Peanut Butter Chip Ganache Bars

I know, I know. I have been on a peanut butter craze as of late, and if you’re sick of the PB and chocolate combo, then I’m heartily sorry. If, on the other hand, you’re a normal person, and you lick your lips at the thought of both fantastically wonderful ingredients forced together into a magical medley of dessert-like proportions, then you’re welcome, you’re welcome, you’re welcome. (You can thank me by buying a World’s Greatest Fudge Brownie apron. Or at the very least a kitchen towel. Come on now. Pony up.)

So here’s how these bars came to be:
- Leftover ganache burning a hole in my freezer. (Ganache is so goddamned special that it literally burns a hole in one’s freezer, which is hard to do given the frozen environment and all.)
- Leftover peanut butter chips in the pantry. (I have a thing about not leaving bags of chips open for a while.)
- Leftover peanut butter graham crust in the freezer. (I make a crapload of crusts, so that they are ready at a moment’s notice to thaw and become something special.)
This recipe is a bit of a twist on my Incredible Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie, which as the name is implies, is not short on confidence. (It is incredible, I assure you.) These bars take the creamy PB filling out, though, so they save you about 1,900 calories per bite (kidding-ish) but still have the whole PB vibe going on. And since they are uber-easy, you will want to thank me. That’s my goal- one sinful dessert at a time, for the lazy sloths in all of us. :)

PEANUT BUTTER GRAHAM-CRACKER CRUST:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 – 2 tablespoons milk
CHOCOLATE GANACHE TOPPING:
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup peanut butter chips
1. Preheat oven to 375°, and grease a foil-lined 9 x 13″ pan.
2. CRUST: In a food processor, whirl graham cracker crumbs, sugar and cocoa powder together. Add peanut butter until thoroughly combined, then add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture is still sandy but sticks together. (You can use a stand mixer/ hand mixer instead, or even do by hand like in the olden days.)
3. Press mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan, and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
4. GANACHE TOPPING: In a small saucepan, bring heavy cream to almost a boil and pour over chocolate in a medium bowl. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Allow to cool until almost room temperature, stirring occasionally.
5. Spread the chocolate ganache topping over the cooled crust, and sprinkle peanut butter chips over the surface of the ganache (before it sets). Refrigerate until just firm, about 15 minutes. Using a sharp knife, cut into bars. Run the knife under hot water and dry it between each cut. Keep leftover pieces refrigerated.
Tips:
- Want a chocolate crust? Just use chocolate wafer crumbs instead of the graham cracker crumbs. Very good idea indeed.
- If you’d like more crunch in your life, use chunky peanut butter or add chopped peanuts to the crust.
- Ganache chocolate options can include semi-sweet, or dark if you aren’t feeling like bittersweet. Making ganache is a cool thing- when you start stirring you might think :fuck, I have screwed this up”, but just keep stirring. It will all come together. It always does.
- No peanut butter chips? You could always just use regular chocolate chips.
- Yes, you can freeze this… thaw in the fridge before indulging.
- Enjoy!
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June 29th, 2013 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: Brownies & Bars, Chocolate, Peanut Butter