Things that are Awesome: Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bars

This post contains a few things that are awesome, and a few that are not awesome.

These are awesome

Starting with awesome: watching my cat trying to walk in front of a fan.  It's as though she is encountering an invisible barrier - she literally cannot proceed.  All she is trying to do is walk across the living room so she can drool on my keyboard, but then NOPE BLOWING AIR CAN'T MOVE.  Poor baby...she is so confused.  And then I just watch her and laugh, which probably does not help.

Awesome: Mumford and Sons FINALLY announced a damn release date for their new album - September 24!!! So excited.  In the meantime, there's this:



And this, which is AMAZING but is sadly not on any album...:


Not awesome:  Apparently we have an infestation of carpenter ants.  Also apparently, this infestation originated in the tree on our neighbor's property, which they refuse to remove or do anything about.  All we can do is have an exterminator come two or three times a year and spray to kill the ants that have invaded our home - we can't do anything about the actual nest.  Awesome.

Awesome: PB Cookie dough bars.  Anyone who knows me even remotely knows that I LOVE baking.  Sometimes, I really enjoy taking the time to construct a complicated tart or layer cake...but sometimes I just want to go from "baked goods sound delicious" to cookies in my face in less than 30 minutes.  You know...normal.

Eat meeeeeeeeeeeee

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE DOUGH BARS

•1/3 cup natural peanut butter
•1/3 cup oil of your choice - coconut, canola, or you could use melted butter ;)
•1 cup dark brown sugar
•1/4 cup almond milk
•2 teaspoons vanilla extract
•1 cup flour
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Chopped dark chocolate (I used about 1/2 of a Chocolove bar)


Preheat your oven to 350 and grease and flour an 8x8 baking pan.

Heat the PB and oil together in the microwave (in a microwave-safe bowl) or over the stove, and stir to combine.  Add sugar, almonst milk and vanilla and whisk together.  Add dry ingredients and fold to combine using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.

Chop your dark chocolate into small chunks and pieces - no need for them to be pretty.  Fold the batter into the pan and spread using the spoon, spatula or your hands until it covers the bottom evenly.  Sprinkle the chocolate over the batter.

Pop your bars into the oven on a middle rack and bake for 20-25 minutes.  If your oven is possessed like mine is, rotate your pan 180 degrees after about 10 minutes so that you do not end up with one side that is charred to hell and one side that is still raw.

If your oven is not ridiculous you probably don't need to follow that last step.

ENJOY!!!