best dessert recipes: Holiday Bars

Holiday Bars

This recipe for Holiday Bars is a new twist on a past bar cookie recipe. Back in the fall I made Peanut Butter Polka Dot Bars using Reese's Mini Pieces. Today I revised the recipe for the Christmas season by substituting M & M mini baking bits in red and green.

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Holiday Bars

3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Chocolate filling (recipe follows)
1 (11 ounce) package M & M mini baking bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Beat butter, peanut butter and brown sugar until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla, beat thoroughly. Stir together oats, flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to butter mixture. (Dough will be thick) Remove 2 cups of dough; set aside. Press remaining dough onto bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2- inch baking pan.
Prepare Chocolate Filling. Spread filling evenly over dough. Crumble half of reserved dough evenly over filling. Sprinkle M & M mini baking bits next, then crumble the remainder of the reserved dough over the candy.
Bake for 25 minutes or until top is golden brown. (Chocolate will be soft.) Cool completely in pan on wire rack; cut into bars. Makes about 24 bars.

Chocolate Filling
Melt 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter in saucepan over low heat. Stir in 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder and 1/3 cup sugar. Add 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk; cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and thick. Remove from heat; stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract.