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no-bake chocolate peanut butter bars with rice krispies

Grandma’s Peanut Butter Bars

February 3, 2012 ·
no-bake chocolate peanut butter bars with rice krispies

In several posts I have talked about my grandma.  I have shared about her love of baking (and her grandchildrens’ love of her baking!)  I have shared one of her recipes.  I have also shared that these Peanut Butter Bars are my favorite of her recipes, which is a bold statement considering all of her ‘Grandma Goodies’ were superb!

Many years before she died, my grandma wrote out several of her recipes and gifted recipe boxes to my brother and to me.  I am so grateful she included the recipe for these bars.  As a child, little did I realize how quick and easy these are to make.   These delicious bars have a simple ingredient list and require no baking.  A reason to love them even more!

no-bake chocolate peanut butter bars with rice krispies

If you’re looking for a last minute treat to whip together for the Super Bowl, these couldn’t be any easier.  And your friends will love you!

Grandma’s Peanut Butter Bars
 
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Easy, no-bake peanut butter bars made with Rice Krispies and topped with chocolate. This is one of my favorite recipes that my grandma used to make.
Yields: 16 bars
Ingredients
  • 1 cup natural peanut butter, chunky
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1½ cups Rice Krispies cereal (or other puffed rice cereal)
  • 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, beat peanut butter and melted butter until fluffy.
  2. Add powdered sugar, beating until blended.
  3. By hand, stir in cereal.
  4. Put mixture in 8" or 9" square baking pan and use waxed paper to press mixture to fill out pan. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  5. Melt chocolate chips (in microwave or stovetop) and pour over peanut butter mixture. Spread until evenly covered. Refrigerate until chocolate is set, at least 1 hour.

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coconut chocolate bars {Alida's Kitchen}

Coconut Chocolate Bars

December 16, 2011 ·
coconut chocolate bars {Alida's Kitchen}

These bars are three layers of coconut, chocolate and brown sugar bliss!  While the layering may make them seem involved, these bars could not be any quicker or easier to make.  First you start with a brown sugar crust – bake for 10 minutes.  Then sprinkle the chocolate over the crust, put back in the oven for a minute to soften the chocolate, and spread evenly.  Last you make the coconut topping, spread over the chocolate layer, and bake again (be careful not to over bake).  The result is an elegant and delicious bar cookie that is sure to delight and impress!

coconut chocolate bars {Alida's Kitchen}
Coconut Chocolate Bars
 
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Yields: 36 bars
Ingredients
  • 1½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup brown sugar, packed
  • ½ cup (1 stick) light butter, cut into chunks
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1½ cup sweetened flaked coconut
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, butter and salt until crumbly. (While messy, I found using fingers works best). Pat into baking pan and bake for 10 minutes.
  3. Sprinkle chocolate pieces over crust and put back in oven for about 1 minute to soften chocolate. Spread chocolate evenly over crust.
  4. In a medium bowl, beat eggs until thick and lemon colored. Beat in sugar and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt and fold into sugar mixture. Fold in coconut. Spread evenly over chocolate layer. Bake 15-20 minutes (be careful not to over bake). Cool in pan and cut into 3x1-inch bars.

 

Source: back of C & H brown sugar bag

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mint cookies 'n cream brownies {Alida's Kitchen}

Mint Cookies ‘n Cream Brownies

December 14, 2011 ·
mint cookies 'n cream brownies {Alida's Kitchen}

Chocolate and mint are a classic combination this time of year, and fortunately these brownies couldn’t be any easier to make.  Besides how could you not love chunks of cookies in a brownie!  The cookies I used for these brownies were Trader Joe’s Candy Cane Joe Joe’s (which are amazing, by the way).   I assume mint Oreo’s, or whatever your favorite brand, would work just great.   The cookies make these brownies so dangerously delicious, they will be a welcome addition to any holiday treat plate!

Mint Cookies ‘n Cream Brownies
 
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Yields: 36 brownies
Ingredients
  • BROWNIE:
  • ½ cup light butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1½ cups chocolate syrup
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 12 mint cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, quartered
  • Cooking spray
  • MINT CREAM:
  • ½ cup light butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons skim milk
  • ½ teaspoon mint extract
  • 3 mint cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, well-crushed
  • additional chopped cookies for topping, as desired
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in chocolate syrup until well blended.
  3. Fold in flour, mixing just until blended. Fold in chopped cookies.
  4. Pour mixture into prepared baking pan. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack.
  5. Once cooled, frost with Mint Cream (recipe below) and cut into squares.
  6. In a medium bowl, cream butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add mint extract and then gradually add milk, beating until desired consistency is achieved. Mix in crushed cookies.
  7. Spread over cooled brownies and top with additional chopped cookies, as desired.
Adapted from Taste of Home
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Brown Sugar Brownies

September 26, 2011 ·

Back in college, I had a recipe for Brown Sugar Brownies.  They were honestly the best brownies I’ve ever had (aside from my grandmother’s of course). I still remember them, but that was ages ago, and sadly my dear recipe is long gone.  Fast forward to a few weeks ago, I was in the middle of baking and ran out of brown sugar.  Mike went on an emergency brown sugar run for me.  When he set the bag down on the counter, it happened to be recipe-side up (hmm…do you think that was intentional?).  What did I see?  Brown Sugar Brownies!

Quick and easy to prepare, this recipe makes a delicious brownie that is more fudgy than cakey.  In fact, they are light and airy and almost melt in your mouth.  Now, I used dark chocolate that I received from the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program with Ghiardelli.  This would be delicious using unsweetened per the original recipe, but I was pleasantly susprised at the results with what I used.  I also used light butter, which has half the fat and calories of regular butter.  I like using light butter when I can, because if it works why not, right? 

Now for the best part.  If I told you these brownies were under 115 calories each, would you believe it?  I hardly believed it myself!  I did the calculation a few days after making them (and after I had already eaten a few bars).  I was eating half a brownie each time because I expected they would come in a lot higher.   I did the calculation once, checked it again.  It’s true.  These babies clock in around 112!

Brown Sugar Brownies
Yields 16 brownies

1/2 cup (1 stick) light butter, melted and cooled
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 ounces unsweetened OR dark chocolate (such as Ghirardelli Twilight Delight), melted, cooled slightly
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
powdered sugar (optional)

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Spray 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until combined.
  3. Beat in eggs, adding one at at time. 
  4. Stir in melted chocolate and vanilla.
  5. Gently fold in flour, until combined.
  6. Pour mixture into pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool completely.  Cut into squares, and sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

Adapted from back of sugar bag (recipe found here here)

Disclaimer: While this is not my formal write up of my experience with Ghirardelli chocolate, I feel obligated to disclose the following:  “As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program, I was provided with Ghirardelli chocolate for free.  The details of my experience are exclusively my opinion, and I was not otherwise influenced or compensated.”  I will be sharing a full write up of my experience later this week. 

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