Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars AKA Party In Your Mouth

Pinterest viewing can be fattening to your health. I saw a picture on Pinterest of a Chocolate Peanut Bar (they called it a Reese's bar but I really don't want to be sued by Reese's since it contains no actual Reese's) and it reminded me of my Starbucks days. I worked at Starbucks for six years. It was a great job in college and I have fond memories of sitting down after a shift with a hot cocoa and a chocolate peanut butter bar to study. Plus the recipe called for graham cracker crumbs, which leads me to the question- Why the heck are crumbs sold in such big boxers? I was more than happy to use up the rest of the box I had on these. I think it was originally from a cheesecake a few years ago.

The original recipe can be found on Let's Dish Recipes. 

I adapted it slightly to use up some extra Hershey bars from s'more season and after doing the first batch realized I would halve the amounts of the peanut butter layer to make a more balanced bar. Also, I make it in a square Pyrex not the 9*13 that was originally recommended. This recipe is by no means a healthy recipe so it's best made when you know it will be shared. Otherwise (if you're like me) you'll just grab a piece every time you open the fridge. 

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup peanut butter (I spray the measuring cup with cooking spray so the pb slides out.)

1 cup confectioner's sugar

4 Hershey bars (1.55 oz bars) broken up into the squares

1 more large spoonful of peanut butter (roughly 2 TBS)

1. Melt the butter in a microwave or pan. In a bowl mix the melted butter, 1/2 cup of peanut butter, confectioner's sugar and graham cracker crumbs and stir until well mixed into a paste. Spray a square glass pan (9*9) with cooking spray then line the bottom with the paste. Even out the top so it is as smooth as possible. 

2. In a microwave safe bowl heat the pieces of Hershey bar and the large spoonful of peanut butter until the bars are melt-y. Stir and put back in for a few more seconds if you feel like it's not smooth enough. Just be careful, burnt chocolate does not taste good! Spread the chocolate peanut butter mixture on top of the peanut butter layer and smooth out the top.

3. Put the pan in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Cut into squares and eat with friends! Beware they are addictive! I have found that storage in the fridge is best but taking them out and setting them on the counter for 5 minutes makes them easiest to cut. 

And yes I keep a fork & knife in the pan for ease of eating :) The fact that this many remain 4 days after I made them is a testament to my willpower.

I always have lots of help eating them.... 

Last Minute Zombie Birthday Party

The best laid plans go awry. This is what I learned this week. This past Saturday we held my son's 8th birthday party. My husband gave me a hug right before the party and congratulated me on pulling it off. Then he admitted that if we had bet money he would have bet against me. Thanks dear.

The child had requested a zombie party. We're still in that phase where none of our friends have kids, my sister and her husband haven't produced any cousins yet, and my own cousins are not quite old enough to have kids. So, our parties tend to be more of adult affairs celebrating the birthday child. The plan had been that I would pick up my son in Boston (closest nonstop for an unaccompanied minor flight) and we would drive back up to Vermont . Arriving home in the early afternoon we'd prepare for the party and go grocery shopping. Easy right? Well, of course it didn't go like that. His flight arrived in over 3 hours late, putting us 4 hours behind schedule by the time we got his bag. We made it out of Boston close to 1pm. With a 3 hour and 45 minute drive ahead of us (not counting any stops) the fact that I'm in my 3rd trimester kicked in. Some annoying contractions which I counteracted by drinking water, translated to many many bathroom breaks. Sore to the core, gravity and my giant stomach were not friends. The boy? He slept happily. Upon arriving home close to 7pm I was so sore and cranky that a nap on the couch turned into bedtime.
Waking up at 6 am Saturday I quickly realized I had to throw an entire party together. I had spent some of my time in the airport writing out a grocery list and doing mock menus based on being cheap and easy. I had some chicken thighs in the freezer that had been marked down by $4 and luckily had remembered to take them out to thaw. I threw those into the crockpot with a can of Verner's ginger ale, a little rotisserie spice and enough water to cover the chicken. And then it came time to tackle cleaning... because the house needed to be ready for both guests and overnight guests. The boy sprayed wood cabinets and windexed things. The toddler loves the Swiffer so I decided to actually put a sweeper pad on it and she did a pretty decent job. My husband shuttled totes of junk upstairs out of sight. Running around like a maniac for a few hours and the house was cleaned, everyone was showered and dressed, 2 loaves of bread had been baked and 2 more were rising. It was time to grocery shop.
Upon arriving at the store I realized my list was home on the counter. So we winged it a bit. After managing a quick grocery run we arrived home with 1 hour to spare before folks were going to show up. After getting groceries put away, I had 40 minutes to throw it all together. The last 2 loaves of bread went in the oven and the 8 year old was recruited as my sous chef.
First order of business, apple slice mouths. I've seen these floating around on Pinterest and I thought they'd be good for the "undead" theme. After slicing the apples using a traditional apple slicer I cut each piece in half again. The skinnier the slices are the easier they are to work with.

Spray with lemon juice/water mixture to prevent browning. 

Spread a slice with peanut butter.

Add 3 mini marshmallows, making sure to leave space at the back of the slice.

Set a 2nd slice vertically upright on the back of the slice.  

Very smiley. 

And now to quickly throw together a meal! Grapes were washed, kiwis were cut, and additional plain apple slices were put out. A cup of vanilla yogurt was mixed with a tablespoon of honey and a teaspoon of lemon juice to make the quickest dip ever. The bread was sliced up, mayo and mustard were dished out, and lettuce, avocado, and cheese were sliced up. We went easy here- items were laid out on one large platter and on cutting boards. My husband was put on chicken shredding duty. He removed the skin and bones and shredded it so thoroughly that my son said "is that tuna?". 

Sliced sandwich making, sliced bread & condiments. 

Fruit plate and dip. 

Shredded chicken and "Zombie Blood Punch". 

And for the finishing touch to lunch we made up some Zombie Blood Punch. The container is a 4 liter container, roughly 135 oz. We mixed 24 oz of cranberry juice, 24 oz of apple juice, 48 oz of Hawaiian punch, and the remainder (roughly 39 oz) I filled with gingerale. It was delicious.

The cupcakes were popped into the oven to bake. I went easy here with a Duncan Hines chocolate mix. I've always found cupcakes easier for kids parties. 

Lunch went well and while everyone was hanging out I did a quick decorating job on the cupcakes. I mixed vanilla frosting with a few squeezes of red food coloring to yield a pink color. It went into a decorating tube with a skinny attachment and brains were created by simply squiggling back and forth on each side of the cupcake and drawing a line up the middle. I thought they looked pretty brainy and if I missed brains then they certainly hit on rib cages :). Mason jar iced tea and more punch went out for dessert. 

Cupcakes, punch, and iced tea.

Brain cupcakes.

And that's my version of the half day prep zombie party. What's the fastest you've every thrown a party together?

Black Bean Brownies with Peanut Butter

Black bean brownies. I first heard about them when I was pregnant with my first daughter. They sounded suspicious. I mean, who puts a can of black beans in dessert? They came out perfect though. Everytime- delicious, moist, cakey- everything I wanted in a brownie. My husband brought some to work and the pan came back without even a crumb left in it. Over the years we've experimented with recipes and they are very open to changes in add-in ingredients. Below is what I've settled on as our favorite. There is no oil, no butter, no egg, and no dairy. These brownies are vegan- you can add in 1/4 cup of milk without changing anything else in the recipe if you want them a little fluffier and more cake-like.

Black Bean Brownies (Cost $3.34 for recipe- .37/brownie)
(makes a square pan- 9 brownies)

1 15 oz can black beans, make sure they're plain & don't have added "Mexican" flavors .89
1 cup sugar ($3.69 per 5lb bag) .34
3/4 cup flour ($11.99 per 25lb bag, 13 cents per cup) .20
1/2 cup cocoa powder (I had bought generic store brand awhile back that I used- normally I try to get it in the bulk section at City Market so that it's good quality. $2.49/8 oz container) $1.25
1/2 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup peanut butter (you can substitute this with any other add-ins, we sometimes do coconuts, nuts, chocolate chips, dried cherries, etc) (5.65 for 64 oz container, .09/oz) .36
1/4 cup of semisweet chocolate chips to sprinkle on top (optional) (24 oz bag is $3.69) .30
1 tsp vanilla (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray square glass 9" pan with cooking spray. In a food processor with the blade attachment dump a drained and rinsed can of black beans. Fill the can up 1/4 full with water and add that as well. Process until smooth. Add in sugar and puree.

Beans pureed with water.

2. Add in all other ingredients except for any chunks (chocolate chips, nuts, etc). If you don't want to use the peanut butter you don't have to- the texture of the brownies will be a little fluffier without the density of the peanut butter, 1 cup of chocolate chips is a great substitute. You will need to mix those in by hand so that they don't get chopped into tiny pieces. Once everything is mixed (and you have added any chunks by hand) place batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle top with chocolate chips if desired.

Add dry ingredients.

Process until smooth and add the peanut butter.

Spread in the pan, making sure to cover the whole pan and sprinkle with chocolate chips.

3. Bake for 30-40 minutes, checking for doneness at 30 minutes and adjusting cooking time if necessary.

When they are cooked the brownies will be completely matte on top with no shine.

4. When done cooking let the brownies cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before cutting. I know this is hard. My husband sits there and "watches" them for 10 minutes. But if you try cutting them too early it makes a big flaky mess. Enjoy!