Friday, April 3, 2015

Scrumptiously Simple Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares


I have a confession - I am not a big peanut butter fan. While everyone flips for a Reese Egg around Easter time, I'm gobbling up Cadbury Creme eggs. While Cody goes for the ice cream that could not be more loaded with peanut butter, I tend to reach toward cookies and creme or something fudgy.

I mean, don't get me wrong. I like a good Reese's every now and then and occasionally will indulge in PB&J crackers, but I don't crave peanut butter as much as others do.

I do, however, itch for some when I am stressed.

Are the two connected?


I am 2 weeks away from one of our biggest tradeshows and my primary job is managing on site meetings. No biggie, right? WRONG. With 6 meeting rooms and over 150 meetings already requested, it can be rather...chaotic.

At first it was easy peasy - oh you want a meeting at 2pm on Tuesday? You got it, dude! You'd like a Monday meeting at 10:30am? Sure, why not?

I was Oprah on giveaway day: you get a meeting, you get a meeting, EVERYONE GETS A MEETING!

But now things are booking up and everyone seems to want the same damn time slot! What is it about Tuesday at 2pm???

Oh well. It's the nature of the beast, I suppose.


As you can see, by week's end I am pretty much twitching every time a new meeting request came through my inbox. What does that mean?

Peanut butter.

I knew I wanted to make something quick, easy, and decadent last weekend. I immediately turned to Google to brainstorm some no-bake ideas. Peanut butter is a good starting point for no-bake treats. Peanut butter balls, bars, and beyond!

To me, peanut butter is nothing without chocolate. So I stumbled upon a few different recipes for no-bake peanut butter balls and bars and morphed them all into one scrumptiously simple chocolate peanut butter concoction. These bars taste just like a Reese's cup!


I'm telling you, I will be so relieved when this event comes and goes. But that won't be the end all because before I know it, there will be another event with a whole new round of meeting requests.

When that happens? I'll have these babies ready.



Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares

Ingredients
  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  1. Line an 8x8 pan with foil.
  2. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter (about 1 minute).
  3. Add 1 cup of peanut butter, the graham cracker crumbs, and powdered sugar to the melted butter and combine.
  4. Pour mixture into pan and spread evenly. Then place into refrigerator while you make the chocolate topping.
  5. In a small bowl, melt the chocolate chips with the remaining 2 tablespoons of peanut butter in the microwave (between 30-40 seconds) and stir until smooth.
  6. Grab your pan of the peanut butter mixture from the fridge and carefully spread the chocolate mixture on top.
  7. Put the pan back into the fridge for about an hour (or until firm).
  8. Cut and eat every last piece until your stress is eliminated.