Peanut Butter Butterscotch Bars

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Peanut Butter Butterscotch Bars

Posted by Cassie / 25 comments » / Bars/Blondies/Brownies, Dessert

I told you I love oatmeal and peanut butter together. I also told you I’m on a “Cassie’s favorite flavor combo” kick. Well, here’s proof. Another peanut butter + oatmeal treat. Only with a bonus: butterscotch!

I was in charge of making a dessert for a family reunion this month. If you don’t live in the Midwest, let me tell you about July in Kansas. It’s H.O.T. The reunion was outside and it wasn’t as bad as it could have been but regardless, I knew I needed a simple yet delicious dessert that wouldn’t be too heavy and that would handle the heat of the summer. I must say that I created a winner! I didn’t have to turn the oven on, they came together in a snap and there are only 6 ingredients…all of which I always have on-hand. These are a must-have for your next summer BBQ!

I was inspired by these no-bake bars from The Kitchenarian a few weeks ago. Hers sounded delicious and this is how I put my twist on her chocolate/peanut butter combination:

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Oatmeal Butterscotch Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients:

1 stick butter
2 cups peanut butter (creamy or crunchy, your choice)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1 bag (11.5 ounce) butterscotch baking chips

Directions:

Spray a 9×13 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Melt the butter and peanut butter together in a microwave safe bowl until melted and stir to combine. Mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Add the oats until a dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. You might need more or less than three cups of oats; add until the dough reaches your desired consistency. Press the mixture into the 9×13 pan and spread evenly.

Pour the butterscotch chips in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir well and continue microwaving in 30 second intervals until fully melted. Pour over the top of the peanut butter/oat crust and spread evenly.

Allow the bars to cool and set. Refrigerate to allow the butterscotch to harden, if desired. (I did refrigerate and liked the consistency that it produced.)

Gently slice into squares. They are pretty rich so I would recommend cutting into 24 small squares but you could certainly cut them larger too.

Cassie's Tip:
There are so many ways that you could adapt this to make it your own: use milk chocolate or white chocolate chips in addition to or instead of the butterscotch; use Rice Krispy’s Cereal instead of oatmeal (or any of your favorite cereals); add chocolate chips to the crust mixture; add peanuts to the crust mixture; sprinkle nuts, chocolate chips, or drizzle caramel or chocolate sauce over the caramel mixture…see what I mean? The possibilities are endless!