Chocolate Butterscotch Bars

Sometimes all you need for your birthday is a nice monstrous dessert cookbook.  Luckily, Aubree's friends agreed this year, and graced our house with The Ultimate Cookie Book.  Talk about a gift that keeps on giving.  480 pages of recipes like this one- Candy Bar Cookie Bars.  Not only is it super rich with butterscotch and peanut butter, but its also simple and quick.  Most of the cooking time is just melting ingredients for that rich, fudgy top of greatness.

Step 1 is to make the crust.  Start with a sauce pan on medium heat and stir 1 cup packed brown sugar, 2/3 cup butter and 1/4 cup dark or light corn syrup (in order to make the oats stick together). Keep on heat until smooth.

Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup peanut butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Preheat oven to 375F

For the crust put 3 1/2 cups instant oats (like Quaker Oats) into a large bowl.  Pour the brown sugar mixture over the top of the oats and stir gently.

Press the oats into a ungreased 13x9 pan.  Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are a light brown.

Cool on a wire rack.

In the same saucepan heat a 12 once package of semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 cup butterscotch chips (less an 11 oz). Heat over low stirring continuously in order to not burn the chocolate.

Stir until smooth.  Once the chocolate mixture is completely melted, add in 2/3 cup peanut butter and mix until smooth again.

There's the options of pouring chopped peanuts onto the crust before the chocolate. If you live in a "we don't like nuts" household then skip this step (we did).

Slowly pour the chocolate mixture over the peanuts and crust. Spread evenly. Sprinkle remaining peanuts on top.

Let cool in the pan, on a wire rack until firm.  We let it cool, then to make it completely firm stuck it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

To cut either use a plastic knife and saw in order to make smooth edges. Or use a knife and heat in hot water then dry quickly to cut.

Are we the only ones who love chocolate and peanut butter?

Best thing about this is, it's so rich you can only have a small piece at a time... which means it lasts for days!

Recipe (Originally found in The Ultimate Cookie Book)

1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup butter
1/4 cup dark- or light-color corn syrup
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 chopped peanuts

In a saucepan stir/melt brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup until smooth. Remove from heat and add 1/4 peanut butter and vanilla. Stir until smooth.
For crust, place oats in bowl.  Preheat oven to 375F.
Pour brown sugar over oats and stir gently.  Press oats into the bottom of an ungreased 13x9 pan.  Bake for 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
In the same saucepan heat and stir chocolate pieces and butterscotch pieces over low heat. Stir until smooth.
Sprinkle over half of peanuts over crust. Slowly pour chocolate mixture over peanuts. Spread evenly and sprinkle remaining peanuts over top.
Cool completely on wire rack.  Refrigerator after firm for 10 minutes.