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sweet and salty bars by maggie

LovingMyKitchen avatar
Recipe by
Maggie M
@LovingMyKitchen
In The Kitchen, OH

This little jewel came about because I wanted more from my Oatmeal Peanut Butter bars. I wanted salty and I wanted sweet, I wanted chocolate, I wanted caramel and of course I wanted peanut butter. Oh and I wanted no calories and no guilt but we all know how that ended ! So ... off to the lab (kitchen) I went until I arrived at this tasty and sinful piece of heaven!

method Microwave

Ingredients For sweet and salty bars by maggie

  • 1 c
    quick cooking oats
  • 1 c
    crushed crumbs from pretzels (either stick or square)
  • 3/4 c
    butter - melted
  • 3
    caramel squares cut into tiny pieces ( i use kraft caramels)
  • 3/4 c
    powdered sugar
  • 1/2 c
    peanut butter - your choice of smooth or crunchy
  • 1/3 c
    smooth peanut butter
  • 3/4 c
    milk chocolate chips

How To Make sweet and salty bars by maggie

  • 1
    Lay a piece of either parchment of wax paper into an 8x8 (9x9 will work well too) baking pan and allow the ends to go up the sides. Set aside.
  • 2
    In a medium bowl combine the oats, pretzel crumbs and powdered sugar. Add the caramel bits and stir together to make sure the caramel bits don't all lump together.
  • 3
    Add the peanut butter and stir. Pour the melted butter over all and stir. Your mixture will be a little runny but that's ok. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and set aside.
  • 4
    Put the chocolate chips and peanut butter into a 2 cup measuring cup and microwave until melted. It should only take about 25 - 35 seconds. I suggest you check at least twice during the melt. Stir well to make sure all the chips are blended then pour this over top of the bars. Quickly spread it evenly then put the baking dish into the fridge for about 1 or 2 hours to let it harden up.
  • 5
    Using the extra wax or parchment paper, lift the bars out of the baking dish onto a cutting board. Cut into 1" squares - larger if you like and enjoy ! Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
  • 6
    NOTE: I use Kraft caramels in my recipe. To cut them into little bits I used kitchen shears. If they get a little sticky just dip your scissor tips into warm water.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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