Ali Bakes: Oatmeal Peanut Butter Snack Squares

 Today, I finally baked treats for Erickson Staff.  They've worked hard during these past weeks, and I deserved to bake, too!  Deciding on the recipe happened ages ago, though it was kinda a fail, since my peanut butter choice wasn't a fan favorite by everyone, as I'd originally thought.  Ah well, ya can't win 'em all!

This was really a pretty uneventful baking experience, except for the following:

1)  I decided that I HAD to wear my apron.  Just because.

2)  I emptied a jar of peanut butter, resulting in me getting to make OVERNIGHT PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL!  It will require patience to wait for it to do its thing in the fridge tonight, but I'll gladly eat it post-dinner tomorrow night.

3)  I was SO EXCITED to lay out the yummy bars on my office desk with napkins at the ready, that when I left, I locked my keys in my office.  I didn't realize my mistake until over a half hour later when I decided that I should stop chatting it up with Miz Toni and should go to my apartment.  Luckily, Mo and Kayla saved the day by opening my office where I found my pile of keys sitting atop books and papers.

Really though, that's it.  I should try and make cooking/baking ventures more exciting.  Or I could just put random stuff in the text before the recipe...

Hmm...maybe I'll try that next time...  ;)

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Snack Squares
*adapted from howsweeteats.com
 

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1 tbs vanilla

1/2 cup milk

chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Add peanut butter and brown sugar to a medium bowl and use a mixer to mix until fluffy.  Add in the vanilla and mix until combined.

Next, add the flour, oats, salt, and baking soda.  Mix until the dough is
crumbly with the peanut butter mixture broken up into clumps. Add in the milk and mix until a dough forms.  Make sure the dough is completely combined.  Shape it into a ball.  

Place the dough in the middle of a square baking dish, pressing it to fit.  Press individual chocolate chips into the flattened dough (necessary if you're saving part of the treats for non-chocolate eaters!)  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until set and golden on top.  (The size of your pan will determine how long it needs to bake.)  Let cool completely, then cut into squares.