Chocolate peanut-butter bars

 

Makes about 2 dozen bars

• 1 package (8 ounces) semisweet chocolate squares
• ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup chunky peanut butter
• One-third cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• One-third cup sugar
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• One-third cup unsalted peanuts, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 375F ; grease 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.
2. Cut 2 squares of chocolate into coarse chunks.
3. Beat together butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg and vanilla in large bowl until smooth ; stir together flour, baking soda and salt in medium-size bowl.
4. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture until blended ; stir in chocolate chunks.
5. Spread mixture in prepared pan.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown ; remove from oven.
7. Chop remaining chocolate ; sprinkle chocolate over hot cookies in pan.
8. Cover with aluminium foil and let stand 5 minutes until chocolate is melted ; remove foil.
9. Spread melted chocolate evenly over surface cookies ; sprinkle with peanuts.
10. Cool in pan on wire rack ; cut into bars.

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