Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars - Best In the West!

My grand daughters made a special request to make cookies together, sooooo we looked around the house to see what was available. Hmmm, time to run to the store for supplies! I was making chicken enchiladas anyway so we needed supplies for that as well. Off Mommy and I go to Walmart, which is different in every community I've visited so far. It took us a bit longer than expected to gather what we needed, so when we got home I plopped two cubes of butter in a bowl and tackled the enchiladas. We didn't get to eat until after 6:30 and grandma was running out of steam here, thus a bit of a compromise. Instead of cookies we made bars. I doubled a peanut butter cookie recipe from one of my daughters cookbooks and threw in some chocolate chips,  so we could have enough to keep everyone happy. I warn you that right out of the pan, these are so good you might not be able to stop eating them!

Best In the West Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars
 preheat oven to 350 degrees
1 c. each butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, white sugar 
1 t. each baking soda, salt
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
2 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 10 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl cream butter and sugars, add peanut butter and mix in well. Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Sift dry ingredients together and with vanilla, mix in well. Stir in chocolate chips.  Spread in large cookie sheet and be sure and spread the dough evenly. Bake for 15 minutes or until just turning golden brown. Let cool slightly as they will fall apart a bit when still warm, but hey, they are soooo yummy you probably won't care. Yield 4 dozen.

Almond Fudge Bars on a Tasty Tuesday

Another holiday tradition around our home is to have Almond Fudge Bars, and their counterpart Butterscotch Bars. Originally a recipe created by and using Bisquick Baking Mix,  I adapted the recipe so I could use ingredients we always have on hand. These go fast, so be sure to have plenty baking supplies around.

Almond Fudge Bars
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1 cup real butter
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar
3 cups rolled oats
2 eggs
1 tsp each vanilla and almond extract
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Fudge filling
1 12oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 T butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup toasted almond slices

For the dough, a large bowl cream butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and almond extracts. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt, mix in to creamed mixture. Add oats and stir in well.  In a 15 x 10 inch cookie sheet press 2/3rds of the dough to cover the whole pan. Buttering your fingers helps with this.
Over a double boiler slowly melt chocolate chips in the sweetened condensed milk,  along with 2 T. butter and add salt.  Spread over the dough in cookie sheet. By teaspoonfuls drop the rest of the dough on the chocolate layer. Sprinkle almonds over that and press in to dough. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. After slightly cooled cut into 48 squares. When completely cool store in airtight container. Enjoy!