Peanut Butter Bars

I love peanut butter … a good PB & banana sandwich is my go-to comfort food. My colleagues think I eat like an 8-year-old with my PB&B toast! My Mom used to let me eat a spoonful of peanut butter when I had the hiccups. You guessed it … I faked the hiccups … A LOT! My youngest chick’s girlfriend is allergic to all nuts so I try to be aware of what I’m baking if I know she’s going to come over to the house. My boys were craving something ooey-gooey for their lunchboxes and these bars did not disappoint. A tad on the sweet side but they disappeared in no time!

This recipe comes to us from Patricia Staudt of Marble Rock, Iowa …

Peanut Butter Bars
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Icing
½ cup confectioners; sugar
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons milk

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugars and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, oats, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Spread into a greased 13”x9”x2” baking pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.

2. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Combine icing ingredients; drizzle over the top. Cool completely cut into bars.

The batter whipped up like a dream. The finished bar had a gooey texture, like a good brownie. I might cut back on some sugar … maybe cut back the confectioners’ sugar in the icing—in fact this would be really good without any icing at all!

What does Norma say about the Peanut Butter Bars? Once again I had flown the coop to fly up to the parent’s place for a little family vacation, so I didn’t have a chance to do a taste test. But, I think the fact that I was only gone for a wee while and there was nothing left of the bars except for the faint aroma of peanut butter in the air says it all!

TEMPTATION LEVEL out of 10: A little sweet, but depending on your personal taste that is easily adjusted by leaving off or reducing the icing sugar: 8 out of 10!