Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars - made June 18, 2013 from Crazy for Crust

Back to Cookie Palooza - this was another of the treats that went into last week's goodie bags and could possibly have been the "healthiest" thing in there.  As long as you ignore the sugar, butter and chocolate and turn a blind eye to the sweetened condensed milk (it's dairy, right?).  And persuade yourself oatmeal and peanut butter make it all good.  This was pretty tasty but I think I should've baked it a little longer. I did bake it for the time suggested in the recipe but I should have let it brown a little more on top so the topping and oats had a bit more "crunch" to them. It would have made a better contrast with the creamy sweetness of the filling.  Next time I might also parbake the bottom crust first before layering on the peanut butter layer and topping, again to make the texture more firm on the bottom.

For the crust and topping:
2 1/4 cups quick oats
1 1/4 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, softened

Filling
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
12 ounces or 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x13” baking dish with foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Combine all crust and topping ingredients in a large bowl. Mix with a hand mixer until crumbly (you may need to use your hands to finish this step). Reserve 2 cups of the mixture and press the rest into the bottom of the prepared pan.
3. Mix sweetened condensed milk, peanut butter, and vanilla in a small bowl with a hand mixer. Pour and spread over crust. Top evenly with chocolate chips and nuts if using. Press remaining crust mixture evenly over the top of the chocolate chips.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes until it is brown around the edges. The center will not be set. Let completely cool before cutting into bars.