Peanut Butter Bars

My husband requested a treat tonight.  I had big plans to make peanut butter banana cookies with the browning bananas we had on the counter, but when I went to make the cookies the banana was gone!  If your house is anything like mine, bananas are hard to keep around!  I stared at my commod shelf and had a flash of inspiration:  Peanut Butter Bars!

This recipe comes from a childhood treat that is dear to my heart.  Every Friday at my Elementary school the cafeteria would serve french dip sandwiches with au jus with a homemade peanut butter bar for dessert.  I always had home lunch so I could only watch with envy as the other kids made an event out of dipping and eating their sandwiches then devouring their peanut butter bars, carefully licking the left over chocolate from every finger.  I was jealous in every sense of the word.  One Friday I must have been looking exceptionally envious because my best friend offered me a bite of her peanut butter bar.  It was the taste that launched a thousand senses. The bottom of the bar was thin and chewy, made from oats, peanut butter, butter and brown sugar.  It was then frosted with a layer of peanut butter and topped with a slick of scrumptious chocolate.  It was so good, I'm still thinking about it decades later!
I have taken that recipe and improved it by cutting out the butter, using prunes and honey as the sweetener, and removing the flour.  And you'll still get to lick the chocolate from your fingers!

Peanut Butter Bars

1/2 cup dried plums

1 cup water

1 cup peanut butter

2 eggs

1/2 cup applesauce

2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup honey

3 cups oats

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

chocolate chips 

-Combine prunes and water in pan and simmer for 20 minutes until prunes are plump. 

-Place prunes and water in blender and blend until smooth and the consistency of applesauce.  Add more water if mixture is too thick. Allow prunes to cool before adding to batter as not to cook the eggs.

-Mix peanut butter, eggs, applesauce, vanilla and honey with beaters until smooth.  Add blended prunes and mix well.


-Add oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt and blend until dough forms.

 -Press dough into bottom of a greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes until dough is cooked through.

 
-Remove crust from oven and spread about 1/4 cup peanut butter over top of hot crust.  Sprinkle chocolate chips over peanut butter layer and return to oven for a few minutes until chocolate melts.

-Remove from oven and spread melted chocolate chips evenly over entire pan. 

-Allow to cool then cut into bars and enjoy!

I had dough left over so I added chocolate chips and made about 2 dozen of these delicious cookies too!