BY
Thanks to everyone who entered our recent giveaway, congrats to the winners! For the rest of you, if you can’t win the toy, you can at least eat something that will make your tummy happy. And I promise these will make it very, very happy. They only take a few ingredients and you don’t even have to bake them. Best part? They taste just like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Seriously, they’ll make you swoon.Start with some crushed graham crackers. If you’re like me and find half-eaten packs in the back of your pantry that are too stale for eating, they work great.
Then in goes powdered sugar and some peanut butter. Chunky or smooth peanut butter will work, but I think smooth is better.
And just in case something made out of powdered sugar, graham crackers and peanut butter isn’t good enough, let’s add a bunch of melted butter. To be on the safe side.
Now at this point you could take the bowl over to the couch and sit in front of the TV and turn on the Biggest Loser or something while licking your fingers between each bite. Not that I’ve done that, but I’m just sayin…
Or you can press it into a pan. Line it with something (parchment, foil, waxed paper) to make your life easier a couple hours from now.
Set that aside and get out some chocolate chips. Melt them in the microwave with a bit of shortening to make it easier to work with.
Keep melting until it’s nice and smooth
And then dump it on top of the peanut butter mixture.
Let’s do it in slow motion just for dramatic effect.
There it goes…
That’s the good stuff right there.
Now spread it out nice and smooth and pop that pan in the fridge.
The trick is to let the bars chill until the chocolate is just set so it’s still easy to cut. Otherwise you get a soft bottom and a really hard top, so you just smash everything. However, if you happen to let it chill all the way, it’s not the end of the world, I actually did that with this batch pictured. The trick then is to use a sharp serrated knife and score the cuts a few times until you cut all the way through. It works great!
*Tip: Love this tip from one you readers! Instead of adding shortening to the chocolate topping, add a scoop of peanut butter. That will prevent the top from getting solid and it will taste yummy!
Once the bars are cut, they can go back into the fridge to set all the way.
Or you can just eat them. You’ll probably want to just eat them.
No Bake Reece’s Peanut Butter Bars
1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
1 lb (3 1/2 C) powdered sugar
1 1/2 C creamy peanut butter
1 C (2 sticks) real butter, melted
1 12oz bag chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet, or dark, you pick!)
2 tsp shortening
In a large mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar and peanut butter and butter and beat until combined. Press into a parchment (or waxed paper or foil) lined 9×13 pan.
Place chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals, stirring after each one, until melted and smooth. Pour chocolate over peanut butter mixture and spread out evenly. Place pan in the fridge just until chocolate is set and then cut into bars. Tip: If the bars chill until the chocolate is too hard to easily cut, use a sharp knife and score the cuts first, then gently cut through. Can be stored in the fridge or at room temp. They will stay firmer if stored in the fridge.
*Tip: Love this tip from one you readers! Instead of adding shortening to the chocolate topping, add a scoop of peanut butter. That will prevent the top from getting solid and it will taste yummy!
Lisle- that is a *great* idea!
Ramsey- I think it's a little over 1 pack.
SMW- glad I'm not the only one who has the urge to eat during Biggest Loser! lol
oh my!!! now, this is lowfat, right?? 🙂 i'm so making these soon! i'm sure I can come up with a reason!!
Oh my, I laughed at the Biggest Loser comment. That show always makes me so hungry for some reason!
Yummy! We all love the chocolate peanut butter combo at our house:)
How many graham crackers make up 1 1/2 cups crushed?
Approx. a pack and a half make 1 1/2 cups of chrushed graham crackers
That's my kind of treat. I'll just ahve to share with others so I don't eat the whole pan by myself!
I love making these! I like them with chunky peanut butter. At my house, because I am the girl who puts stuff in the fridge to cool and forgets time, I skip the shortening with the chocolate, and use a tablespoon or so of creamy peanut butter with the chocolate chips for the topping. It never sets up as hard, and keeps the awesome flavor going.
Wowww it looks so yummmmy!Lovely blog sweetie!
These are one of my fave all time cookie bars. Back when I was a young dinosaur these were served in my school cafeteria(you know, when lunch ladies still cooked everything from scratch). I found an issue of Family Circle years ago that had this bar in it & the grease stained pages are a tesament to how much I love them.
Those look so yummy! Peanut butter is a biggie in our house. Plus, anything that doesn't require baking has my vote!
P.S. I think I believe you now since you posted it on your blog (hee hee).