Oatmeal Peanut Butter Squares

Everyone needs at least one go-to peanut butter recipe under their belt. You just have to. They're perfect for when you've got a sweet tooth you can't kick and you want something easy to throw together.

The best part about peanut butter cookie type desserts is that they are usually naturally gluten free, so you don't even have to worry about trying to figure out how and what to substitute in place of flour. If you do need to be careful about gluten cross contamination, make sure you use certified gluten free oats for this or any recipe because often times oats are produced in factories that deal with flours and other grains.

I'd call this a guilty pleasure, but I'm a big believer in food for the soul, and you just can't feel guilty about eating anything quite so tastey.

Normally I just go for the standard cookie method, but I decided to play around a bit to make an already simple recipe even easier. All you need is one mixing bowl, one baking tin, a handful of ingredients, and about 30 minutes start to finish.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250 grams) peanut butter, crunchy or smooth (natural, oily peanut butter isn't ideal)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup (100grams) packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup (90 grams) certified gluten free oats
• 1/4 cup (45 grams) chocolate chips optional

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350F/178C and line/grease an 8x8 inch square baking tin.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the peanut butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. If you want to use an electric mixer for this, handheld or standing, mix at a medium speed. You can definitely do this by hand though like I did, it just takes a little extra work with the peanut butter and the eggs. I like a good workout mixed in with my baking though.
3. Stir in your baking soda and oats until combined.
4. Once everything is mixed together completely, press your dough lightly into the baking dish making sure it's evenly distributed. Bake it in the oven for 15-17 minutes depending on your oven. To check that it's finished, stick a tooth pick or knife into the center and when it comes out clean you're done.
5. You can either stop here and enjoy your freshly baked bars, or keep going to add a little chocolate. While you're letting your bars cool on a wire rack, begin to melt your chocolate in a small sauce pan, stirring constantly. You can either do this part in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between intervals until it's completely smooth.
6. Once your chocolate is melted, drizzle it over the tops of your bar. Just go crazy with it. Slice, and enjoy. 

This recipe was brought to you by peanut butter & chocolate - the world's favorite partners in crime.