, 2020
These sweet Mud Hen dessert bars are perfect for potlucks and parties! Everyone loves them!
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItI was looking for a bar treat to make for a party and stumbled across a recipe for Mud Hen Bars. The bars have a cookie crust and are topped with marshmallows and chocolate chips. Wait, there is more! The bars also have a brown sugar meringue topping. I wasn’t sure where the “Mud Hen” name came from, but I didn’t care. I was going to make the bars anyways.
First, you make a basic cookie dough crust and top it with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips. You can add chopped nuts, but I left them out since Josh is allergic and I really don’t care for nuts in my cookies and bar treats.
Next, you beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks and gently fold in the brown sugar.
You cover the bars with the meringue topping and bake for about 30 minutes. And then you impatiently wait for the bars to cool so you can can cut and devour them. Oh wait, these were for a party so I couldn’t devour them all, but I did sneak a taste. I loved the cookie base, but the best part of these bars is the brown sugar meringue topping. The topping is sweet, crackly, and melts in your mouth.
Everyone at the party loved these bars and wanted the recipe. When I told them they were Mud Hen Bars, they looked confused. I told them not to worry because I don’t know why they are called Mud Hen Bars either:) I still have no idea, but I don’t really care. All I know is that these bars are super duper delicious and that is all that matters to me!
More Bar Recipes
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Peanut Butter S’mores Bars
- Brown Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Bars
- One Bowl Blondies
Mud Hen Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, divided (1 egg, 2 yolks, and 2 egg whites)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
- 1 cup chopped nuts (I left these out)
- 1 cup light brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 pan and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter and granulated sugar until creamy. Beat in 1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks (put aside the whites for later.) Beat in the vanilla extract.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Blend until just combined. Spread mixture into 9×13″ pan. Sprinkle with marshmallows, chocolate chips, and nuts-if using.
- Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the brown sugar. Spread mixture evenly over marshmallows and chocolate chips. Bake for about 30 minutes or until bars are a deep golden brown. Let bars cool completely. Cut into squares and serve.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
Leave a comment below and share a photo on Instagram. Tag @twopeasandpod and hashtag it with #twopeasandtheirpod
If you like these Mud Hen Bars, you might also like:
- Oatmeal Fudge Bars from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures
- Heath Bar Blondies from Eat, Live, Run
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars from Two Peas and Their Pod
Scrumptious! Those must be addictive.
Cheers,
Rosa
these look sooo good, Maria!
I just posted about some bars I made earlier today…marshmallows, white choc chips, peanut butter, 4 layers of cake and goo and frosting.
After those bars are done, I want to make your Mud Hen bars!!!!
These look simple and amazing!
If loving those are wrong, I don’t want to be right.
YUM!!!
i’ve never heard of mud hen bars, but what does that matter?! these look amazing!
These look so good!
Never heard of them either, but I’d love to try them.
I do feel like I need to bake tonight, these sound DELICIOUS
omg yum! I haven’t heard of them either…til now!
How fun are these? Love the marshmallow addition! I don’t like nuts in my baked goods either (except granola)
Um hello delicious. Chocolate chips and marshmallow are our baking kryptonite – we cannot resist!
These look sweet, sinful & fabulous!!
Strange name, yes. But they look delicious!
These looks so yummy! I’ve never heard of “Mud Hen Bars” either–but it sure is a fun name. I’ve sometimes heard Magic Cookie Bars called “Congo Bars” too, so go figure, I guess. 🙂
The name is intriguing. They look delicious!
haha! That is such a funny name! But the bars look delicious 🙂
The brown sugar meringue topping is a fantastic touch, these look amazing!
I’ve never heard of Mud Hen Bars. I’ll have to whip these up sometime because they look so good!
These sound fabulous!! I’ve come across recipes for these over the years and have never tried them…now I must!!
Holy…!
I just gasped. Lost my vision. Lost my balance in life.
Wow!
mmm…great ingredients, Maria!
I’ve had those bookmarked for a long time! That topping looks so yummy!
I’ve never heard of these before but they look gooey and full of yumminess! Marking these to make asap.
I have never heard of these! But they look and sound fantastic! I love it! That meringue topping looks so good!
I agree, who cares what they’re called as long as they taste good! 🙂
Mmm! We both just posted something with meringue and I thought I didn’t like meringue, but I loved the baked Alaska I made and these look delicious, too!
What a fun recipe. Sounds delicious and it’s different….and the name is a great conversation piece.
These look so tasty… what a funny name! Thanks for introducing me to them.
It seems like an irrational twist of fate that I’ve never seen or heard of these before.
The meringue topping sounds so yummy! Awesome recipe.
weird name for sure. but who cares they look delish & addictive
I’m from Toledo, OH, and our minor league baseball team is the Toledo Mud Hens. Maybe these are somehow connnected?
Whoa, that is for someone with a sweet tooth!
Thanks for linking! These are a favorite for sure and they always turn out. Yum!
I’ve been working on scaling these down to serve two! One of my favorites! 🙂
perhaps the name is from MASH, Cpl Klinger’s Toledo Mud Hens? I’m saving this recipe for when I need something to give away, or else cut into very small pieces
Are these legal? 🙂 They look scrumptious !
I just love the name 🙂 And that brown sugar topping, wow!! These are going down as must try this weekend. xoxo
These look delicious and something my sons would love – hopefully they ship well since I am now baking treats to mail!
These look like a wonderful change up from the typical bar cookie dessert; I can’t wait to try them!
Ive had my eye on a mud hen recipe for literally years but never got round to making them, yours look too ruddy tempting though so may have to whip out those marshmallows asap! I made some bars called walrus bars the other day, what is it about weird animal names hey! 🙂
I made these a month or two ago and totally fell in love. Love them!!
These totally caught my eye on Foodgawker. I think it’s the brown sugar meringue topping, I love the way it cracks and looks so inviting!
Oh my!! They do look delicious! I have to… oh I have to try 😉
Okay I totally am craving a few of these bars right now! Thanks for the recipe!
I just heard of these recently and have been dying to make them! They look incredible!
I have to make these for my kids – they would be thrilled!
Mmm I’m not typically a marshmallow fan, but these look ah-mazing!
I don’t care why they’re called mud hen bars either. They look great!
Never heard of these before. They sound great.
What a unique bar! I could go for one of these right now. I love that crusty, sweet top layer.
These look like the ultimate blondie bar! I bet that’s what ‘Mud Hen’ means 🙂
Loving that crackly top! I’m going to have to try these.
You always make such inspiring yummy things to eat! These look so yummy 🙂
I’m pretty sure this is the greatest recipe ever invented. Oh my goodness. Heaven in every bite, I’m sure! 🙂 Yum!
i have never heard of these before, but they sound fantastic!
Oooh, I love these bars! I used to make them often before going gluten-free, and had forgotten about them until now (thanks for the reminder – I’ll be adapting them soon!) – but I’ve never heard them called “mud hen bars.” What a crazy name!
These are delicious! Just suffered thru the 30 minutes of cooling down time, but it was worth the wait. Absolute cookie bar heaven! Thanks for the recipe.
Cooling is always the hardest part:)
Are these chewy or dry? Love bar cookies, but sometimes they are dry, I tried a Congo bar recipe that was too dry! I want to try this recipe, but am hoping they are moist and chewy! We tend to like our regular cookies and brownies on the under-done side.
Worth trying!
They are chewy with a crackly, crumbly topping.
These look really delicious! Kind of like blondies with a twist. Gotta try them soon.
Yum, these look really delicious and unique….love it!
I’ve never heard of these before – they sound delightful!
That is a great looking bar, I can’t wait to try them!
Oh WOW, these look so delicious! Lately I haven’t been able to indulge in sweets, but I think I may just make an exception for these…
this is one of the most randomly composed and named bars i’ve ever seen, and frankly, i think i’m in love. what a delightful treat–thanks for bringing it to my attention!
These look fabulous – they kind of remind me of blondies. I will have to make them as soon as our baking stuff arrives. The trip from Boston – Abu Dhabi via boat has been long and we’ve been without our cooking tools (pots, pants, etc) for 2 months now… Thanks for sharing!
I’ve never heard of these but they look amazing!
These look phenomenal! A must make…pinning these to share 🙂
The name may be strange, but it does kinda grow on you after awhile! These definitely look like something my family would enjoy – thanks for sharing.
Ok…so the name is a bit odd…but they sure do look delicious.
Oo-oo-ooooo! They look fab – I’m slightly obsessed by meringue at the moment now that I’ve finally been brave enough to try making it!
I made these bars for the secret recipe club (posted tomorrow) and LOVED them. Silly mane indeed but one delicious treat! I had never heard of them before either.
I’ve never heard of these before either… but, I’m thinking that I may have to make them in spite of the name!
These are wonderful…I got the recipe for Mud Hens from my Southern Plate cookbook by Chrisry Jordan. They are a big hit where ever I take them.
Oh my…words cannot even express my love for these. I am addicted.
Thanks for the recipe!! I made them last week and while they were pretty good, the cookie base didn’t cook all the way 🙁 Next time Ill cook the base for 5 minutes (or so) then add the toppings! Very interesting texture and they are not overly sweet. Thanks for sharing!
I am making these and they look AMAZING. My only problem is that I didn’t seem to have enough “stuff” to fill the pan. They are in the oven right now – hopefully they poof up – but the photos here are so beautiful and I could not make them look like that. I imagine they will taste great, though!
Made these last night and they were delicious!
Thanks
Yay! Glad you liked the Mud Hen Bars!
I know where the name comes from!!! The name, ‘mud hen,’ comes from a term used to describe homely or unattractive individuals– or at least it’s the term my elderly mother used to describe them. 🙂 But these bars are NOT unattractive at all!
I gained five pounds just looking at the pics! Thanks Peas! Ummm I think?
Maria, how many bars did you cut these into? I am thinking about taking them to a cookie swap, but I am not sure how tiny they can be and still be “enough” if that makes sense. Thanks for sharing the recipe and all your pictures/directions. I am looking forward to trying them!
It makes a 9×13 pan. You can cut them really big for 12-16 servings or small for 24. Just depends on how big you want the pieces:)
This recipe has been around for quite awhile – my grandmother(back in the 50’s) made them quite often, but without the chips and marshmallows.
I live in Toledo, OH and we have a minor league baseball team named the MudHens! I am so going to make these bars on opening day!! Wait – I don’t think I can make it till April! May have to make a test batch!! They look so YUMMY!!! Thanks! Pinning the recipe right now!!!
Thanks Amy! Enjoy the bars!
These were delicious and fun to make. I made them for a party I went to and everyone absolutely loved them. I wonder if you could make them with a brownie bottom too?
Grew up eating Mud Hens in Upper Michigan. Grandma’s had nuts instead of choc and m’mallows, then coconut in the meringue. Super yummy……
Just made these – they smell great. 🙂 (And the dough tastes pretty good too!)
Thanks for a fantastic recipe. My daughter made these onteh weekend and they were amazing!
http://www.aspoonfulofsugardesigns.com/2012/08/mud-hen-bars.html
I made them and they turned out fine. I wasn’t overly impressed by them though. Probably would give them a 6 out of 10.
what do you think makes them taste better, marshmallows or choc chips?
The Toledo Mud Hens are a minor league baseball team affiliated with the Detroit Tigers. I’m a big fan. I’ll definitely make these for opening day! 🙂
Well that was absolutely NO success….too bad.
My daughter served these bars to our family at lunch today. Yes, I asked her to repeat the name ‘Mud Hen Bars’ several times. We all loved them. They have just the right combo of brown sugar chocolate chewiness that makes it hard to stop eating them!
Perfect for opening day http://www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t512
Butterscotch Chips and Pecans that were chopped fine and Marshmallows and we LOVED them. We may try again with Dark Chocolate Chips and Marshmallows since we do not care much for milk chocolate. As it is, the ones I made with Chopped Pecans, Butterscotch Chips and Marshmallows did not last very long so will definitely make a double Batch next time.
I have made these for years using only butterscotch chips. They are to die for.
Just made these tonight…wanted to make something different for the fam. Honestly, these are pretty bad. The ingredients just dont go well together. The “crust” is super bland with a unimpressive texture…more shortbread-like would have been tastier and better mouthfeel. The rest of the concoction was wayyy to sweet…holy moly! You would think the flavors of the crust and top would balance each other but they are just kinda gross together, and kinda gross separately. My four boys and husband will hoover just about everything I bake, but these were sadly an epic fail.
I believe this recipe did come from Toledo, home to the Mud Hens. Many, many years ago, the recipe was published in the Toledo Blade, and we’ve been making them ever since!
I made this for a ladies gathering. I was nervous since I had never made it before but everyone loved it so much that I was only able to try the leftover crumbs. Will be making it again. Thanks for a great recipe
I had these 20 years ago, and have been looking for the recipe ever since! I had thought they were some type of s’more bar, so I could never never find them. So very happy to have found this!! Thank you!!
Will these keep for a few days? If so…how would you store them? I’m unsure what happens to the meringue.