PEANUT BUTTER TOFFEE BARS

Peanut Butter Toffee Bars
Paula Deen
Holiday Baking Magazine October 2010
Cooking-With-Paula-Deen

Windy day in Maine today, what's better then a Peanut Butter lovers dream. They are a little crumbly to eat, but worth the crumbs. Enjoy

2 cups quick-cooking oats
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup of chopped roasted peanuts
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups of butter, softened

Using a large mixing bowl combine the above ingredients. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay a long sheet of aluminum foil into a 9x13 inch baking pan and spray with cooking spray. Press half of the crumb mixture firmly into the pan. Save the remaining for the top of bars. Bake this for 20 minutes.

In a smaller bowl, combine

1 (8 ounce) package of softened cream cheese
3/4 cup of crunchy peanut butter or regular peanut butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg

1 cup of toffee bits (the bits are sprinkled over the peanut butter mixture)

After the 20 minutes of baking time, spread this mixture over the baked base as soon as it comes out of the oven and sprinkle with 1 cup of toffee bits. Then press lightly the remaining crumbs and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.