Creamy Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

Today I'm posting the most scrumptious bar cookie recipe from Mrs. Fields.  I first had one of these bars at her store in downtown Toronto many years ago and was thrilled when I bought her cookbook (also many years ago) and the recipe was in there.  They're one of my very favourite bar cookies, but I rarely make them as it's too tempting to eat the whole pan!

They consist of a chocolate chip cookie crust topped with a peanut butter filling that's sandwiched between two layers of melted milk chocolate.  Yes, they are incredibly sweet but so good! 

A few notes about this recipe.  The recipe calls for 8 medium-sized cookies for the crust with 1/4 cup melted butter.  That's far too much butter for the amount of cookies in my opinion.  The crust was much too wet so I ended up using another 4 cookies.  So you may need to either add more cookies or use less butter.  I suggest adding more cookies as I didn't feel 8 cookies were quite enough for the base even if there hadn't been too much butter.  One more suggestion.  Don't substitute the milk chocolate chips with semi-sweet.  At least until you've tried them with the milk chocolate.  The milk chocolate suits these bar cookies, and I don't think they'd be the same with semi-sweet chocolate.

These are rich and satisfying and highly addictive.  The chocolate-peanut butter combination is hard to resist.

Enjoy!

Creamy Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars
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Crust

8 medium-sized butter or chocolate chip cookies (I used Chips Ahoy)
1/4 cup butter, melted

Chocolate Layers

2 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

Peanut Butter Filling

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 cups confectioners'/icing sugar
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325F.

In food processor or blender process cookies until finely ground.  Add butter and mix together completely.  Press crumb mixture into bottom of greased 8 x 8 baking pan and bake 10 minutes.  Cool to room temperature.

Melt chocolate in double boiler over slightly simmering water.  Or microwave the chocolate, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted.  Pour half of the melted chocolate into pan and smooth evenly over crust.  Place pan in refrigerator.  Keep remaining chocolate warm.

To prepare the peanut butter filling, blend peanut butter and butter together until smooth, using a food processor or electric mixer.  Slowly beat in icing sugar and then add vanilla.  Beat until smooth.  Spread peanut butter filling over the chilled chocolate layer.  Finish by pouring remaining warm chocolate over filling and spreading smooth.  Chill in refrigerator one hour or until firm.  Cut into bars and serve.

Yield:  24-36 bars

Source:  Mrs. Fields Cookie Book