On My Hearth: Peanut Butter Fudge Bars

I woke up to a bit of a mess this morning, little Jackson on my bedroom floor looking up at me quietly, totally out of character, not his usual bouncy kitten self. I immediately woke Lily and had her take him to the vet, just knew something wasn't right, and the pile of vomit (sorry!) in her room confirmed my suspicions. He's at the vet now, they believe he swallowed "something" and it's stuck in his bowels. They gave him a laxative and are waiting for it to do it's job. Poor little baby! And all of this just after I posted this morning about my critters..

On the heels of that I got a call from Dad informing me that my aunt is arriving from Ohio on Monday. While this is good news, it's important that she spends some time with my mother, it requires planning and preparation which increases my stress level big time. Sigh.

So, what do I do when I'm overwhelmed and anxious? I retreat to the kitchen.

I have all of the ingredients on hand for these bars so they'll be a cinch to whip up, and hopefully some baking will work it's magic on this stressed-out kitchen witch.



Peanut Butter Fudge Bars

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Ready In: 40 Minutes
Yields: 30 servings

"Peggy Murray of Enfield, Maine relies on a cake mix and other pantry staples to make these rich crumb-topped treats."

INGREDIENTS:
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a bowl, combine cake mix, peanut butter, egg and oil. Press two-thirds of the mixture into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

2. In a heavy saucepan, heat the milk, chocolate chips and butter over low heat; stir until blended. Pour over crust. Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.