CHOCOLATE GANACHE PEANUT BUTTER BARS

For anyone who loves the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, these chocolate ganache peanut butter bars are for you. These are thick chewy peanut butter bars topped with a silky chocolate ganache then served as is or topped with chopped peanuts or sprinkled with sea salt. These bars are irresistible and decadent.

I have been working on this recipe for years. My first goal was to produce a moist chewy bar loaded with peanut butter flavor. I've tried all natural peanut butter and the type we grew up (you know what brand I'm talking about). Unfortunately, the all natural peanut butter didn’t produce great results and made the bars mealy. So Skippy it is.

I also tried grinding roasted peanuts with flour. I figured it would add a nice crunchiness to the bar along with flavor. Instead, I found it was an extra step not worth doing. The bits of peanuts were good, but it made you choke because it was harsh against the throat. It wasn't fun asking people to eat your peanut butter bars and have them choke after chewing. So, unless you're prepared to perform the Heimlich maneuver, I suggest you skip this step.

When they come out of the oven, the top of the bars are even. After cooling, the top will sink a bit and that’s perfect. The higher edges form a reservoir to contain the chocolate ganache we're going to pour on top.

These need to be refrigerated to allow for the ganache to harden otherwise you're going to have a mess. You can also freeze these to speed up the process. If you're using a glass baking pan, make sure you don't go straight from the oven to freezer of the pan my burst. Let it cool a bit first.

The baking pan is lined with parchment with an overhang on the side which act like handles. This makes slicing easier and gives a clean cut.

The bars are thick and chewy with a nice toothsome texture. You can dress them up any way you want.

These chocolate ganache peanut butter bars are rich and decadent, therefore, you may want to slice on the smaller size. These are a must for anyone obsessed with the taste of peanut butter and chocolate. Make these and you will see what I mean.

WANT MORE PEANUT BUTTER FLAVOR?

Instead of using vanilla, you can use peanut butter whiskey. Yes, there is such a thing and it's pretty awesome in this recipe. You can also use bourbon which has been my go-to since vanilla prices went through the roof.

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Chocolate Ganache Peanut Butter Bars

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Thick chewy peanut butter bars topped with silky chocolate ganache are simply irresistible.

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 bars

Author: Natalie Gregory

Equipment Used

9x9-inch baking pan

stand mixer

Spatula

Cooling Rack

Mixing Bowl

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter See Notes 1
• 1 ½ cups light brown sugar packed
• 1 large egg room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla or bourbon See Notes 2
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Ganache

• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 cup (8 ounces) semi sweet chocolate chips

Additional toppings:

• Maldon sea salt
• ¼ cup Salted roasted peanuts chopped

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Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Grease a 9x9 inch square pan with butter or use baking spray.
• Mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda.
• In a bowl of electric mixer, beat butter, peanut butter, and sugars until smooth, about 3 minutes.  Add in vanilla and egg.  Mix to combine.
• Add in dry ingredients and mix until combined.
• Spread evenly into pan and bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden and set.
• Let cool on wire rack. 

Make Ganache topping:

• Combine the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl and cook in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir with a fork as it acts as a mini whisk. Continue heating at 15-30 second intervals, stirring until chocolate is smooth and melted.

  Alternatively, place the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until the edges start to bubble. Pour the hot cream on top of the chocolate chips and stir until melted.
• Pour ganache evenly over the bars. Spread evenly over the top or tilt pan to let it run to sides and corners. Place the pan in the fridge or freezer until the chocolate is set. Once cooled, cut into squares. You can cut larger bars which will yield you 16 or smaller bars of 24.
• Top with your choice of toppings or serve plain.

Notes

Notes 1: I don't recommend natural peanut butter here.

Notes 2: If you have peanut butter whiskey, you can use it here. It gives a very nice flavor to these bars. I have a bottle on-hand to use for all my peanut butter recipes.

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