Chocolate Peanut-Butter Bars
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Sometimes, you just need chocolate, right? Lots and lots of moist, fudge-y cake topped with a layer of peanut butter and smothered in more chocolate fudge icing.
I came across this recipe from a friend, and I’ve modified it to eliminate the artificial ingredients, and I cut the fudge icing by half. It’s made with 50% whole wheat/50% unbleached flour, organic peanut butter and natural cocoa. It makes a 9X13″ pan and – I’m tellin’ ya – just a small piece will send your guests into Chocolate Orbit.
To top it off, it’s a really easy cake to make. Give it a try!
Chocolate Peanut-Butter Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 cup Unbleached Flour
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 cup Butter
- 1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 cup Water
- 1/2 cup Buttermilk
- 2 lg Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 16 oz Peanut Butter no sugar added - important!
Fudge Icing
- 1/4 cup Butter
- 3 tbsp Buttermilk
- 4 tbsp Cocoa Powder
- 8 oz Powdered Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9X13" baking pan
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar and baking soda with a whisk. Set aside.
- Combine water, buttermilk and eggs in a medium bowl and whisk until slightly frothy.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in cocoa powder until combined. Then add the buttermilk mixture.
- Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until just evenly boiling.
- Add this HOT mixture to the flour and beat until smooth - maybe 2 minutes or so. Add vanilla midway.
- Spread the batter into your prepared pan.
- Bake at 350 F for 35 minutes, or until a pick comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Spread the peanut butter gently over the warm cake. Then let it cool completely.
Fudge Icing
- Place the sugar in a large mixing bowl. Melt the butter over medium heat (you can use the same pan you used before – less clean-up!)
- Add the buttermilk, then cocoa and stir constantly until mixture boils as before
- Pour the HOT mixture over the sugar and beat until smooth. It should reach an almost pourable consistency – if it turns dough-y, you’ll need a little bit more melted butter and buttermilk.
- Stir in vanilla. Gently spread the icing over the peanut butter, then let the icing set for a while in a cool place (I covered mine with foil and put it in the fridge for about 30 minutes).Slice and serve.
Notes
If you’re planning on carrying a cake to an event or a neighbor, you’ll need a handy pan with a cover. I prefer a stainless steel pan for this, as you’ll most likely be cutting and serving from the pan, and aluminum or non-stick pans will scratch immediately. Here’s a high-quality pan that will last longer than YOU. 
