Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Peanut Butter + Chocolate = Sweet chewy yumminess.

Need I say more? I didn't think so, well other than thank you to my friend Nicole for sharing this fabulous recipe with me!  In a pinch, this recipe is so quick to make and comes out perfect every time.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

1/2 c. peanut butter (any style)

1/3 c. butter or margarine (I prefer butter)

1  c. sugar

1/4 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 t. vanilla extract

1  c. flour

1  t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1 pkg. (6 oz) chocolate chips

Cream peanut butter and butter with an electric mixer.  Gradually add sugars and beat until fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg.  Mix in vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to peanut butter mixture and mix well.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Spread in buttered 9" square pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.  Cool in pan on cake rack.  Makes 16  2 1/4" squares.

Soft Sugar Cookies for Decorating

Decorating cookies is so much more fun when the family gets involved.  The hubby and I had some fun on Halloween making and decorating my favorite sugar cookies.  The baked cookie part isn't very sweet at all, so that's what makes the decorating part so sweet....pardon the pun. :)

These cookies have a very tender, almost cake-like texture, similar to those yummy Lofthouse cookies found at the store.  My husband and I agree these are better because a) They're made with love at home and b) They aren't so sickening sweet....unless you care to heavily apply the frosting and/or Candy Melt coating.  Indulge!

I smeared vanilla cake frosting and orange Wilton Candy Melts on the cookies and topped with festive sprinkes.

The hubby got after the artistic decorating.

Ready for transport (the cupcake carrier worked great)!

 

Click to ENLARGE.

To print, left click> file> print. To save file to your computer, right click on image, then "save image as".

A couple notes:

1)  In the recipe withhold 1/4 cup of flour and add it at the end of mixing if needed.  You don't want the dough to be too wet, yet you don't want it to be too dry either.  Cooling the dough helps it to solidify, so don't stress out too much.

2)  Since the sugar content is relatively low compared to some other cookies, these won't brown unless you really over cook them...and by then they'll be very dry.  When they're done they should have some spring to them when gently touched in the oven.

Update: I am addicted to these cookies!  They are the absolute best and would rival any gourmet bake-shop cookie.  Try making them with the whole family for the next holiday event or just because.  I guarantee you won't be disappointed!

P.S. The cookies topped with vanilla icing are my favorite :)

Update: Recently I made these cookies for a friend's baby shower. I glazed these cookies with this glaze recipe and added a drop or two of almond and vanilla extract.  For the piping I used a typical royal icing.  Everyone at the baby shower loved these cookies. I also packaged them up in little baggies for party favors.  What was really nice is that unlike using buttercream icing or the stuff from a tub, the glaze and piping harden so they aren't so messy during storage and transport.  Click on this link for my favorite vanilla buttercream frosting, it's so much better than the store stuff.  I've done it with and without the lemon juice. Both are great. For the cookies, I left out the lemon juice.  It also works great on cupcakes :)

B A N A N A S

Am I the only one who has black bananas attacking me when I open the freezer door? Well, considering I already have my maximum allowance of frozen bananas (3 - just enough to make banana bread) I had to figure something else out for the tired ones on my kitchen counter.  These dreaded bananas were destined for something much sweeter than banana bread: Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. Wow, that's a mouthful to say!

Several years ago, a colleague of mine at Barbara's Bakery, Rebecca, gave me a "calorie-bomb" of a recipe for Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Those are actually her words to describe the recipe.  As I do many recipes, I altered this one to make it less damaging and it turned out great. Even my picky eater 15 month old loved them. This is the kid who won't even eat ice cream or cake! What kid doesn't eat cake or ice cream?!

The cookies didn't spread at all during baking, which meant nice thick cookies. However, rather than a typical gooey cookie texture, the inside was more like a moist muffin. Fine by me!  I'll just call these my muffin-top cookies.....and if I don't eat too many I won't get a muffin-top either!

By the next morning these muffin top cookies made a great snack to go with my coffee. Yum, yum!

Note: If you are expecting super sweet & sinful cookies, these aren't the cookies for you.


Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (Meghalicious modified)

1/2 cup Crisco shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup ripe bananas, mashed (blacker the better)
1/4 cup applesauce
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 3/4 cups quick oats
3/4 cup wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
9 oz (3/4 pkg) semi-sweet chocolate chips


Cream the shortening and sugar in a mixer. Add the egg, mix well. Add the bananas, applesauce, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon; mix well. Add the oats, flour and baking soda. Mix just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.


Drop cookies on an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake @ 375 F for 12-15 minutes or until the peaks on the cookies are golden.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.