If you need a quick cookie recipe, this is it! And, everyone loves them. These bars have a soft slightly chewy texture that holds up well.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 ¼ cups old fashioned oats divided
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 8 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped & divided NOTE: you can also use chocolate chips or butterscotch chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a 13” x 9” baking pan with parchment paper letting excess extend over the sides of the pan so that you can easily remove the bars from the pan when baked.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars at medium speed until fluffy, 3-4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add peanut butter, beating until combined. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until combined.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients – flour, 2 cups of oats, salt, baking powder and baking soda. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating just until combined. Spread half of batter in prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1 cups of chopped chocolate. Spoon remaining batter over chocolate. Sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup chocolate and remaining ¼ cup oats.
5. Bake until golden brown, 25-30 minutes.
6. Let cool completely on a wire rack, about 2-hours. Using edges of the excess parchment paper as handles, lift the cookies from the pan and cut into bars.
7. Store in an airtight container if there are any left over…..for up to 5-days. Enjoy!