Secretly, I’m very excited it’s Girl Scout cookie time. I’ll admit I look forward to it every year. Their scarcity tactics work very well on me – I feel compelled to buy a bunch of boxes as it will be a whole year until they’re available again. Plus there’s the nostalgia factor, as I was once one of those eager little girls in brown uniforms positioned in front of the grocery store.
They got me in front of Vons over the weekend.
I had to buy a box of Thin Mints, that was a given. Beyond that, I’m all about the peanut butter. Specifically Do-Si-Dos (the peanut butter sandwich cookies) and Tagalongs (the chocolate coated ones with the peanut butter filling). You’d think this would have satisfied my hankering for peanut butter cookies for a while, but no. It actually bolstered it. Yes, despite having all of those other cookies in the house, I made the Utterly Peanut-Buttery Bars recipe from the back of the C&H brown sugar box.
With peanut butter in both the crust and the filling – along with a pretty impressive amount of sugar – these bars are for serious peanut butter lovers. As you might imagine they’re incredibly rich and decadent with a nice crumbly texture. And sweet. The recipe didn’t specify whether to use salted or unsalted butter, so I defaulted to unsalted as I typically do in baking. However I think I might try them with salted butter next time to complement the sweetness. I suspect it’s the sweet-salty combo that makes those Girl Scout cookies so addictive!
Peanut Butter Bars
From the Utterly Peanut-Buttery Bars recipe on the back of the C&H Pure Cane Golden Brown Sugar package
Makes 2 dozen bars
INGREDIENTS:
Crust:
1/2 cup soft butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Filling:
2 eggs
2 tablespoons peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Crust: In medium bowl mix butter, peanut butter and sugar until well blended. Stir in vanilla. Add flour and mix well (mixture will be crumbly). Reserve about 1 cup of this mixture for top. Firmly press remaining mixture into bottom of lightly greased 9×13-inch baking pan.
Filling: Beat eggs, peanut butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together. Spread over unbaked crust. Sprinkle with reserved crust mixture. Bake approximately 20 minutes, or until set and top is golden. Cool in pan and cut into bars.
I love that there is PB in the crust and filling. Looking good!
I was a Girl Scout very briefly as a kid and I’m definitely a sucker for their cookies! I got to try a new variety this time, Dulce de Leche, and they were SO good! Thin Mints and Do-Si-Do’s are also a must with me. I’ve never noticed this recipe on the back of the box but it looks like something I’d definitely wanna try!
.-= Cookie´s last blog ..One Last Banana =-.
Just to clarify – the recipe actually comes from a box of brown sugar, not from Girl Scout cookies. I almost tried the Dulce de Leche ones – the girls were encouraging me – but I had to keep myself to just three boxes. At least that day 🙂
Anything with peanut butter screams out to me, these sound so good. Thanks.
.-= Melynda´s last blog ..Monday night brights =-.
It’s hard to say no to the Girl Scouts because, honestly, they have good cookies. They know what they’re doing! Now if you decide to package these bars, you could give them a run for their money.
.-= The Duo Dishes´s last blog ..This One’s For You =-.
These look amazing. I love peanut butter! I just found your blog from a link on Joy the Baker. It’s such a genius concept. I’m looking forward to reading more.
YUM! These look like heaven on a plate! I am a huge peanut butter fan, honestly I think I could eat an entire jar-just give me spoon! 😉
These are beyond delicious; especially if you’re a peanut butter fan as I am.
I wish you would include storing recommendations with recipes.
I would like to know if they can be stored in the freezer?
Hi Beth — I imagine they would freeze well, but I’m afraid I haven’t tried it myself. ~Kathy