Peanut Butter Butterscotch Bars

Spray a 9×13 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Melt the butter and peanut butter together in a microwave safe bowl until melted and stir to combine. Mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Add the oats until a dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. You might need more or less than three cups of oats; add until the dough reaches your desired consistency. Press the mixture into the 9×13 pan and spread evenly.

Pour the butterscotch chips in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir well and continue microwaving in 30-second intervals until fully melted. Pour over the top of the peanut butter/oat crust and spread evenly. Allow the bars to cool and set. Refrigerate to allow the butterscotch to harden, if desired. (I did refrigerate the bars and liked the consistency that it produced.)

Gently slice into squares. They are pretty rich so I would recommend cutting them into 24 small squares but you could certainly cut them larger, too.

Tip: There are so many ways that you could adapt this to make it your own: use milk chocolate or white chocolate chips in addition to or instead of the butterscotch; use Rice Krispies cereal instead of oatmeal (or any of your favorite cereals); add chocolate chips to the crust mixture; add peanuts to the crust mixture; sprinkle nuts, chocolate chips, or drizzle caramel or chocolate sauce over the caramel mixture … see what I mean? The possibilities are endless!