Peanut Butter Bars: Summer Dessert

First, I’m sad to announce that we’ve decided to disband Whipped Out. Apparently, the three of us are too busy to update multiple blogs. Who knew? I’m going to be doing two things: 1) porting all of the recipes from there to here and 2) installing a new theme on this blog and updating the look, so it’s a little more clean. Hopefully I’ll also be able to create an index page for the recipes. So it looks like recipes will be appearing here again (sorry to those of you on diets).

As many of you know, I like to bake. Sadly for me, my family almost never eats what I bake. I’m pretty sure it’s not because the things don’t taste good, but apparently, they like processed cookies and snacks more than homemade. Because of the awful, oppressive heat, I haven’t been doing a lot of baking this summer, but the other day I ran across this recipe for peanut butter bars–a recipe which doesn’t require you to turn on the oven at all–and I knew I had to make it. And I’m glad I did, because it was goooood. SO good. And seriously? Ridiculously easy.

Peanut Butter Bars (adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups melted butter (you can use a cup only, if it makes you feel better, the bars will be more crumbly)

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky, your choice)

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (or dark chocolate if you’re feeling spunky)

4 Tbsp peanut butter.

Okay, now for the complicated instructions:

1. Mix together melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, sugar and 1 cup peanut butter. Combine well. Press into ungreased 9×13 pan.

2. Melt together chocolate chips and 4 tbsp of peanut butter. If you do it in the microwave, do it on 50% power. Mix well. Pour on top of peanut butter crust.

3. Chill. Cut into squares. Curse me for showing you how easy it is to make these because they taste BETTER than Reese’s Peanut Butter cups. Resign yourself to either having huge hips or freezing half this batch. I’m not responsible for the choice you make here.

4. Remind yourself to make a half batch next time.

(Oh, and you should keep these refrigerated, otherwise the chocolate on top gets soft and they get kind of messy.)

These were a hit at my house. My family actually ate like…half a pan of them! I’m going to inflict the rest on the moms at our mom’s night out gathering tonight. Heheheh.