Peanut Butter Smoothies

What are girls to do when they're catching up on Mad Men without any popcorn?! Send me into the kitchen, of course, to whip up something much better than popcorn. Collecting ingredients from S's pantry and my own, we decided on these Peanut Butter Smoothies from my all time favorite cookie cookbook. These bars were really easy to whip up without any mixer at all and were ready in no time. They resulted in a nice, smooth, moist bar, where the peanut butter did not overwhelm at all and was in perfect sync with the chocolate chips. Of course, due to lack of patience, the S's and I enjoyed these bars quite... gooey. Quite perfect for a late night treat. Feel free though to bake these all the way through, they'd probably feel alot less decadent and less guilt inducing that way. One minor tip- the batter ends up pretty wet so be sure to use a small offset spatula to spread the batter into the pan.

Peanut Butter Smoothies
from the Cookie Companion

6 tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350. Line a 9x9 inch pan with parchment or grease it.
In a bowl, place the margarine or butter, peanut butter and sugars in a bowl.Beat until smooth and creamy.Add eggs one a time,blending well until smooth after each addition.Add the dry ingredients,and mix until smooth.Add the chocolate chips,and gently mix to combine. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan, taking care not to get on to the sides of the paper, lest they burn and stink up your oven. It happens. To me. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the edges just come away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting. Enjoy with some gal pals!!