Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars

Creamy peanut butter sandwiched between layers of oatmeal, and then topped with chocolate. For the peanut butter lover in your family! Recipe from an ancient Better Homes and Garden cookbook.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Yields: 36 bars

Ingredients

• 2  cups rolled oats
• 1 3⁄4 cups  packed brown sugar
• 1  cup all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1  cup butter, slightly softened
• 1⁄2 cup  chopped peanuts
• 2  cups  semisweet chocolate pieces
• 1  egg, beaten
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1⁄3 cup creamy peanut butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
2. For Crumb Mixture:
3. In a large bowl stir together the oats, brown sugar, all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder and baking soda.
4. Using a pastry blender (or two knives), cut in the butter till mixture resembles fine crumbs.
5. Stir peanuts into mixture.
6. For Topping:
7. Stir together 1 3/4 of above crumb mixture and the chocolate pieces and set aside.
8. For Crust:
9. Stir the egg into the remaining crumb mixture.
10. Press mixture into bottom of a jelly roll pan (15 x 10 x 1).
11. Partially bake the crust at 350º F for 15 minutes.
12. While the crust bakes, make the filling.
13. For Filling:
14. Stir together the condensed milk and peanut butter until well combined.
15. Carefully pour the peanut-butter filling over the partially baked crust.
16. Sprinkle topping mixture over top of filling.
17. Bake at 350º F for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.
18. Cool in pan on rack.
19. Cut into bars.