We’re usually saying something when we bake cookies, right?  …whether it’s “I love you“, “I’m thinking of you“, or “I was just in the mood for something sweet…wanna join me?“. So, for a fun twist on this concept during back to school week this year, I thought it would be cute to literally S-P-E-L-L out some messages for my little one (who just started Kindergarten) and some of her playdate friends using cookies. ;)

So, I made these PB+C Alphabet Cookies Bars with the Krusteaz Double Peanut Butter cookie mix, a schmear of creamy peanut butter, chocolate frosting, and these small Alphabet Cookie Cutters that I found on Amazon. You can whip up your favorite chocolate frosting recipe to use in the middle OR make life super easy by using store-bought chocolate frosting…which is the route that I chose. #embraceshortcuts right?!

PB+C ALPHABET COOKIE BARS

Prep Time: 5 mins
Total time: 1 hour
Effort: Easy
Servings: 12 cookie bars

Ingredients:

• 1 box Krusteaz® Double Peanut Butter Cookie Mix
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup butter
• ½ cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup chocolate frosting

Tools:

• 1” Alphabet Cookie Cutters
• 13x9x2” pan, lightly greased

Instructions:

1. Prepare cookie bars as directed on the back of the box. Let cool, and cut into 24 even bars.

2. Spread one cookie bar with a thin layer of peanut butter, then a generous layer of chocolate frosting.

3. Take another cookie bar, and use an alphabet cookie cutter to cut the letter of your choice out of the center. (Tip: Use the flat end of a wood skewer stick to push any small cookie letter pieces out of the cookie cutter if they get stuck.)

4. Place the cookie bar with the letter cut-out on top of the frosted cookie bar to form a sandwich. Press down firmly so that the chocolate frosting pushes up and into the letter cut-out on the top cookie bar.

5. Repeat this process with the remaining cookie bars, working your way through the alphabet or using specific letters to spell out words, names, or phrases of your choice!

And speaking of “fun twists”… this post comes with one too. I made these cookie bars on a day when we were having out of town guests over that evening. They were really good friends we’ve had for Y-E-A-R-S that always know to just make themselves at home… unfortunately I didn’t realize until it was too late that a few of them had found these cookie bars and assumed they were fair game for late night dessert.

SO….. I had to photograph the remaining bars for this post using a mix of toy letters and alphabet bars. The silver lining is that the toy letters added a nice pop of color to the images… and now we’ve already come up with a solution you can use at home if you’re suddenly missing a letter or two of your own. ;)

Since this is one of my Baker’s Dozen recipes for Krusteaz, you’ll find the full recipe with instructions over on Krusteaz.com.

P.S. This is a fun & simple concept that could work literally ANY time of year, not just for back to school! You can spell out a name, say HAPPY BIRTHDAY, I LOVE YOU, CONGRATS, YOU’RE SWEET, the list goes on… I would really love to find a small cookie cutter # symbol so we can make funny hashtags too. And I’m already planning to make a “HO, HO, HO” version for Christmas using the Krusteaz Sugar Cookie mix + red and white frosting. Fun, right?!

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This project is brought to you in collaboration with Krusteaz^®. As always, all thoughts, designs, and opinions are my own. Thank you so much for supporting the companies that make it possible for me to keep the creative content coming your way! I am truly grateful.