Milkmaid's Recipe Box: "Cookie Dough" Bars

Milkmaid's Recipe Box

FOOD, FOOD, FOOD! I'm such a FARMER at heart-- even a CALF knows that so much in life is about the FOOD! (A bit of a "bio" about me can be found way down near the bottom.)

You can find a recipe index entitled "Labels" down along the right side, starting below the picture of the farm. Then, below the "Label" list are pictures of some of my old "standbys"-- click on their picture and it should take you to the recipe.

You will see no advertising on my blog; this means there is no monetary benefit for me having "visitors" or "joiners"-- having said that, if you do wish to JOIN my blog, you can do so by scrolling w-a-y down to near the bottom of the page...

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

"Cookie Dough" Bars

If you like a peanut butter

and chocolate combination,

you will probably like these.

(I consider the rolled oats a bonus!)

The "Cookie Dough" flavor-- it's gotten to be so popular these days. That flavor is now in ice cream, frozen 'drinky' things, custards, cheesecakes, truffles, dips, cocoa, pies, etc. I think these bars ended up having that flavor.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, well packed
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla (you could use 1 tablespoon maple syrup and 2 teaspoons maple extract)
2 large eggs
1 and 1/4 cups peanut butter (creamy, or crunchy)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups rolled oats (quick, or old-fashioned, or a combination of the two)
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used 1 cup mini semi-sweet chips and 1 cup milk chocolate chips)

DIRECTIONS:

Set oven to 350 degrees
Set oven rack to second-lowest position (I used the middle position)
Grease a 13x9-inch baking dish
In a large bowl and using an electric mixer at medium speed cream the butter with both sugars and vanilla until no sugar granules remain (about 4 minutes).
Add in the peanut butter and beat until combined.
Add in eggs and beat until combined.
In a bowl combine the flour with baking soda and oats; add to the creamed mixture and mix on low speed until combined.
Mix in chocolate chips.
Transfer and spread into prepared baking dish.
Bake for 22-25 minutes or until JUST set (do not overbake). With my oven, this took 25 minutes.
Cool first, then cut into squares.

Below: When I took them from the oven, they looked like this...

Below: After cooling, the edges were a bit higher than the center like this...

Below: After cooling, they cut very easily...

For me, this recipe is a keeper AND a repeater.

This basic recipe came from Kittencal's Kitchen-- she loves cooking/baking and many people benefit from her talent. Her name for these bars is Delicious Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars.