Peanut Carmelitas

Yes, I have totally dropped the ball on blogging lately. And by dropped, I mean left lying on the floor to roll around until it physically. has. no. energy. left. in. it. to. move. Phew. Do you know what I do when I drop the ball at work? I bribe people. Yes, I admit to it. I bribe them with sweets and treats. And it works.

I also like to recognize helpful and awesome contributions through sweets and treats. Call me crazy, but I like to bake, and people seem to like what I make. It really ends up being a win-win situation for everyone. But here is the tricky part. I am now known as the resident office baker. So employees are very willing to help out when they think a treat is on the line. Likewise, when I do screw up (which is incredibly rare...), they joke that it isn't too big of a deal and it really isn't something that a nice baked good can't fix. I mean seriously people, can't you just be happy to help out a fellow co-worker?!

Bribes only work for so long. Before it starts to get ugly. And trust me, this bar recipe is going to make it verrry ugly.

Something that is no longer so ugly? My kitchen. Humpty-Dumpty is starting to come back together. Slowly. The appliances are in and working, but there isn't any water, and no sink. So cooking is back on track, but the clean up afterwards is really prohibitive. Currently I am having to take dishes down to the laundry room sink to wash the dishes. Uh, ya it is just as awful as it sounds. But, I am a survivor. The blogging must go on!

Establishing a base is a good place to start.

Just making sure the chocolate chips are ready to go.

 

Some blurred sprinkling takes place. It was really a quick sprinkle in order to make sure the chocolate chips ended up on the bars and not in my mouth!

It all starts to melt together and is topped with a nice caramel drizzle.

Scratch and sniff! (If only)

Cut up for sharing.

And finally, ready to take a bite.

What a combination of sweet, salty, crunchy and smooth.

 

Peanut Carmelita's (Two-ways: Gluten Free and Non Gluten-Free, which is in the brackets)

3/4 cup butter or coconut oil, melted

3/4 cup coconut palm sugar

1 cup gluten-free all-flour (or regular all-purpose flour)

1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (or 1 cup rolled oats)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup peanuts (optional)

1 cup chocolate chips (I used a mixture of semi-sweet and milk chocolate)

3/4 caramel sauce, warmed

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 F. Put parchment paper in a 9x9 square pan and set aside.
2.In a large bowl combine butter/coconut oil, sugar, flour, coconut/oats and baking soda. Mix until well combined.
3. Taking roughly 3/4 of the mixture, pat into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
4. Sprinkle peanuts and chocolate chips over the crust.  Drizzle caramel sauce over the peanuts and chocolate chips. Finish by evenly sprinkling remaining flour mixture over the top of the caramel sauce.
5. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the top has lightly browned.
6. Allow to cool for 15 minutes prior to serving. Best served at room temperature.

Shared: Gluten Free Wednesdays, Allergy Free Wednesdays