Peanut Butter Caramel Bars

Does caramel go with peanut butter?

That was the question I asked myself, then stopped and slapped myself in the face.

Caramel goes with everything.

So now that we have that out of the way, here’s the scoop: imagine a peanut butter cookie baked into a pan so you can cut it into bars (we’re having fun already, right?). Then imagine pouring caramel sauce over top of said bars, so that the caramel drips seductively over the edges. I know you’re with me here. AND THEN imagine sprinkling chopped up Payday bars over top of the caramel- imagine what your mouth would feel like with all of that in it? Imagine what your life would be like with all of that in it? Dream no longer. Make it happen. Preheat your oven!

(Truth be told- I bought a king size Payday bar [because who has time for a weensie regular-sized bar? KING SIZE ALL THE WAY.] and ate all of it except for the little bit I saved to put on the picture above. I don’t know why I had to tell you that but I feel better for having confessed it. Thank you.)

Adapted from my Classic Peanut Butter Cookie recipe…

COOKIE BASE:

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup shortening

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

CARAMEL SAUCE:

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup half-and-half cream

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

4 Payday bars, chopped (for garnish)
1. COOKIE BASE:
  1. Grease a foil-lined 9 x 13″ baking pan.
  2. In a large bowl, combine peanut butter, shortening, butter, sugars, egg and vanilla.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients and add to wet mixture until incorporated. Spread evenly into prepared pan and chill for at least an hour.
  4. Preheat oven to 375º, and bake for 20 minutes, until golden. Set aside to cool.
2. CARAMEL: In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients except for vanilla and cook over medium heat (whisking regularly) for about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and cook for another minute. Turn off the heat and allow to thicken slightly as it cools.
3. Pour room temperature caramel over cooled PB bars in pan, then sprinkle chopped Payday bars over top. (Alternative: cut bars, then pour caramel & Payday bars over each individual serving… allowing for more caramel spillover.)
Tips:
- Feel like using chunky peanut butter? Do it!
- Prefer softer bars? Bake them for 18 minutes.
- Prefer crunchy bars? That’s right- a few minutes more.
- Not a fan of Payday bars? Skip if you’d like, or use another kind of chocolate bar.
- Store in the fridge but ideally seve closer to room temperature.
- The bars freeze like a champ. Not so much for the caramel sauce though.
- Enjoy!
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November 21st, 2015 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: Brownies & Bars, Caramel, Peanut Butter