This weekend I whipped up a batch of Whole-Wheat Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chip Bars. I have a new obsession with King Arthur Flour (I'm trying to get up the nerves to share more about the obsession... it has something to do with my recent vacation to Vermont)... and when I saw this recipe on their website, I couldn't wait to try it. Of course, I couldn't leave well enough alone and I put my spin on the bars... want to see how I did it? I started out with these ingredients (please note the whole-wheat flour and dark brown sugar- I wanted these bars to be darker than normal bars):
I added the brown sugar...
And melted butter to my mixing bowl.
(And then I said a little thanks to my mom for purchasing me that awesome new paddle attachment for my mixer with the built-in spatula... talk about one helpful tool!)
When the sugar and butter was combined, I added the salt...
Vanilla...
Eggs...
Baking powder...
And flour (King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour).
Once the batter was sufficiently combined, it was time for the chips. There were all sorts of choices at the grocery store, so I went with semi-sweet chocolate...
And peanut butter. (Pretty much anything could be added to these bars, but I went with the tried and true chocolate and peanut butter- talk about a winning combination!)
When the chips were measured, I added them to the batter...
And dumped the mixture into a greased 9x13 pan.
After a bit of smoothing with my trusty spatula...
I slipped the pan into my oven and waited.
And in just about 30 minutes, I had huge pan of tasty bars, tempting my taste buds as they cooled.
(Per a helpful tip from the King Arthur website: These bars are very moist just after you've removed them from the oven. You might think they're under-baked; that would be true, if you were going to eat them right away. But letting them cool completely leaves them with wonderfully chewy, moist texture.)
When the bars had finally cooled, I could hardly wait to cut into them. Boy oh boy were they tasty!
The combination of chocolate and peanut butter, paired with the carmel-y dark brown sugar made for one decedent treat!
If you'd like to whip up a pan of these bars, here's the recipe:
Whole-Wheat Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chip Bars
Ingredients:11 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups + 2 tablespoons (just less than 1 lb.) firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
2 3/4 cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
3 cups chips (I used 1 1/2 chocolate and 1 1/2 peanut butter)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan. Melt the butter, and stir in the brown sugar. Add the salt, vanilla, and flavor, stirring until well combined. Allow the mixture to cool slightly (if it's very hot to the touch), then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl midway through this process. Add the baking powder and flour, stirring to combine. Stir in the chips or other additions of your choice. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it to the edges with a spatula to smooth the top as best you can. Bake the bars for 30 to 32 minutes, until they've risen, and their top is shiny and golden. Remove the bars from the oven, and use a heatproof spatula to press down the risen edges; this will make bars with flat, rather than humped tops. Let the bars cool completely before cutting. Once bars are cool, wrap airtight.
While I may have tasted a bar (or two), the rest were packaged up and shared with friends... and they were definitely a HIT! This turned out to be an extremely simple recipe with a tasty result, so I highly recommend making these if you have the chance- you won't regret it!
Thank you for stopping by- I hope you have a great day!
Update: thanks for catching that error Sweetie! :)
