The "mud" is the chocolate, of course. With white chocolate, dark chocolate, peanut butter, and cashews, what's not to love? These bar cookies are fast and easy to make. Surprisingly, these are not overly sweet, yet still scrumptious. Do not overbake or the bars will be a bit too crumbly.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 24 to 48 bars
Ingredients:
- 8 Tablespoons (1 stick or 1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup chopped cashews
- .
- Topping:
- 1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup chopped cashews
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 x 12-inch baking pan with non-stick foil.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar together until smooth. Add peanut butter and mix on medium speed until combined. Add eggs and vanilla extract, mixing to combine.
Add flour mixture to wet ingredients, stirring by hand to combine. Fold in white chocolate chips, semisweet chocolate chips, and chopped cashews.
Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake about 20 to 25 minutes, or until center tests done with a toothpick. Do not overbake or bars will be crumbly.
Immediately upon removing bars from oven, sprinkle remaining semisweet chocolate chips on hot bars. Cover loosely with tin foil and set aside about 5 minutes until chocolate is soft. Use a spatula to smooth the chocolate into a frosting. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup chopped cashews. Tap the pan on the counter to sink the nuts into the soft chocolate.
Let cookie bars cool completely until topping has set, about 4 hours (or chill about 30 minutes). Cut into bars before serving.
Yield: 24 to 48 bar cookies, depending on cut size
Peanut Butter Mud Bars Recipe Photo © 2010 Peggy Trowbridge Filippone, licensed to About.com, Inc.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar together until smooth. Add peanut butter and mix on medium speed until combined. Add eggs and vanilla extract, mixing to combine.
Add flour mixture to wet ingredients, stirring by hand to combine. Fold in white chocolate chips, semisweet chocolate chips, and chopped cashews.
Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake about 20 to 25 minutes, or until center tests done with a toothpick. Do not overbake or bars will be crumbly.
Immediately upon removing bars from oven, sprinkle remaining semisweet chocolate chips on hot bars. Cover loosely with tin foil and set aside about 5 minutes until chocolate is soft. Use a spatula to smooth the chocolate into a frosting. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup chopped cashews. Tap the pan on the counter to sink the nuts into the soft chocolate.
Let cookie bars cool completely until topping has set, about 4 hours (or chill about 30 minutes). Cut into bars before serving.
Yield: 24 to 48 bar cookies, depending on cut size
Peanut Butter Mud Bars Recipe Photo © 2010 Peggy Trowbridge Filippone, licensed to About.com, Inc.
