Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares l Once Upon A Chef

By Stina

Before we get to the Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares, a big thank you to everyone who sent in a cookie recipe for the Le Creuset Holiday Cookie Contest! The winning cookie will be featured next week, so we can all look forward to adding another great holiday cookie to our repertoire. (Btw, today is the last day for submissions so it’s not too late!)

Ingredients

• For the Crust:
• 22 Nabisco FAMOUS Chocolate Wafers, finely crushed (about 1⅔ cups crumbs)
• ¼ cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• For the Filling
• 6 firmly packed tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 cups Confectioners’ sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1⅓ cups creamy peanut butter (I like Skippy Natural “No Need To Stir”)
• Pinch of salt
• For the Milk Chocolate Ganache Topping
• 1-11.5 ounce bag Ghirardelli (or similar best quality) milk chocolate chips
• 6 tablespoons heavy cream

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from onceuponachef.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9-inch square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Make crust: Combine chocolate wafers, sugar and butter in bowl of food processor fitted with blade attachment and pulse until cookies are finely crushed. Press mixture firmly into prepared baking pan (I spread it with my hands first, then use the bottom of a measuring cup to even it out). Bake for 8 minutes. Set on rack to cool completely.

3. In the meantime, make peanut butter filling: Combine all ingredients together in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix at low speed until just combined (do not whip). Set bowl in refrigerator while you prepare the rest.

4. Make chocolate ganache topping: Combine milk chocolate chips and heavy cream in microwave safe bowl and cook in microwave at medium power (50%) for 1-1½ minutes. Stir until bowl no longer feels warm. Continue heating at 15-30 second intervals, stirring until smooth and melted. Do not overheat.

5. Put it all together: Use an offset icing spatula (see photo above) to spread about ¼ cup of chocolate mixture evenly over cooled crust; place pan in freezer until chocolate is set, about 5-10 minutes. Spread peanut butter mixture into even layer over chocolate (if it’s firm, you can use your hands; if it’s soft, use a butter knife or spatula). Give chocolate ganache a quick stir to smooth any lumps, then spread evenly over top of peanut butter layer. Cover pan with plastic wrap and place in freezer for 1 hour to set (or, if you’re not in a hurry, you can just leave it in the refrigerator for a few hours). When firm, use a sharp knife to cut into squares (make them small as they are very rich!). Keep refrigerated and serve cool.

Caroline

Those look amazing! What a delightfully decadent dessert that is the perfect blend of the two best: chocolate and peanut butter.

Barbara

Those look so good! I may have to add them to my cookie collection.

Thefarmgirlcooks.wordpress.com

OMG those look so good! I’m going to buy a boatload of peanut butter and chocolate and sit in a stupor all weekend.

Thanks for posting this recipe!

Tiffany @ Conor & Bella

Peanut butter and chocolate is the best. Thanks for the recipe!

Cassie

One of my all time favorite combinations. And the pictures bring out their decadecnce. Beautiful and delicious!

Jessie Monds

YOU… are brilliant

Jennie @ Oh, Sweet Day!

These look insanely good!!!!

leslie

Irresistible? I would say so!!!!! yUM

foodies at home

I might seriously OD on these! My favorite combo…they look absolutely AMAZING!!

Teri

How many calories per square?

susan

these look beautiful. my kids would be super happy if they found these sitting under our cake dome!

Kay Greenfield

“These are the most fantastic cookie things.” This is what everyone I shared these with over the holidays kept saying. Thank you for sharing these. I can’t believe they are so easy to make.

Bonnie

These are really easy to make (and eat!) with kids. We didn’t have chocolate wafers in the house so used Oreos instead, no problem. The cookies disappeared in no time.

j

Really tasty and easy to make! Although.. I used vanilla wafers rather than chocolate cookies, I thought the ganache was chocolate enough. I also used 3 tbls brown sugar and 2 tbls white sugar for the peanut butter layer and it tasted great. I don’t think that much sugar is necessary. Cutting the squares small is very good advice!

The Bird Cage

Just finished making this, came out perfectl delicious! Thank you so much, I’m bringing them to my best friend’s house-warming party and I’m sure they’ll be a hit!

Leslie S.

Hi, any reason I couldn’t use a dark chocolate instead of a milk chocolate for the chocolate topping? I have a lot of really good dark chocolate and I am looking for some good easy recipes… Thanks in advance for your response.

Leslie

Courtney

I just made these for a bunko party I’m hosting tomorrow night. They are delicious. I love your recipes and your balance of both healthful and indulgent, both of which I believe have a place in life.

Kathy Kearney

These are incredible and easy. Always have a pan in my freezer!

Susan

These are so easy and so delicious. I always make two recipes at a time. One to eat right away and one for the freezer. Although, sometimes the freezer batch never makes it to the freezer!

Randi

Thanks, these were a HUGE holiday party hit!!

meredith Lovelss

These are rich and delicious for true chocolate lovers like my son who loves these!

Fern

What is confectioner’s sugar? I’m in the UK so it may mean something completely different over here! Icing sugar?!

Jenn

Fern, It is the same as powdered sugar. Hope that helps.

Sri

I made these for Christmas and included them in my cookie tin. It got rave reviews. Thanks! Very easy to make too.

Reed G

Melting chocolate in the microwave is a lot easier because you don’t have to work over a double boiler. These bars look awesome – can’t wait to make them.

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