Today we’re making tender, buttery shortbread cookie bars topped with a thick layer of maple-sweetened peanut butter, dark chocolate, and flaky sea salt.
They’re seriously something special.
Despite being made with just 8 simple, wholesome pantry ingredients, these bars manage to both look and taste like a decadent treat.
And, they’re prettymuch everything I need in my life right now.
We fell in love with these bars right around the beginning of the year; back before the self-isolation, social distancing, and general panic coronavirus brought with it. I had intended to post these bars in late April after a month of sharing brand new spring recipes, but, since then, my priorities (and posting schedule) have changed significantly.
You may have noticed there are fewer new recipes around here lately, and that’s not without reason. In order to develop quality recipes, I need to purchase extra groceries so I can test each one multiple times before sharing the recipe; not only have I struggled to find a variety of items at the store over the past month, but I’ve also felt it to be unnecessarily wasteful to purchase extra groceries (simply for the sake of testing recipes) that could be used by other members of my community to actually feed their families. And, since we can’t go visit anyone, it’s also much harder to pass along extra food to friends and family like I usually do.
All this to say, I’m trying to be more mindful and realistic about what I create and share right now. I don’t want to share recipes full of ingredients you likely don’t have access to, nor do I want to ignore the elephant in the room which is, of course, that very few of our lives are looking normal right now.
So, with that in mind, I’ll be scaling back and sharing as many pantry-forward recipes as possible for the foreseeable future.
Like these INSANE shortbread bars that I legit made another batch of yesterday because I cannot quit them. They’re just too good.
The first layer of these bars is a shortbread cookie made from almond flour, oat flour, coconut oil, maple syrup, and salt. The combination of flours makes them extra tender and a little crumbly (in the best way!). It gets baked until golden and that extra toasty creates the perfect base layer on which to build the bars.
Next up is a thick peanut butter layer that’s literally just salted peanut butter (the all-natural kind that’s made from just peanuts and salt) mixed with a little maple syrup. Maple syrup helps thicken up the peanut butter and adds a little natural sweetness to balance out the salt.
Finally, we’re topping these babies with melted chocolate and a generous pinch of flaky sea salt because these bars are alllll about that balance of salty and sweet.
BUT WAIT. The chocolate is melted with a little peanut butter which helps keep it soft, even when refrigerated, and makes these bars even easier to cut into perfect little snacky squares.
Despite being made with such simple ingredients, these bars feel like one of the most special treats I’ve made lately. They’re made with ingredients I always keep in my pantry, pandemic or not, and have been a fun option for mixing up monotony of stuck-at-home life.
If you try them out, be sure to let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, or take a picture of your shortbread bars and share it with me on Instagram so I can see! Happy baking, friends!
Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Shortbread Bars
Ingredients
shortbread layer
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil melted
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
peanut butter layer
- 1 cup creamy all-natural peanut butter the kind that’s just peanuts and salt
- 3 Tablespoons maple syrup
chocolate layer
- 1 cup roughly chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips
- 2 Tablespoons peanut butter
- Flaky sea salt for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.
- Mix together all shortbread ingredients in a bowl, then use your hands to crumble it into the pan, pressing out to form a thin, even layer. Be sure to get it all the way to the corners of the pan.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until golden around the edges. Remove from oven and let cool completely before proceeding with the next steps. You can speed this up by placing the pan on a shelf in your freezer for 15 minutes or so to chill, if you have the space!
- Stir together the peanut butter and maple syrup, then spread in an even layer over the shortbread. Place pan in the freezer to keep cold while you melt the chocolate.
- Pour the chocolate and peanut butter in a small microwave-safe bowl and heat in 20 second increments, until melted. Alternately, you can do this on the stove in a small pot on the lowest possible heat setting, stirring constantly, until melted.
- Pour melted chocolate over the peanut butter layer, using a spoon to spread it into an even layer. Sprinkle on a few pinches of flaky sea salt, if using, then place back in the freezer to let chocolate set for another 10 minutes, until chocolate is firm.
- Use the parchment paper to lift the entire slab of shortbread cookie bars out of the pan, then use a sharp knife to cut into 16 squares. Serve immediately, or transfer to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 1 week. These can be enjoyed cold or at room temperature, but stay fresh longer when stored in the fridge!