bully dream bars

I had a dream I tackled an obnoxious rude kid and threatened to call the cops on him, because he took my things. He started crying and gave me a cookie (from under the sink, if I remember correctly. Dreams are nuts).

It was a chocolate chip shortbread with a neat line of peanut butter in the middle. Not something I'd eaten or seen before. When I woke up, I wanted to eat it forreal. So I found some blueprints and made it happen.

Cookie based on Crisp Toffee Chocolate Bars, from Mad Hungry by Lucinda Quinn.

- 1/2c unsalted butter, soft
- 1/2c light brown sugar
- 1/2tsp salt
- 1/2tsp vanilla
- 1c + 2tbsp all purpose flour
- barely 1/2c (maybe not even 1/3c) chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Line a 8x8 square pan with foil or parchment. Have the liners overhang, so they become handles for when you take the bars out.

In a bowl, mix together soft butter, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla. Sift in the flour; add chocolate chips. Mix until combined. Split into two halves (you can just draw a line in your bowl)

Mix filling. Don't bother being precise. Plain pb works, but rips dough.
- 1/4c peanut butter
- 1tbsp icing sugar
- pinch salt
- vanilla

Spread half of cookie mixture into pan, compacting it. Make sure it's in all the corners. Spread filling on top. I like to scatter multiple dollops of that on the cookie and then "connect the blobs". That way you minimize tear. I sprinkled a tiny bit more salt on the peanut butter.

Crumble remaining half of cookie mixture on top of filling, making sure you cover everything. Or not. I packed it cause I wanted a neat "sandwich" look, but I suspect you can make it crumb-bar like too, just by not pressing it down.

Bake for about 20 minutes, rotating halfway, until golden and set. Cut into pieces while still warm in pan. Make coffeeeeeee.