Oat and coconut choc chip peanut butter cookie bars

I know, I know, what a ridiculously long name for a recipe: Oat and Coconut Choc Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Bars. It sounds so very earnest and "Please Pinterest me!" However, I think all the individual elements in the name are important, so Oat and Coconut Choc Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Bars they remain.

The oats and coconut give the bars a wholesome texture, choc chips are choc chips, they have the texture of chewy cookies, and they're cut into little bars. You can't absolutely taste the peanut butter in it, but any time you use peanut butter in a recipe I think it's best to err on the side of caution in case anyone with peanut allergies wants to try it!

Oat and Coconut Choc Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Bars, with salted peanuts

I got the baking urge when I saw some fancy schmancy chocolate-drizzled muesli bars at the supermarket, and suddenly wanted butter, oats, and choc chips. Stat! Bought muesli bars always tend to be disappointing (especially the expensive "gourmet" types), so when I got home I started looking for a recipe, and these oaty coconut choc chip squares on the Cadbury website seemed like a good place to start. I blinged them up by adding smooth peanut butter and a little salt and wow - they were just awesome! Moist and oaty but still decadent with the choc chips, brown sugar and butter. Yum!

Oat and Coconut Choc Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Bars, with salted peanuts

I've made these a couple of times now, tweaking the recipe each time, and I've totally got them just how I like them. The key: don't overbake it so that it remains chewy and doesn't dry out, and increase the amount of chocolate. (The latter is also good general life advice). On reflection, I don't know what it says about me that a recipe on the Cadbury website didn't have enough chocolate in it for my liking. Hah! I've made these bars with salted peanuts too, and whilst they were nice, I prefer them without.

Oat and Coconut Choc Chip Peanut Butter Bars, with salted peanuts

The recipe is quite forgiving - I've made it with different flours and different oats, using up what I had in the pantry and it's always turned out well. (Wholemeal spelt flour, wholemeal rye flour, normal oats, rye flakes - and I like the idea of matching the flour to the flakes! Rye flour with rye flakes? Spelt flour with spelt flakes? Or just regular old plain flour with normal oats).

Oat and coconut choc chip peanut butter cookie bars