Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

Courtesy of Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups plus 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp all purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/8 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup M&Ms

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease an 11x7 inch baking pan with butter or cooking spray.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a medium size mixing bowl and set aaside.
3. Using an electric mixer on medium high speed, cream the butter, peanut butter, both sugars, and the vanilla until light and fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula.
4. Add the eggs one at a time and beat on medium speed until partially blended after each addition, about 10 seconds. After the last addition, beat until blended, about 30 seconds, stopping the mixer twice to scrape the bowl.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix with a spatula until the flour is absorbed. Then mix on low speed until blended, 7 to 10 seconds. Scrape the bowl, especially the bottom.
6. Add the chocolate chips and M&Ms and blend for several seconds. Scrape the bowl. Spread the batter evenly in the pan.
7. Bake the bars on the center oven rack until the edges are deep golden and the center is slightly puffy, 25 to 30 minutes. The center will drop when the bars are taken out of the oven, creating a chewy texture.

Enjoy!