Peanut Butter Bars

It took me a while, but I did get around to trying out a peanut butter version of Nanaimo bars.

My hips truly wish that I hadn’t.

Now, I used natural peanut butter because that is all I have in the house and to be honest, you should pick some up for the recipe. I can’t stand hydrogenated oil and while I love butter better than anything, hydrogenated oil is evil and has no place in baking whatsover.

*hops off soapbox*

Ingredients Needed:

Bottom Layer:
1/2 cup of butter
2 tbsp of sugar
1 egg
2 1/2 cups of chocolate graham wafer crumbs
1 cup of crushed peanuts

Middle Layer
1/3 cup of butter
3/4 natural peanut butter
1 cup of icing sugar
5 tbsp of cream

Topping:
1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp of butter

Melt the butter and sugar together in a saucepan, when it’s melted together quickly beat in the egg, making sure there are no lumps.

Crush up a cup of peanuts and mix together with the graham crumbs. Pour the melted butter sugar mixture in and combine well.

Press into a 9×9 pan. It will feel greasy, but once it hardens in the fridge it holds together perfectly.

Cream all the ingredients for the middle layer together with your mixer.

Mmmmm. Peanutty goodness.

Spread the peanut butter mixture on top of the crumb base, due to the peanut butter it isn’t as creamy, so you can actually press it down with your hands as well.

Melt the topping mixture and pour it over the top.

If you want, you can add peanuts on top, it makes it all purty.

Refrigerate the bars for a few hours, then cut and serve.