Imagine that Carver!
The famous slavery-born scientist who supposedly thought up over 300 uses for peanuts probably helped popularize peanut butter in 19th century America. Still I doubt George Washington Carver could think up something as delicious as King Arthur Flour co.’s Double Butter Bars. I went on a little blog-vacation last week and needed something spectacular for my return. Since peanut butter tends to be my weak spot I wanted something featuring that ingredient.
Normally I manage not to devour what I bake each week but these bars were the exception. The recipe yields 24 and I definitely ate half of them before finally forcing myself to pack them up and take these bite sized bits of heaven to share with coworkers.
Bake these at your own peril. I claim no responsibility for their addictive properties.
Double-Butter Bars
Adapted from King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion
- 1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter
- 1 cup chunky peanut butter
- 1 cup (8 oz) brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large egg yolks (reserve the whites)
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 6.25 oz all-purpose flour (1.5 cups)
- 1 cup butterscotch chips
- 1 cup peanut butter chips
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 and grease/line a 11 x 11 inch pan with parchment paper
In a bowl beat together the: butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, salt, egg yolks, water and vanilla. Gently stir in the baking soda and flour, then fold in the chips. Feel free to substitute with chocolate if you want but these are delicious for their POW of peanut butter in my opinion.
Spread the dough into your pan with a spatula. Beat together the last three ingredients (cream of tartar, egg whites and brown sugar) to form the topping. The mixture should get foamy and glossy and makes a meringue topping. I left this off my batch but will probably try it next time.
Bake the bars for 40 minutes and/or until they are golden brown. Cool completely and then cut.
