Peanut Butter Crunch Bars

The hardest part about making these bars is waiting for the chocolate to set.  I put together a batch yesterday morning while I was still half asleep.  The chocolate didn’t have time to fully set by the time we left for my brother’s house for brunch, but luckily he and my sister-in-law never seem to mind if I need to borrow their knife and cutting board, especially when peanut butter and chocolate are involved. 

The last week or so has been a flurry of kitchen activity for us.  We were putting the finishing touches on our Christmas gift for my parents (a little late, but we were celebrating with them this weekend, so it all worked out).  This year we made them a week of homemade frozen dinners consisting of stews, sauces, fresh pasta, and rice dishes.  It was lots of fun!   Scott and I even managed to independently obtain matching accidental arm burns.  How romantic.

I don’t know if you have accidentally burned yourself in the kitchen lately, but it hurts like crazy!  It reminded me of my first burn from when I was little, which (surprise, surprise) just happens to be Barbie-related.  (Disclaimer:  I lived and breathed Barbie in my early years.  Who could resist the glamour of Peaches n’ Cream Barbie or the fun of the Heart Family in the 1980s?)  After playing with my Barbie and few inches of water in her inflatable pool, I decided that her swimsuit needed to be dried.  Since the laundry room was right next to where I played, I put the swimsuit in the dryer on high and waited.  When my unauthorized dryer cycle was complete, I reached in to pull out the teeny-tiny bathing suit and burnt the inside of my forearm on the drum.  Dryers get hot when you dry only a piece of fabric that fits in the palm of your hand for 30 minutes!  The burn wasn’t very large, but I definitely hid it from my parents and still have the slightest trace of a scar from it.  Thank goodness for Barbie; without her, I never would have learned the dangers of doing laundry! 

Enough reminiscing; hopefully I haven’t lost you to Google images of Peaches n’ Cream Barbie.  You really should make these cookies.  They are quick, easy, and a nephew-approved combination of chocolate and peanut butter.  Chocolate and peanut butter, everyone!  You can’t go wrong!

Notes:
You can use either Lyle’s Golden Syrup or honey to make these.  To easily measure the Lyle’s (or honey) pour a little oil in the measuring cup and spread the oil around the cup with a paper towel.  Then measure out the syrup; it should easily slide out of the measuring cup into your bowl.  Do not use instant oats for these cookies.  Use old fashioned rolled oats instead.  The jelly roll pan I use for these is about 15x10x0.75 inches.  Trimming the edges off before you cut the bars will help you to ensure that every bar looks exactly the same; however, you can just leave the edges on if it suits  you.  You could top these with some finely chopped roasted peanuts if you want them to look fancier.  Also, if you are trying to limit your chocolate consumption, you could leave it out, or cut them into squares and then drizzle some melted chocolate over each square. 

Recipe adapted from Chocolate Crunch Bars.

Crust Ingredients:
¾ cup (1½ sticks; 170 g) unsalted butter
½ cup (120 g) creamy peanut butter
4½ cups (500g) rolled oats
1 cup (221g) light brown sugar
½ teaspoon (4 g) salt
¼ cup (75 g) Lyle's Golden Syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Topping Ingredients:
2¼ cups (342 g) dark chocolate, chopped
finely chopped peanuts, optional

Yields 80-100 ~1”x1½” bars depending on how you cut them.

Mix and Bake:
Preheat the oven to 425°F.  Line a jelly roll pan with foil, leaving a two-inch overhang at each end.  Grease the foil with some butter, and set the pan aside.  In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the butter and peanut butter, and cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, until both ingredients are fully melted.  Set the mixture aside (off the heat) to cool slightly while the other ingredients are measured and mixed.  In a large bowl, stir together the oats, brown sugar, and salt, breaking up any large clumps of brown sugar.  Add the Lyle's Golden Syrup, butter mixture, and vanilla, and stir until all of the oats are coated.  Dump the mixture into the prepared jelly roll pan, and spread it out over the pan using a spatula.  Use the greased bottom of a measuring cup (or loaf pan) to firmly press the oats into the pan so that they are in an even layer and slightly compacted.  Bake for 10-14 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned.  It will bubble quite a bit while it bakes. 

Top:
Once the bubbling has stopped and while the crust is still warm, sprinkle the chopped chocolate over the top so that the heat of the crust can melt the chocolate.  When the chocolate has melted, use an off-set spatula or the back of a spoon to spread the chocolate evenly over the crust.  While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle it with finely chopped peanuts, if desired.  Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator (or freezer if you are in a rush) until the chocolate is set.

Cut:
Once the chocolate is set, remove the pan from the refrigerator, and use the foil overhang to lift the large bar onto a cutting board.  Using a sharp knife, trim the edges off the large bar and then cut it into 1”x1½” rectangles.  Double check the bars to make sure that there is no foil remaining on the bottom.  Store the cookies in an airtight container between layers of wax paper.

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