I love chocolate and I love peanut butter, so whenever I find a recipe for chocolate peanut butter squares, I’m all over it! But, while I’m stoked to share this dish with you, today I have an entirely different reason for being excited.
I come from a family that loves to cook. I remember baking as far back as I can remember being tall enough to reach the kitchen counter, with my earliest projects being massive cinnamon rolls and light, flaky pie crusts. I remember making divinity at age 10, and pâte à choux when I was a mere 7 years old. Looking back, I recall wanting to be a pastry chef and cake decorator when I grew up. Kids like that usually come from families who spend a lot of time in the kitchen.
I review a lot of cookbooks in the media, but today I’m proud to share one from my aunt, Marla Warden-Holm. Her new book, Holm-made Cookin’, contains some of the tastiest dishes to grace the Texas faction of my family’s dining room tables. The dish I’m sharing below, Marla’s No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares recipe, is a simple dish that takes almost no work to prepare. You kids will love the richness of the chocolate and peanut butter, and busy moms will appreciate the set-it-and-forget-it prep. Serious win! Be sure to check out the cookbook for more Holm-based treats. :)
No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares
Ingredients
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1 cup chopped roasted peanuts
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup peanuts chopped coarsely (optional)
Instructions
- Line a 9″ x 9″ x 2″ pan with foil, leaving 1-inch of foil hanging out on opposite sides of the pan.
- Mix powdered sugar, butter, 1 cup of the peanut butter, and vanilla in a large bowl. Stir in graham cracker crumbs and peanuts (mixture will be stiff). Press into pan.
- Heat chocolate chips and remaining 1/4 cup of peanut butter in a small pot over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Spread over crumb layer in pan. Sprinkle with peanuts and push into chocolate. Cover and refrigerate until chocolate is set, about 1 hour.
- Remove bars from pan, using the foil to lift it up and out. Fold back foil and cut into 36 squares.
- Refrigerate again, uncovered, for 2 hours. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Nutrition
This content was originally posted on FearlessFresh.com.