Cookie Dough Brownies

If you're a raw cookie dough lover like me, you have to make these brownies. I'm serious. As in, tonight, make these brownies. You won't regret it.

Imagine taking a great chocolatey brownie with chocolate chips and topping it with raw chocolate chip cookie dough. Yeah. they're simply amazing.

And don't worry - the cookie dough topping has no raw eggs in it, so it's completely safe to eat! It's basically like a cookie dough frosting that I could literally eat with a spoon. And I just may have.

For the brownies, I used my signature brownie recipe. The recipe has yet to fail me.

For the frosting, I used the recipe found on Lovin' From the Oven, which is as follows:

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
4 1/2 tbsp milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

1. Combine the butter, sugars, milk and flour until well combined. Stir in the mini chocolate chips.
2. Spread the cookie dough on the cooled brownies.

3. Chill the brownies until the cookie dough is firm. Cut into bars and serve.

Nick's Peanut Butter Dream Bars

We had a going away party for my coworker Jeff today. He brought ice cream in for all of us, so I (of course) had to bake something. He is as big a peanut butter fan as I am, so I knew this recipe was perfect. The original calls for M&Ms, but I naturally had to use Reese's Pieces to pack in a little more peanut butter.

Nick's Peanut Butter Dream Bars

(Source: Land O Lakes)

2 cups uncooked quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup Butter, melted
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup crunchy or creamy peanut butter
1 cup candy-coated chocolate pieces (I used Reece's Pieces)

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt in large bowl; stir until well mixed. Stir in melted butter until moistened.

2. Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture; press remaining mixture into greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake 12 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, combine sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter in small bowl; stir until well mixed. Carefully spread over hot, partially baked crust within 1/4 inch from edge.

4. Combine reserved crumb mixture and candy-coated pieces in small bowl; sprinkle over sweetened condensed milk mixture, pressing down lightly. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.

Oatmeal Brownie Bars

My coworker Alison is not big into cake, so I had to come up with something else to make for her birthday. I settled on this recipe because she like oatmeal, and oatmeal + brownie = delicious. I served these with scoops of vanilla bean ice cream, and the only thing that could have made these bars better would have been if they we were eating them right out of the oven. The crunchy oatmeal paired perfectly with the brownie layer for a fantastic (and easy!) birthday treat.

Oatmeal Brownie Bars
Source: Land O'Lakes

Oatmeal Layer:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup cold Butter, cut into chunks

Brownie Layer:
1/3 cup Butter
3 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 Eggs
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Combine all oatmeal layer ingredients in large bowl except butter. Cut in 2/3 cup butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 1/4 cups crumb mixture for topping. Press remaining crumbs into greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine 1/3 cup butter and chocolate in large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH (100% power), stirring twice, until chocolate is melted (30 to 60 seconds). Cool slightly.
3. Combine sugar, eggs, water and vanilla in large bowl; beat at medium speed until well mixed. Add melted chocolate mixture; continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; add 1 cup flour and baking powder. Beat until well mixed.

4. Drop chocolate mixture by tablespoonfuls over warm, partially baked crust. Carefully spread brownie layer evenly over crust; top with reserved crumb mixture.

5. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are set. (DO NOT OVERBAKE.) Cool completely; cut into bars.

Pretzel M&M Cookie Bars

I've experimented with M&Ms before. So I obviously had to make something with the newest M&M:

The M&Ms themselves were quite good. They'd be even better with peanut butter, but everything is better to me with peanut butter. :)

I came across BEB's Chocolate Chip & Pretzel Cookie Bars and new the M&Ms would pair well with the bars since they already included pretzels. I didn't do much to adapt the recipe, other than to cut down on the chocolate chips to make way for the M&Ms. And they were fabulous. And, since I didn't snap any pictures, you'll just have to take my word for it. ;)

Pretzel M&M Cookie Bars
(Source: Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup Pretzel M&Ms
1/2 cup pretzels, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chocolate chips, for drizzling (optional)
1/4 cup pretzels, crumbled, for topping (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray.

2. In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt. Using a mixer, beat the butter and both sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs and the vanilla extract. On low speed, beat in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips and pretzel pieces.

3. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and press it down evenly with a spatula. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool completely.

4. In separate sandwich size baggies, melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter. Cut off a small corner on each bag and drizzle the chocolate and peanut butter over the top of the bars. Sprinkle the extra crushed pretzels on top. Let set and then cut into squares.

Makes 32 squares

Chewy Granola Bars

Hi, it's me.

With our overabundance of Girl Scout Cookies and Easter candy, I haven't been in my kitchen much lately. We're still recovering from our sugar high so, while I was eager to get back in the kitchen, I wasn't ready for another sweet treat. The solution?

Chewy Granola Bars.

These granola bars are boasted to taste exactly like the Quaker Chewy Granola Bars, and I'll admit they were pretty close. The outside of mine turned out sticky-crunchy (I think that maybe had something to do with the honey?) with a chewy center. They were good, but not as chewy as I would have hoped. At any rate, I will definitely be trying these out again.

Note about Granola: The original recipe recommends this granola, which I had a really hard time finding. I’ve never bought granola before, but I eventually found it in the Organic Foods section at Rainbow.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Chewy Granola Bars
(Source: Adapted from Rachel Ray)

4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 cups plain granola
1 cup rice cereal
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter chips

1. Combine honey and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in brown sugar after butter starts to melt.

2. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

3. Add the granola and rice cereal into the saucepan and fold them into the sauce until evenly coated.

4. Spread the mixture into a 9×13 inch ungreased baking pan and press firmly with a spatula to evenly fill. Sprinkle the chocolate and peanut butter chips onto the top of the granola and gently press them down.

5. Put the pan in the refrigerator until cooled and firm, about 15 minutes, then cut into bars.

18 servings

On the Eleventh Day of Cookies...

I was originally going to make Martha Stewart's Chocolate Gingerbread Bars, but I realized at the last minute that I forgot to buy sour cream and had to quickly come up with something else along the same line. After doing a quick search online, I found this recipe and it was a done deal. These bars are moist with the perfect amount of spiciness.

Gingerbread Bars
(Source: Culinary in the Desert Country)

2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup molasses

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a medium bowl, add flour - scoop out 2 tablespoons of the flour and place into a small bowl to reserve for layer.

3. Into the flour, whisk in ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda and salt.

4. In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter, brown sugar and 6 tablespoons granulated sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each. Mix in vanilla and molasses. Add dry ingredients and mix just until combined.

5. Scoop batter into a 10 x 15 baking pan coated with cooking spray, spreading the top smooth with an off-set spatula. Sift reserved 2 tablespoons flour evenly over batter, then sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.

6. Place into the oven and bake until the bars are golden brown and a toothpick placed into the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs attached, about 20 to 24 minutes. Remove and place pan on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting.

Makes about 24 to 32 bars.

The Mother Load Layered Cookie Bars

I must admit I was slightly disappointed in the bars at first. I had some girlfriends over last night, so I whipped these bars up in the afternoon. When I cut into them before they arrived, the bars were a mushy mess! They tasted wonderful, but the layers all sort of mushed together into a cookie mess. (Thankfully we also had Chocolate chip cookies and chocolate chocolate chip cookies due to the recipe making extra dough.)

HOWEVER, when I took a look at the remaining bars today (I only plated a handful of bars for my friends since they were so messy), they were perfect. PERFECT! I guess I cut them too soon and they just needed more time to set. These cookie bars really were incredible and very rich. I would recommend cutting them into smaller bars than Jenny originally suggests.

The Mother Load Layered Cookie Bars
(Source: Picky Palate)

Layer 1: Sugar Cookie

1 Roll of Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough

1. Press sugar cookie dough into bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish that’s been lined foil and sprayed with cooking spray.

Layer 2: Double Chocolate Chip Cookie

(the recipe below makes double what you’ll need for the bars, use extra for cookies)

1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cup cocoa powder (I only used 1 cup)
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Slowly add eggs and vanilla until well combined.

2. In another bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to wet ingredients then stir in chips. Layer 1/2 the recipe over sugar cookie layer, pressing gently.

Layer 3: Peanut Butter Cookie

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg

1. Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix until combined. Press over chocolate cookie dough.

Layer 4: Chocolate Chip Cookie

(the recipe below makes double what you’ll need for the bars, use extra for cookies)

2 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp pure vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 bag chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a stand or electric mixer cream the butter and sugars until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined.

3. Place flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl; mix to combine. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips.

4. Spoon 1/2 of the dough evenly over peanut butter cookie dough but don’t press, just leave uneven. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until center of dough is cooked mostly through. Edges will be brown. I covered pan with foil during the last 15 minutes of baking.

2. Let cookies cool completely. Lift out of pan with edges of foil. I cut off 1/2 inch edges and just used softer centers, but do as you wish. Edges are crispier. Drizzle top with 1/2 Cup melted chocolate chips if desired.

*Note: You can layer dough and refrigerate until ready to bake.

8 large bars (if you cut off edges), 12 bars (if you keep edges)

Sugar Cookie Bars

I love making sugar cookies, but it takes a lot of time an energy to decorate those oh-so-cute shapes and sometimes you just want something simple. These bars have been making the rounds in the blogging world for a very good reason. These sugar cookie bars (as seen on 3 B's, One Ordinary Day, The Repressed Pastry Chef, and My Baking Addiction) are deliciously addicting and so simple you'll kick yourself for not trying them sooner.

There is one important thing to note before making these bars. They make an entire cookie sheet worth of bars. I guess the 5 cups of flour should have been a dead giveaway, but I didn't really pay attention to what I was doing until after the dough had been made. Thankfully my work buddies were more than happy to consume them. :)

So, word to the wise: half the recipe or make these when you have guests.

Sugar Cookie Bars
(Source: One Ordinary Day)

1 cup butter, room temp.
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp soda

1. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.

2. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg. Add vanilla & mix well.

3. In a separate bowl combine flour, salt & soda & stir with a whisk to combine. Add to wet mixture and mix just until combined.

4. Spread on a greased baking sheet (use a 13 x 18 pan). Bake at 375°F for 10-15 min, until light golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely and frost.

Buttercream Icing
(Source: One Ordinary Day)

1/2 cup butter, room temp
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar
5 Tbsp milk
food coloring (if desired)

1. Combine butter and shortening until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and salt.

2. Add powdered sugar in 1-2 cup increments until combined, then add milk & mix until smooth and spreading consistency.

3. Spread over cooled cookie, then cut into bars.

Makes a ridiculously obscene amount of (delicious) bars.

O'Henry Bars

These bars are my coworker Jeff's favorite bars in the world (he starts drooling just thinking about them) and I decided to make these for our department picnic, which ended up being in our building's warehouse because of severe weather (some of the highlights of the picnic included "seeking shelter" in the secret hallway and breaking a fluorescent light bulb playing kickball). The recipe I used warned against over baking the bars, but I would also add that you need to be equally as careful not to under bake them or they will be very gooey. I also took people's suggestions and added 3 tsp vanilla to the oat mixture. The bars are easy, delicious, and very addicting!

O'Henry Bars
(Adapted from Allrecipes)

4 cups rolled oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter
3 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup white corn syrup
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup peanut butter

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180 degrees C).

2. Mix the oats, brown sugar, butter or margarine, and white corn syrup. Pat into a 10 x 15 inch pan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Melt chocolate chips and peanut butter. Spread over baked crust while hot. Cut into bars right away.

Makes 36 bars.

Snickerdoodle Blondies

Tonight was National Night Out, so I whipped up these awesome bars last night after work. I had completely forgotten I needed to make something for the get together until late Monday morning, so I had to quick scrounge for a recipe that would appeal to people of all ages. I chose these Snickerdoodle Blondies because a) they looked delicious, b) they were super easy (and quick!), and c) I had all of the necessary ingredients on hand (very important since I did not have time to run to the grocery store).

These blondies have made their rounds on the blogosphere and for a very good reason. They are divine, amazing, fantastic, mouth watering.... well, you get the point! If you enjoy snickerdoodles, then you will love these bars. They are soft and chewy on the inside with a crunchy cinnamon-sugar topping. I think I might have under baked them a tad too much because these were a little too chewy for my taste (which is saying a lot since I normally like my cookies and bars very soft and chewy).

I’m going to make these again soon, especially because there are no special ingredients involved, just the basics and some cinnamon and sugar.

Snickerdoodle Blondies
(Source: One Ordinary Day & My Baking Addiction)

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
a pinch nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease or line a 9×13″ baking pan.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; set aside.

3. In large bowl, beat together butter and brown sugar for 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Beat until smooth.

4. Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Spread evenly into prepared pan with greased spatula or hands. Combine topping: granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Evenly sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over top of batter.

5. Bake 25 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed. Cool.

Makes 24 bars.

Mrs. Fields Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

You can never go wrong combining peanut butter and chocolate. These bars are much like the peanut butter balls you see at Christmastime, only they have a crunchy cookie layer which, in my opinion, almost makes these bars better. These bars are incredibly rich and oh-so-delicious and you won't want to stop at just one.

Mrs. Fields Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars
(Source: Mrs. Fields Best Cookie Book Ever!)

Cookie Base:
8 med Butter Cookies (I used 12 Market Pantry Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies)
1/4 cup salted butter (I used unsalted butter with a pinch of salt)

Chocolate Layers:
2 1/2 cups Milk Chocolate Chips

Peanut Butter Filling:
1 1/2 cups creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
3 cups Confectioners' sugar
2 tsp vanilla

1. Crush cookies until finely ground. Add butter and mix. Press crumb mixture into bottom of 8x8 pan and bake 10 minutes and 325°F. Cool to room temperature.

2. Melt chocolate. Pour half into pan and smooth evenly over cookie crust. Place pan in refrigerator. Keep remaining chocolate warm.

3. With electric mixer, blend peanut butter and butter together until smooth. Slowly beat in confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Spread mixture over chilled chocolate layer.

4. Pour remaining warm chocolate over top and spread smoothly. Chill in refrigerator 1 hour.

Makes 24-36 bars.

Scotcheroos

Simply one of the best (and one of the easiest) recipes ever. Definitely an all-time favorite at my house.

Scotcheroos
(Source: Kellogg's)

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies Cereal
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

1. Place sugar and corn syrup into 3-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugar is dissolved and mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and mix well. Add cereal and mix until well coated. Press mixture into a 13x9 pan coated with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Spread evenly over cereal mixture. Let stand until firm.

Makes 24 bars.

Irish Chocolate Mint Dessert

Yet another recipe in honors of St. Patrick's Day.

Irish Chocolate Mint Dessert
(Source: Hershey's)

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) plus 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2-2/3 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon mint extract
4 drops green food color
1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. Place 1 cup (2 sticks) butter in large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 2 minutes or until melted. Stir in granulated sugar and vanilla. Add eggs; beat well. Add cocoa, flour and baking powder; beat until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack.

4. Prepare Mint Cream Center by combining powdered sugar, 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, water, mint extract and food color. Beat until smooth. Divide and spread evenly on brownies. Cover; refrigerate until cold.

5. Prepare Chocolate Glaze by placing remaining 6 tablespoons butter and chocolate chips in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 1 minute or until mixture is smooth when stirred. Cool slightly; pour over chilled dessert. Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Cover; refrigerate leftover dessert.

24 servings.

Samoas Bars

Tagalongs and Do-Si-Dos (known as as Peanut Butter Patties and Peanut Butter Sandwiches when I was a girl scout) were always my favorite girl scout cookies. It wasn't until this time last year that I tasted my first Samoa (Carmel De-Lites) and discovered how amazing they were.

These bars, made in three stages, have a buttery shortbread base topped with caramel-coconut topping and chocolate. Step 1: the shortbread is baked and cooled. Step 2: the coconut topping is applied with a spatula in an even layer. Step 3: Once the topping has set, dip these in chocolate and drizzle some on top.

Samoas Bars
(Source: Baking Bites)

Cookie Base:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepapred pan and press into an even layer.

3. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Topping:
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)

1. Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

2. Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula. Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled. When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping).

3. Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish. Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 24 bar cookies.

S'mores Sandwich Bar Cookies

These bars are as good as they look, probably better. The gooey marshmallow layered with melting milk chocolate on a crunchy graham cracker cookie-esque crust makes for a mouthwatering combination of textures full of rich flavor. These bars are easy to make and arguably even more tasty.

S'mores Sandwich Bar Cookies
(Source: Hershey's)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars (1.55 oz. each), unwrapped
3 cups miniature marshmallows

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 8-inch square baking pan.

2. Beat butter and sugar until well blended in large bowl. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Press half of dough in prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes.

3. Arrange unwrapped chocolate bars over baked layer, breaking as needed to fit. Sprinkle with marshmallows; scatter bits of remaining dough over marshmallows, forming top layer. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or just until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Makes 16 bars.

Peanut Butter Cup Blondies

And the peanut butter-chocolate experiment continues...

This week in the form of a bar. A blondie, to be more precise. I put my own twist on a recipe I found over at Smitten Kitchen by not only mixing chopped up Reece's Peanut Butter Cups in the batter, but also pressing whole Peanut Butter Cups into the tops of the bars when they were fresh out of the oven.

Peanut Butter Cup Blondies
(Source: Smitten Kitchen)

8 Tbsp butter, melted
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 Cup Flour
1 cup Reece's Peanut Butter Cup Miniatures, chopped
16 Reece's Peanut Butter Cups

1. Grease and 8x8 pan.

2. Beat melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in egg, and then vanilla.

3. Mix in salt, baking powder, and flour. Gently stir in 1 cup chopped Reece's peanut butter cups.

4. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, or until middle is set.

5. Remove from the oven and press whole peanut butter cups into the top of the bars.

6. Cool on rack before cutting them.

Make 16 bars.