These Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars feature the classic combination of peanut butter and chocolate. Rolled oats and walnuts also add a satisfying crunch. They would most definitely make a tasty addition to any lunchbox, potluck or bake sale table.
When it comes to combining chocolate and peanut butter, you might be asking what the best chocolate is to use. When I was working on this recipe, I asked myself the same question and came up with an answer: use ALL the CHOCOLATE! For this particular recipe, I’ve combined both sweet milk chocolate chips and semisweet chocolate chips.
I’ve also called for crunchy peanut butter in the recipe because I love the additional crunch the peanut pieces offer, but you if you prefer smooth, then go right ahead and use that instead.
When choosing your oats, you’ll want to look for rolled oats, not quick cooking oats. Rolled oats will hold their shape and texture better than the quick cooking variety, which will turn soft and mushy when baked.
You’ll bake the bars in two stages, the first being the base of oats, butter, flour, sugar and the egg for 15 minutes. Then you’ll layer on the peanutty filling and top the whole thing with an oat, flour, chocolate, walnut topping and bake for the remaining 20 minutes.
The whole thing comes together very quickly. The hardest part will be keeping your family from picking at these chocolate peanut butter bars while they cool!
Julianne’s Notes
What does it mean to ‘rub’ the butter into the flour?
The rubbing in method refers to combining fat (butter, lard, margarine), into dry ingredients to create a light crumb. Here’s what you need to know:
- Start with cold butter and cut it into small pieces.
- Add the butter to the dry ingredients.
- Using your fingertips only, ‘rub’ the flour and butter together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Use only your fingertips, not your whole hand. You want as little heat as possible touching the butter to avoid it melting.
- Shake the bowl around to bring larger lumps of butter/flour to the surface.
Check out this quick video from BBC Good Food on how to master this technique.
My brown sugar is hard as a rock. Now what?
When you reach for the brown sugar you have stashed away in your cupboard and your hand lands on a rock it can be so disappointing. Don’t worry! There’s a couple of ways that you can bring some life, (and moisture!), back into your sugar so you can use it in your favourite recipes.
Method 1:
Place the hard brown sugar into a microwavable bowl. Place a damp piece of paper towel over the sugar and microwave for 20 seconds. The sugar will absorb the steam created by heating up the damp paper towel and will soften.
If you find the sugar to still be a bit hard, you can pop it back into the microwave, with the damp paper towel covering it, and microwave for another 20 seconds.
Method 2:
This method is a bit more of a long game. It could take at least 24 hours to see results here. Place your hard brown sugar in an airtight container and place either a piece of bread, or a few sliced apples directly on top of the brown sugar. Place the lid onto the container and wait for the bread/apples to do their magic. The sugar will absorb the moisture from the bread/apples and start to soften. 24 hours later, check to see how far it has come!
What is sweetened condensed milk?
Sweetened condensed milk is made when milk is cooked down to remove the water. Once the water has evaporated, you’re left with a thickened, creamy base. Sugar is then added to the condensed milk to prolong its shelf life. The milk provides a creamy, milky, sweet flavour to bakes and desserts.
Canned evaporated milk can also be called unsweetened condensed milk. You wouldn’t substitute one for the other as they have different flavours and consistencies. Make sure to check the label!
How should I store these chocolate peanut butter bars?
These bars are best stored in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to 5 days.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see it! Share your photos on Instagram with the hashtag #bakersbookshelf.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Ingredients
- 5 oz milk chocolate chips
- 5 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup butter, chilled
- 1 ¾ cup light brown sugar, (not packed)
- 2 cups rolled oats
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 14 oz canned sweetened condensed milk
- ⅓ cup chunky peanut butter, unsweetened
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F/180 C.
- Prepare a 12 x 8 inch cake pan by spraying with non-stick cooking spray (or rubbing with melted butter). Place a piece of parchment into the pan. Make sure the parchment covers the bottom of the pan and overhangs on the two longest sides. This creates a 'sling' which makes it easier for you to remove the bars from the pan once they are cooled.
- Tip the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Give it a stir with a whisk to remove any lumps.
- Cut the butter into smallish pieces and add to the flour. Rub the butter into the flour using just your finger tips. When the butter and flour combines, you want it to look like bread crumbs.
- Stir in the sugar, oats and chopped nuts.
- Remove a quarter of the mix and put it into a separate bowl. Add the chocolate chips to this separate bowl and mix together. Set aside for now.
- Pour the beaten egg into the remaining mixture until combined, then press firmly into the bottom of your prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- While the bars are baking, pour the condensed milk into a small bowl and mix in the peanut butter until combined.
- Bring the base out of the oven and pour the condensed milk/peanut butter mixture on top of the hot base. Sprinkle the reserved mix with the chocolate chips over the top and press down lightly.
- Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes until golden brown.
- Let the bars cool completely in the pan, then lift them out, using your parchment paper sling, onto a cutting board. Cut into squares.
Notes
Leave a Reply