Peanut Butter Bars

Chocolate and peanut butter.  I don't think there are any two things that go together better, which is why I think Reese's peanut butter cups are the single greatest candy ever invented.  Now, I'm not posting about peanut butter cups today (though I think I might have a recipe around here somewhere), but rather something that's just about as good: no-bake peanut butter bars.  To make these, you're going to need: 2 cups peanut butter, 1 1/2 sticks of butter (softened), 2 cups confectioners' sugar, 3 cups graham cracker crumbs, and 2 cups chocolate chips.

Grease a 13x9 inch pan and set it aside.  In a large bowl, beat together 1 1/4 cups of your peanut butter and the 1 1/2 sticks of butter until it's creamy.  Then beat in one cup of the confectioners' sugar.  Using a wooden spoon, work in the other cup of sugar, the graham cracker crumbs, and 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips.  It'll be kind of crumbly, but that's fine.

Soooo tasty and distressingly rich

Now press the whole bowl-full into your greased pan, smooshing it down and getting the top as smooth as possible.  Set this aside.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt together the remaining 3/4 cup of peanut butter and 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips.  Just keep stirring it constantly until it's smooth.  Then pour it over the top of the stuff in the pan so it's all covered and stick it in the refrigerator.

I recommend leaving it in the fridge for a few hours before you try to cut it all into bars.  If you don't chill it long enough, when you try to cut it, it all becomes a crumbly mess and the chocolate bit falls off the top and it doesn't look too great for pictures.  Not that I would know from personal experience.  In completely unrelated news, I don't have a picture of the cut up bars because...um...someone broke into my apartment and stole them, but for some reason left all my valuables alone?  Yeah, we'll go with that.

Chocolate Minty Bars

When you've been out of work for an extended period of time, it can be important to make a good impression upon returning so that your coworkers remember just how much they missed you.  Or, if you don't feel like doing that, just bribe them with sugar so they pretend they're glad to see you again like I did.  To that end, I made some tasty chocolate minty bars.  To do the same you'll need: For the chocolate bit: 6 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 C cocoa powder, 2 C confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  For the minty bit: 3 oz cream cheese (softened), 2 C confectioners' sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract, green food coloring.

Line an 8 inch square pan with foil and set it aside.  Now in a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat and add the cocoa, stirring until it's smooth.  Take it off the heat and add 2 C confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons of milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Put it back on low heat and stir constantly until it's all melted and glossy looking.  Pour half of this into your foil-lined pan, spreading it evenly.  Put the half in the pan in the fridge and set the other half aside while you make the minty filling.

In a bowl, beat together your cream cheese, 2 C confectioners' sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon peppermint, and a few drops of the green food coloring.  I actually used about 4 times as much peppermint as the recipe calls for--just start with 1/4 teaspoon and go from there according to your taste.  Also, you of course don't have to use green food coloring, but it does make it look prettier.  Just don't be some weirdo and color it orange or something.  Unless you want to mess with people.  Then by all means, turn it some crazy, non-minty-looking color.  After you have this all mixed, take the pan out of the fridge, spread your mint filling over the top of the chocolate, and put it back in the fridge for another 10 minutes or so.

It's green so you know it's mint!

Once that's done, put your remaining chocolate back over low heat and add the last teaspoon of milk.  Cook this, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is all melted once again.  Now pour it over the mint filling and spread it evenly. 

And back to the fridge with it!  This time leave it there for at least a couple hours, until it's completely chilled and nice and solid.  Then take it out, flip the pan over onto a cutting board, remove the foil, and cut into small squares.  And that's it!  You now have a delicious, and nutritious*, treat!  That ought to keep people off your back your first day returning to work.

*Note: Chocolate minty bars are in no way nutritious.