Toffee, Peanut Butter and Caramel Cookie Bars

So I found this recipe sometime between September and November, and they have been talking to me.  Since I don't like having sweets in the house, I thought I'd make them for Thanksgiving, except it was just me and D.  Then I thought I would make them for my work's cookie swap, but someone was diagnosed with meningitis and the days after, I noticed how many women don't wash their hands after using the rest room.  So I didn't want to participate in the Great Meningitis Cookie Swap.

Christmas rolled around and my back started acting up, so cheesecake was out (requires getting out of a chair a lot).  So back to these.

They were really simple to make.  But man was the pan heavy!   I was going to only eat just 1.  I ate 4 over the week. I gave 2 away.  D had some. My brother had some. My dad had some.

I would make again.

I used my hand mixer (seriously, am I the only person who finds a hand mixer easier to use than the Kitchen Aid Heavy As Shit Stand Mixer?).  The butter/sugar takes a bit to blend that way.

Toffee, Peanut Butter and Caramel Cookie Bars

Photo by ALB

Ingredients
12 Tablespoons salted butter, softened
2 c light brown sugar (or dark...whatever you have)
½ c creamy peanut butter (or crunchy...whatever you have)
2 eggs, room temperature
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 c all-purpose flour
1 c old fashioned oats (not quick cooking)
2½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt (used Kosher...it's what I had)
2 cups chocolate chips (semi-sweet)
1 cup Reese's peanut butter chips
1 cup Heath toffee bits
Cooking Spray

Caramel Filling
11 oz bag Kraft caramel bits (or unwrapped caramel squares)- unwrapping them is a PITA
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
4 Tablespoons butter, doesn't matter if it is softened

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with nonstick foil (or spray the hell out of the pan with cooking spray).

Cream butter and sugar together in mixer. Add peanut butter and beat. Add eggs and vanilla.

Add flour, oats, baking powder, and salt.

Stir in chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and toffee.

Cookie Dough 

Press 2/3 of the cookie dough on the bottom of the pan.

Place all filling ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second increments until smooth. Stir in between! (this took 5 30 second/stir increments for me)

Pour caramel mixture evenly over the dough.

Drop the remaining dough on top using your hands. (Like a crumble, a little here, a little there)

Ready for the Oven

Bake for about 30 minutes (mine were 35... next time I'm trying 33).

Fresh out of the Oven

Let cool completely and cut into bars.

From Hugs and Cookies XOXO, with my comments