Chocolate Peanut-Butter Overdose 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.  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 Overdose Bars

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 2 cups organic sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup butter
• 1/4 cup organic unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 16-oz jar of peanut butter (no sugar added – important!)

Instructions (works for high-altitude with no changes):

• 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 on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.  Spread the peanut butter gently over the warm cake.  Then let it cool completely.

Fudge Icing

(I’ll give the directions for the original cake, but if I were to make it again, I think I would cut the icing in half.)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup organic unsweetened cocoa powder
• 16 oz powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

• 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.

As I mentioned, this cake is very, very rich, so I sliced it into small bars.  Once the icing sets, it cuts cleanly and you can see the nice layering of the peanut butter and fudge.  I got 24 bars out of it.

Need a really nice 9X13″ baking pan?  Here’s a great one from Wilton with a cover and very inexpensive – from Amazon.

Wilton Recipe Right 9×13 Oblong Pan with Cover