Peanut Butter Toffee Bars. Enough Said.

Oh yes, I made these.  These little gems are called Peanut Butter Toffee Bars.  Oh my gosh...they are AMAZING.  They have ALL of my favorite things in them...take a look. (My friends/enemies brown sugar and oatmeal are involved...just not pictured.)

All of my friends got to jump in my basket while I was at the store...because of THIS pretty lil' thing sitting on the store magazine rack.

Now, I haven't fully expressed my love for Paula Deen on my blog thus far...oh but I am now.  This Southern Belle can cook.  I even made it my 30th birthday wish to eat at her restaurant, The Lady and Sons,  in Savannah, GA.  Of course all of my sisters and my mother granted my wish and we spent 4 fabulous days in Ms. Deen's hometown.

The Lady and Sons

Me and Ms.Deen...oh how I wish I could really meet her!

My lunch at The Lady and Sons.  The Chicken Pot Pie.  I almost died it was THAT good.  I dream about it.

The Paula Deen Store...where I spent entirely too much money.

So, now that I have put my love for Ms. Deen out there for the world to see/read...I can move on with my yummy bars. 

As I flipped through her wonderful pages of delightful receipes...these bars jumped out at me!!  I mean...they have EVERY SINGLE ONE of my favorite ingredients in them!  How could they not be delicious?  So...I went for it.  I was NOT disappointed.

The process:



Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil.  Spray with nonstick cooking spray.

  In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, peanuts, and baking soda.  Using a pastry blender or a fork, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.  Press half of oat mixture firmly into bottom of prepared pan.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Look at all of that "peanutiness"...did ya see that??  I just made "peanutiness"a word.  I mean...it should be right?



Next, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, and egg at medium speed with a mixer until combined.  I did this while the crust was baking, which turned out to be a good thing.  It wasn't at all cold, so it really spread nicely on the warm crust.  Spoon mixture over prepared crust, spreading to edges. 



Sprinkle evenly with toffee bits.  Cover evenly with remaining half of oat mixture.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.



Well...aren't the just as pretty as a picture??  I love it when it turns out like the picture!



The Recipe in it's entirety:

Peanut Butter Toffee Bars

2 cups quick-cooking oats

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

½ c chopped roasted peanuts

1 ¼ cups butter, softened

¾ teaspoon baking soda

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

¾ cup crunchy peanut butter

1/3 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 cup toffee bits

1.      Preheat oven to 350°.  Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil.  Spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2.      In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, peanuts, and baking soda.  Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.  Press half of oat mixture firmly into bottom of prepared pan.  Bake for 20 minutes.

3.      In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, and egg at medium speed with a mixer until combined.  Spoon mixture over prepared crust, spreading to edges.  Sprinkle evenly with toffee bits.  Cover evenly with remaining half of oat mixture.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool completely before serving.