So remember how I met my blogger friend Anna from Cookie Madness in Austin? Well, to celebrate the occasion I knew I had to make something from her blog for the occasion. I had been hankering to make some blondes, and of course Cookie Madness has a LOT of choices, not to mention Anna’s book The Daily Cookie.
The words “peanut butter chips” and “shiny top” immediately attracted me to this recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Bars.
For a recipe so simple, I have one word: Whoa. They did not disappoint!
Most of my baking goes on the road to race tracks, so it’s important that what I make holds up to travel and can stay delicious for a couple days. These bars ticked off all the boxes. They were sturdy enough to survive Delta baggage handlers, but moist and fluffy enough to still melt in your mouth three days after they came out of the oven.
You know what else I love about these bars? Melted butter. I always forget to pull butter out of the fridge to soften for baking, so I am partial to recipes that call for melted butter. PLUS, the amount & type of chips used isn’t an exact science. Use what you have on hand and to your own personal taste. I happened to have an open bag of peanut butter chips and dark chocolate chips, but I like the way milk chocolate pairs with peanut butter, so I used some of those too!
Anna baked hers in an 10 x 14 pan, which I do not have, so I used a basic 9×13. As she suggested I adjusted the baking time and these guys were ready at 28 minutes.
I was tempted to leave the walnuts out, because I’m not a big fan of nuts in baked goods, but I did have just enough on hand so I toasted them and threw them in. Loved it. They added just the right amount of crunch to each bite.
These did not last long at the track and to be honest, my friends were lucky they even made it to the track, because I could not stop eating them!
Thanks Anna! These rock!
Please forgive the sad photos taken at the race track.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Bars
by Cookie Madness
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups (11.5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 1/4 cups light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (dark, milk, white, whatever floats your boat)
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup toasted and chopped walnuts
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 10×15 inch jelly roll pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. You may use a 9×13 inch pan, but you’ll probably have to adjust the baking time to 28 – 30 minutes.
Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.
Melt butter in a large bowl, then add brown sugar to hot butter, stirring until smooth (this makes the top shiny). Allow the mixture to cool slightly, so you don’t cooke the eggs. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the flour mixture. Make sure the mixture is cool (you don’t want to melt the chips!) then add the chips and nuts. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake the bars for 24 to 26 minutes, until edges are golden and top is shiny. Remove the bars from the oven and cool to room temperature before cutting.
Adventures of a Hungry Redhead 
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