No-Bake Peanut Butter Squares

Boy were these good!
adapted from Betty Crocker


2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (36 squares)
½ cup coarsely chopped graham cracker pieces
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
¼ cup peanut butter

Line square pan, 9x9x2 inches, with aluminum foil, leaving 1 inch of foil overhanging on opposite sides.

Mix powdered sugar, butter, 1 cup of peanut butter and the vanilla in large bowl. Stir in cracker crumbs and pieces (mixture will be a little stiff). Press in pan.

Heat chocolate chip and ¼ cup peanut butter over low heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Spread over crumb mixture. Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour or until chocolate is set.

Remove from pan, using foil to lift. Fold back foil; cut peanut butter mixture into 36 (small!) squares. Refrigerate uncovered about 2 hours or until firm. Cover and refrigerate any remaining squares.

*If you want to double this, please don't try putting the entire thing into a 9x13 pan. MUCH too thick and rich. Try sharing between a 9x13 and an 8- or 9-inch square pan.

Peanut Butter and Jam Bars

Really really good. Adapted slightly from Our Best Bites.

Bars:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup strawberry jam (or your favorite flavor)

Glaze:
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons hot water (no more than 2T!)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add peanut butter and mix just until combined. Add egg and vanilla and mix again. Measure out the 1 1/4 cups flour in a separate bowl. Add small amounts to the peanut butter mixture while mixer is running (about 1/4 cup at a time). When about half of the flour is left, add the baking soda and powder to it. Combine it well, then add to the peanut butter dough and mix until all is incorporated.

Reserve one full cup for the topping. Take remaining dough and press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 pan. (Tip: crumble it all across the bottom and then press down with your fingers.)

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until slightly set.

Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Spread jam over the top evenly.

Take the reserved dough and cover jam layer. (Tip: it's easier to flatten little pieces of dough at a time with your fingers, then place on top of jam. Some of the jam will show through when you're finished, but that's fine.)

Bake at 350F for 14-15 minutes. The top should be set and just barely golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on rack in pan.

When cool, mix up the glaze with wire whisk. Pour over top and spread evenly. Let glaze set for a bit to harden a little, then cut into squares.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

long-time family favorite!

½ cup shortening
½ cup peanut butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1¾ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar
1 bag Hershey kisses

Cream shortening and peanut butter. Gradually add sugars. Add unbeaten egg, milk and vanilla. Beat well. Blend in dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly.

Shape by rounded spoonfuls into balls. Roll in a ziploc bag with 1 cup white sugar in it. Place on cookie sheet lined in parchment paper.

Bake 7 to 8 minutes. Press kisses into cookie so cookie cracks around edge. Return to oven for 2 to 5 minutes more, until the chocolate kiss begins to melt.

*can replace kisses with a chocolate candy melt if you need to easily transport these.

Thai Chicken Fettuccine Salad

1 cup salsa
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3 cups cooked fettuccine
2 cups cooked & shredded chicken
salad greens
chopped red pepper

Mix salsa, peanut butter, honey, orange juice, soy and ginger in skillet. Heat through.

Add fettuccine and chicken. Toss until evenly coated. Serve on salad greens, sprinkled with red pepper.

Serves 4.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer Cake

adapted from vanilla sugar and picky palate

Cake:
9 Tablespoons dark cocoa powder
1½ cups cake flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
4 ounces butter, at room temperature
1½ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup chocolate milk
½ cup milk

Adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Butter two 9-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper.

Sift together the cocoa powder, cake flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl.

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer beat together the butter and sugar about 5 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. (If using a standing electric mixer, stop the mixer as necessary to scrape down the sides to be sure everything is getting mixed in.)

Mix together the milks. Stir half of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, the add the milk. Finally stir in the other half of the dry ingredients.

Divide the batter into the two prepared cake pans and bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely.


Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Filling:
12 oz cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 stick salted butter, at room temperature
1½ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
A good pinch of sea salt
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
several chopped Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups (maybe half a bag)

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and butter together.

Slowly add in the confectioners’ sugar — don’t forget to scrape the sides and bottom of bowl. Continue to beat till nice and fluffy, then add in the salt and peanut butter.

Fold in the pb cups by hand, so they don't get ground up.


Ganache
24 ounces 70% cacao bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
2 sticks unsalted butter, cold, chopped into cubes

Melt the chopped chocolate with the heavy cream in a double-boiler.

Stir occasionally until fully melted. Once melted, take off the heat and add in the butter bits.

Whisk very well. The more you whisk, the glossier and smoother the ganache.

Let cook for about an hour and a half.


To Assemble:
Remove first cake from pan and place on cake stand.

Spoon filling onto cake (you may not need all of it), then spread almost to edges.

Top with second cake.

Pour half of cooled ganache over cake, letting it drip down the sides. Let this layer cool, then repeat with remaining ganache. Before it cools completely, top with remaining bag of Reese's Mini Cups, either whole or halved.

Refrigerate cake - covered - for several hours, as this makes it easier to slice. Serve with MILK.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

1 Oreo crust

Filling:
1 cup creamy peanut butter
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1¼ cups powdered sugar
1 (8-ounce) package Cool Whip, thawed

Beat the peanut butter with the cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add in the thawed Cool Whip and beat mixture until smooth, scraping the sides as needed. Pour filling into crust, evening out the top with a knife or spatula. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Duo

adapted from Picky Palate

Peanut Butter Cookie
2 cups creamy peanut butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs

Mix all ingredients together by hand until well combined. Set aside.

Chocolate Chip Cookie
2 sticks softened butter (1 Cup)
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1¼ cups cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Mix the butter and sugars by hand until well combined. Slowly beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined. Place flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl; mix with fork or sift. Add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined.

Take a Tablespoon of peanut butter dough and a Tablespoon of chocolate dough and gently press together forming a "not so perfect" ball. Don't press and roll too much; just stick them together and place onto a silpat- or parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until cookies are cooked through to your liking. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

Brownie Base
1 box (1 lb 6.5 oz) Betty Crocker® Original Supreme brownie mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on brownie mix box

Filling
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk

Topping
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
¼ cup butter

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray or shortening. For easier cutting, line pan with foil, then grease foil on bottom only of pan.

In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, pouch of chocolate syrup, water, oil and eggs until well blended. Spread in pan. Bake 28 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out almost clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

In medium bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over brownie base.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave topping ingredients uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds; stir until smooth. Cool 10 minutes; spread over filling. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until set. For brownies, cut into 9 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

Caramel Crunch Bars

*Makes one 9X13-inch pan of bars*

80 club crackers
1 cup butter
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
1 cup butterscotch morsels

Line an ungreased 9x13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an extension of foil on either end. Line the foil with 1 layer of club crackers.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, milk and sugar. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and spread half of butter mixture evenly over crackers. Place another single layer of crackers evenly over butter mixture, cutting to fit if necessary. Spread remaining butter mixture evenly over crackers. Top evenly with remaining crackers.

In a small saucepan (or in the microwave), combine peanut butter, chocolate morsels, and butterscotch morsels. Melt over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Spread evenly over top of crackers. Cover, and chill for at least 1 hour. Lift foil overhang and remove bars from pan. Cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator.

Puffy Banana Peanut Butter Cup Sweet Grilled Sandwich

adapted from Picky Palate

2 slices bread
¼ Cup creamy peanut butter
½ banana, cut into thin slices
10-12 mini marshmallows
1 Reeses Peanut Butter Cup, normal size
2 Tablespoons soft butter
Powdered sugar to sprinkle on top

1. Spread peanut butter onto both sides of bread. Lay banana slices over one piece of bread and marshmallows over the other piece, pressing down gently. Break apart the Peanut Butter cup and evenly place in between marshmallows. Carefully lay the bread with banana over the marshmallow side and press gently. Spread butter onto both sides of bread and cook both sides in a medium skillet over medium low heat until golden brown and marshmallows are warm and slightly melted.
2. Let cool for 5-7 minutes before slicing. Sprinkle both sides with powdered sugar and serve warm.