I don’t normally do a lot of Christmas baking because we certainly don’t need all those sweets in our house. But, I did get a chance to make some goodies for different occasions this year. The next several days will provide you with a rundown of some of the sweets I made this year.
For our Choir and Orchestra Christmas party:
-Glazed Peanut Butter Bars
These reminded me of home for some reason. They were simple, yet satisfying, and very low-maintenance. That basically describes my upbringing: simple, but totally satisfying because we always had everything we needed, and very low-maintenance since our family is very anti-drama. Why do I enjoy teaching junior highers so much, then? Hmmm. Anyways, enjoy these tasty treats! I was able to get 48 bars out of the pan, and then they even got cut in half again since they were being served to a large group of people.
Ingredients:
Bars--
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp water
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Glaze--
1 1/4 cups milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup cream peanut butter
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, cream butter, peanut butter, both sugars, and water. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture.
2. Spread into a greased 15x10x1 inch baking pan. Bake at 325 for 18-22 minutes or until lightly browned.
3. For glaze, melt chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and peanut butter in a microwave safe glass bowl--melt in 30 second increments, stirring after each 30 seconds until totally melted. Pour over warm bars and spread evenly. Cool on a wire rack before cutting into squares and removing from pan.
