Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

A few weeks ago I was chatting with some friends about food goals.  By that I mean foods that we don't necessarily enjoy, but we really want to.  Do you have anything like that?  I have a few of those.

I used to be much worse...I used to hate seafood of any kind.  God how wrong I was.  My family and I would go out to eat to this Chinese restaurant that served all you can eat crab legs one day of the week...and I wouldn't touch them; instead I would load up on fried rice and general chicken like a dummy!  I could just kick myself!  

Finally I overcame that seafood aversion by diving headfirst into sushi.  Crazy, I know right?  Now I can't get enough of the stuff.

I know I should be scolded for missing out on all the deliciousness that I'm about to mention, but trust me, I know.  That's why they're goals.  So without further ado, these days my food goal list includes:

- Mushrooms: I know, I know.  I'm working on it.  Maybe I should start by making some crab-stuffed mushrooms....omg yeah that sounds fantastic.

- Olives: This really only ever applies with pizza and salad but I love pizza and salad.  I don't want there to ever be a time when I can't eat those things.  Plus when I was little my brother Michael always looked like he was having so much fun putting an olive on each finger.  I want that fun.

- Squash: It's not that I don't like squash...it's just that I never use it.  I need to use it more.  It's a great fall veggie.

-Milk: While not technically a food...I really should drink more of it.  I hardly touch the stuff besides on cereal, in smoothies, or baked into confections.  And you know...osteoporosis and stuff right?

Cricket's goal foods are tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, and lettuce.  She's cool with any sort of cookie/peanut butter concoction, obviously.

As you might have guessed, I have chosen peanut butter as Jim's goal food.  He really needs to get working on that.  Maybe these bars will help.  

Seriously...if you're a fan of peanut butter cookies and agree with the other 99.9% of the universe that peanut butter and chocolate are a match made in heaven, you need to try these.  Sweet sweet goodness.  

First of all, any cookie is better in bar form.  I said it.  Secondly, peanut butter.  Thirdly, chocolate.  If you're not sold by now...I have no clue what you're doing here.

Just kidding, I love you.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
(adapted from Brown Eyed Baker)

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour a 9x13 baking pan.  

Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and peanut butter until light and creamy looking.  Add egg and vanilla, mixing until combined.  Add the flour mixture and mix on low, JUST until streaks of flour disappear.  Stir in chocolate and peanut butter chips.

Pour the mixture into the pan and press down until even throughout the pan.  Bake 17-20 minutes, or until the center is set.  Cool pan completely on a wire rack before slicing into bars.