I had another recipe I planned on sharing today, but it’ll have to wait because it’s Friday which means we made it through the week and I think we could all use a little chocolate peanut butter fudge reward.
More specifically, a peanut butter cookie crumb crust, peanut butter fudge filling, chocolate and peanut butter ganache topped reward. Yippee!
I have another reason to be excited for this weekend. Tomorrow is my birthday so these chocolate peanut butter bars are an early birthday treat I’m sharing with my coworkers.
I know, I fall into a small percentage of adults who actually love their birthday. But it’s not just my own birthday I enjoy celebrating, I love birthdays in general. Celebrating a loved one’s birthday is the absolute best because birthdays are a big deal. You get an entire day to celebrate someone’s life, and that is such a gift.
So to kick off the birthday weekend celebrations, I whipped up these easy but incredibly decadent chocolate swirl peanut butter fudge bars. The base is crushed up Nutter Butter cookies mixed with peanut butter and butter and the filling is more peanut butter whipped with butter, confectioner’s sugar, and vanilla. The two get glued together with a peanut butter ganache and everything get’s topped with dark chocolate ganache. Leftover peanut butter ganache gets swirled over the top of these bars to create a fun marbling effect.
Can I just say how thankful I am that no one I work with has a peanut allergy?
The rest of the weekend plans have yet to be determined but they will probably include sleeping in, flutes of champagne, and cake for breakfast because I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate.
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Bars
For the Crust
- 12 Oz Nutter Butter Cookies, crushed
- 3 Tbsp Melted Butter
- 2 Tbsp Peanut Butter
For the Filling
- 2 – 2 1/2 Cups Confectioner’s Sugar
- 1 1/2 Cups Peanut Butter
- 6 Tbsp Butter, softened
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
For the Peanut Butter Ganache
- 1 11 Oz. Bag Peanut Butter Chips
- 6 Tbsp Heavy Cream
For the Chocolate Ganache
- 1 11 Oz. Bag Dark Chocolate Chips
- 6 Tbsp Heavy Cream
Preheat the oven to 350. Crush the cookies using a food processor or by placing the cookies in a plastic bag and smashing with a rolling pin until very fine. Thoroughly combine with the melted butter and peanut butter in a large bowl and press in the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Use a mixer to combine the confectioner’s sugar, peanut butter, butter, and vanilla. You’ll want the filling to be light and creamy so only use enough sugar to make the mixture fluffy. If you find your mixture is dry and crumbly, add more peanut butter until you get a creamy consistency.
Next, add the peanut butter chips and heavy cream for the peanut butter ganache in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring in between each session and being careful not to over heat. I found two 30 second intervals in my microwave was the perfect amount to melt the chips. Pour half of the mixture over the crumb crust and smoother with a knife to cover.
Add the filling on top of the peanut butter ganache by scooping it by the spoonful and placing chunks of it across the entire pan until it’s covered. Wet your fingers and carefully press down on the filling to smooth it and fill in the gaps.
Add the dark chocolate and heavy cream for the chocolate ganache to a microwave safe bowl and follow the same steps for melting the chocolate as the peanut butter chips. Pour over the top of the filling and smooth with a spatula or knife.
While chocolate ganache is still warm, use a spoon to drizzle the remaining peanut butter ganache over the top. Optionally, you can use drag a toothpick across the top to create the marbling effect.
Place in the refrigerator and allow to cool for at least 2 hours. Serve and enjoy!
