Chocolate Peanut Brickle Bars

This is a fun spin on the classic old fashioned brickle bar. My grandma used to make these without the chocolate layer, but I pretty much need chocolate in all my desserts so I added it in. It is quite a different bar than what I normally make, but I was pleasantly surprised by the textures and flavors that combined nicely with each other.

Chocolate Peanut Brickle Bars

2 cups quick-cooking oats

1 ½ cups unsifted flour

1 cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, melted

1 (14-ounce) sweetened condensed milk

½ cup peanut butter

2 cups chocolate chips

1 package Heath toffee bits (found by the chocolate chips) or 3 to 4 Heath bars chopped

1. Preheat oven to 375⁰F.

2. In large bowl, combine oats, flour, peanuts, sugar, baking soda and salt; stir in butter until crumbly. Reserving 1 ½ cups crumb mixture, press remainder on bottom of greased 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan. Bake 12 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in small mixer bowl, beat sweetened condensed milk with peanut butter until smooth; spread evenly over prepared crust to within ¼” of the edge. Sprinkle on the chocolate chips. In medium bowl, combine reserved crumb mixture and brickle chips. Sprinkle evenly over peanut butter mixture; press down firmly.

4. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool. Cut into bars.