rich and chewy peanut butter bars.

I really thought that I was shaking off the curse of always messing up recipes whenever I bake in the mornings. I really did. I mean, everything was going so well... until I realized only when the bars were baking in the oven that I added 4 times the stipulated amount of peanut butter! I was dividing the recipe by 4 and forgot to quarter the peanut butter measurements.

Obviously, the bars turned out richer than they were supposed to be, not exactly in a bad way. They were incredibly dense and peanutty (if there's such a word). They had this gritty texture and I'm not sure if it was due to the extra dose of peanut butter. It was strangely appealing though. The downside is that these bars became extremely crumbly and fell apart easily. Also, they left a slick of grease on the plate because of the added fat. Still, these were not bad overall. They would do the job well if you ever needed to satisfy your peanut cravings.

Rich and Chewy Peanut Butter Bars
makes an 8 inch pan's worth

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cake flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
2 cups brown sugar (I reduced to 320g or slightly less than 1 1/2 cups)
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup roasted peanuts
1/2 cup peanut butter chips (I used the equivalent of sultanas)
3 packages (1.6 ounces each) peanut butter cups, chopped into rough chunks

Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare an 8 inch square pan.

Sift the flours, baking powder, salt and ground nutmeg into a bowl.

Stir the melted butter and peanut butter in a bowl until combined. Add the brown sugar and beat to incorporate. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and stir until incorporated. Stir in the flour mixture until no traces of flour remain. Stir in the roasted peanuts, peanut butter chips and peanut butter cups until evenly distributed.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until set. Cool completely before cutting.