Recipe: Peanut Butter Bars with Chocolate Swirl Frosting

PEANUT BUTTER BARS WITH CHOCOLATE SWIRL FROSTING

1 cup crunchy peanut butter
2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 tsp salt
FOR THE FROSTING:
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 tsp water
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp shortening

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

Combine peanut butter, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl; beat with electric beater until well-blended; beat in sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs, one at a time.

Stir in flour and salt just until well-blended; spread batter in prepared baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes or until center springs back when lightly touched with fingertip. Remove pan from oven to wire rack; cool slightly.

TO MAKE THE FROSTING:
Combine powdered sugar with water in a small bowl; stir until smooth; drizzle from a spoon over still-warm cookies in pan; swirl with bowl of spoon to make a random pattern.

Melt chocolate with shortening over simmering water in top of double boiler. Drizzle over the white glaze for a black-and-white pattern.

When cool, using a sharp knife, cut into 36 rectangles. Carefully lift out of pan with spatula.

Makes 36 cookie bars
Source: Magazine Clipping