Ultimate Shortbread Bars have a crisp, delicious shortbread crust topped with chocolate and peanut butter chips, peanuts and caramel sauce.
I’ve got an old issue of Better Homes and Gardens 100 Best Cookies catalog that I keep stashed away in my cabinet along with my collection of cook books. I use it quite a bit as a reference when I want to either make no-brainer cookies or need a starting point for brainstorming new recipes. Since admittedly I only recently crossed over to the cookie side, sometimes I need a little reminder on the basic ingredients that create cookie success.
A couple of weeks ago I was really craving chocolate and thought that I would make some bars instead of cookies so I didn’t have to scoop and wait for batches to bake. I’ll admit at the time, I was expecting soft and gooey, but I wasn’t disappointed with the resulting crisp, delicious shortbread layer that is topped with chocolate and peanut butter chips, peanuts and caramel sauce. It may not have been what I originally set out to bake; but whether you serve these warm or cold, they taste amazing! Next time you’re craving something just a little different than your standard cookie I highly recommend giving these bars a try. Enjoy and happy baking!
Ultimate Shortbread Bars
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 16 bars
Ingredients
- 1 c all purpose flour
- 1/4 c brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 c butter, softened
- 1/2 c peanuts
- 1/2 c chocolate chips
- 1/2 c peanut butter chips
- 4 Tbs butter
- 1/4 c brown sugar, packed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350º and prepare an 8"x8" baking pan with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer beat the flour, brown sugar and butter (first 3 ingredients) until crumbly.
- Press the mixture into the bottom of your pan and bake for 12-13 minutes.
- Remove the crust from the oven and evenly sprinkle on the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and peanuts.
- In a saucepan over medium heat cook the 4 Tbs butter and remaining 1/4 c brown sugar until it begins to boil, stir constantly and cook an additional minute.
- Pour the mixture over the chip layer and bake for 12-13 minutes, until the edges are set.
- Cool in the pan completely, slice and serve.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Ultimate Bar Cookies in 100 Best Cookies by BHG
Courses bar, dessert
These bars look so delicious! I love chewy, nutty, chocolatey, and these look perfect.
Luscious sounding and looking! Pinned! Thank you!
This looks absolutely delicious!
Thanks Nicole!
Those look delicious Emily! You can’t go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter 🙂
Can’t go wrong with these bars, I love everything in them!
They look amazing and so simple ingredients..love them!
I would like to invite you to my weekly linky party Share Your Stuff Tuesdays.
You can find it here: http://bit.ly/18KMofU
Hope to see you there 🙂
Erin at Table for 7
I love shortbread, but I’ve never tried it with all these extra ingredients! Pinning and can’t wait to make 🙂 I’d be thrilled if you’d come on over to Pink Recipe Box and link up at Creative Wednesdays: http://pinkrecipebox.com/creative-wednesdays-with-pink-recipe-box-3/
These look amazing AND I’m pretty sure I have just enough peanut butter chocolate chips that were left over from another recipe…guess that means I need to make these this weekend 😉
They looks yummy and something to throw together quick!
I like making cookie bars. Cookies are fun but the batches get old after about the second one!
These look delicious. It’s always nice when you get a great recipe even though you anticipated a different result. Pinned this. Stopping by Will Cook For Smiles tonight. These just jumped out at me! Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Emily!