Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Fudge Bars

A health food these rich & fudgy bars are not, but they sure are delicious! Layers of graham cracker crust, chocolate fudge, salty peanut butter chips, and chocolate chip cookie dough bake together into a sum far better than its parts. Make a batch of these for your next get together, birthday, or bake sale and be prepared to share the recipe! For a variation on this base recipe, swap in an equal amount of your favorite candy bar chopped up, for the peanut butter chips.

Makes roughly 24 bars

Total Time: 40 minutes (15 minutes active)

Ingredients:

·      ½ cup salted butter, melted, plus 1 additional tablespoon reserved

·      2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about ½ a regular size box), divided

·      1 ½ cups peanut butter chips or chopped peanut butter cups, divided

·      1 -12-ounce bag semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

·      1 – 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

·      1 tablespoon vanilla extract

·      1 refrigerated roll or batch prepared cookie dough, at room temperature

·      Flaky sea salt (like Maldon), to garnish (optional)

Directions:

1      Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13 x 9-inch pan with parchment paper.

2      In a medium size bowl, stir together 1 ½ cups of the prepared graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and ½ the peanut butter chips. Press evenly into the bottom of your prepared pan. Let chill in the fridge while you proceed with the recipe.

3      In a small saucepan, melt together the chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and the reserved 1 tablespoon butter. Stir until smooth and completely melted. Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla extract.

4      Pour the chocolate fudge mixture evenly over the prepared crust, smoothing the top. Return to the fridge while you proceed with the recipe.

5      In a separate bowl, use your hands to combine the prepared cookie dough and the remaining ½ cup graham cracker crumbs. Crumble this mixture evenly over the chocolate fudge layer.

6      Sprinkle over the remaining peanut butter chips, then sprinkle over the flaky sea salt, to taste. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until light golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving. Alternatively, refrigerate for a firmer texture.