Gluten-free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I made these bars as a pick-me-up for a sick friend who was in need of some comfort food. There's nothing like fresh, homemade cookies to cure any sickness! Even though these are bars, they are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside - just like all good cookies should be.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup gluten free all-purpose baking flour - I used Bob's Red Mill all-purpose baking blend; feel free to substitute regular all-purpose flour if you don't need these to be gluten free

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter or margarine, room temperature

 3/4 cup white sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8x8" baking pan with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Mix in the peanut butter, then the egg and vanilla extract until well combined.

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. Add in the chocolate chips and stir until they are evenly distributed.

Spread the dough into the prepared pan evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the middle has just set. Cool on a wire rack, then refrigerate for 30-60 minutes until the bars harden. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container.

*Recipe by Brooke McMillan