Crunchy Peanut Brickle Bars

Crunchy Peanut Brickle Bars - made July 4, 2011 from Simply Delicious Desserts published by Borden Inc (book #134)

Press the crumb topping firmly into the peanut butter layer

This is another old cookbook I've had for years.  It's another one of those with recipes from a company's test kitchen, in this case, Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk, where the recipes are ones that encourage use of their products as your baking ingredients.  I think I clipped a coupon in the Sunday paper once and sent away for this cookbook.  Eagle is more expensive than Carnation or a generic brand but I do like using their sweetened condensed milk for baking and look for it on sale and use coupons to defray the cost.

Akin to the picnic cake, this is what I would consider a picnic bar cookie - simple to make for a crowd and holds up well in summer weather.  There's no chocolate to melt under a hot sun but you can certainly add chocolate chips or melt some into the sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter mixture if you're so inclined.  Smooth the bottom oatmeal layer evenly and firmly over the bottom - you want a base layer that holds together and doesn't let the next layer seep below it. When you spread the peanut butter mixture over the bottom layer, drop it in dollops all across the oatmeal base rather than pouring in a large puddle in the center.  This will make it easier to spread evenly over the base layer without dislodging any of the oatmeal underneath.  The directions say to bake it in a jelly roll pan but I made it in a 9 x 13 pan and got just the right thickness for a bar cookie.  If you're a peanut butter lover, this is pretty good.  The peanut butter flavor comes across like in a regular peanut butter cookie but it has the added crunch from the toffee and the roasted peanuts.

2 cups quick-cooking oats

1 ½ cups unsifted flour

1 cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, melted

1 (14-ounce) sweetened condensed milk

½ cup peanut butter

1 (6-ounce) package almond brickle chips or milk chocolate-covered English toffee candy bars, cut into small pieces

1.       Preheat oven to 375⁰F.

2.      In large bowl, combine oats, flour, peanuts, sugar, baking soda and salt; stir in butter until crumbly.  Reserving 1 ½ cups crumb mixture, press remainder on bottom of greased 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan.  Bake 12 minutes.

3.       Meanwhile, in small mixer bowl, beat sweetened condensed milk with peanut butter until smooth; spread evenly over prepared crust to within ¼” of the edge.  In medium bowl, combine reserved crumb mixture and brickle chips.  Sprinkle evenly over peanut butter mixture; press down firmly.

4.       Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool.  Cut into bars.  Store loosely covered at room temperature.