I love chocolate and I love peanut butter, so whenever I find a recipe for chocolate peanut butter squares, I’m all over it! But, while I’m stoked to share this dish with you, today I have an entirely different reason for being excited.
I come from a family that loves to cook. I remember baking as far back as I can remember being tall enough to reach the kitchen counter, with my earliest projects being massive cinnamon rolls and light, flaky pie crusts. I remember making divinity at age 10, and pâte à choux when I was a mere 7 years old. Looking back, I recall wanting to be a pastry chef and cake decorator when I grew up. Kids like that usually come from families who spend a lot of time in the kitchen.
I review a lot of cookbooks in the media, but today I’m proud to share one from my aunt, Marla Warden-Holm. Her new book, Holm-made Cookin’, contains some of the tastiest dishes to grace the Texas faction of my family’s dining room tables. The dish I’m sharing below, Marla’s No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares recipe, is a simple dish that takes almost no work to prepare. You kids will love the richness of the chocolate and peanut butter, and busy moms will appreciate the set-it-and-forget-it prep. Serious win! Be sure to check out the cookbook for more Holm-based treats. 
No-Bake Peanut Butter Squares Recipe
By Marla Warden-Holm
Yield: 36 squares
Ingredients:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 3/4 cups gluten-free graham cracker crumbs
- 1 cup chopped roasted peanuts
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup peanuts, crushed (optional)
Recipe method:
1. Line a 9″ x 9″ x 2″ pan with foil, leaving 1-inch of foil hanging out on opposite sides of the pan.
2. Mix powdered sugar, butter, 1 cup of the peanut butter, and vanilla in a large bowl. Stir in graham cracker crumbs and peanuts (mixture will be stiff). Press into pan.
3. Heat chocolate chips and remaining 1/4 cup of peanut butter in a small pot over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Spread over crumb layer in pan. Sprinkle with peanuts and push into chocolate. Cover and refrigerate until chocolate is set, about 1 hour.
4. Remove bars from pan, using the foil to lift it up and out. Fold back foil and cut into 36 squares.
5. Refrigerate again, uncovered, for 2 hours. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
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Sounds yummy. I bet my son would love “helping” make these!
I love love love these kinds of bars, reminds me of going to my Aunt Clela’s house. The aunts have got the bar thing down pat.
Wow these look so decadent. I could so be all over these! One bite = whole pan
So glad to be back in the land of the eating. These look great.
I love the combo of chocolate and peanut butter too. These bards look yummy!
Yum. I guess it’s a good thing that they’re cut into 36 pieces! But I have a feeling I could easily polish of 8 of them at a time…
I think Dan will be requesting a batch of these in 3… 2… 1…
how nice you get to share a recipe from your aunt’s cookbook…
I had chocolate peanut butter squares a couple of times when I used to go to this restaurant where I stayed at. This recipe looks easy and delicious.
Thanks for the recipe, I will give it a try for myself this weekend. I will also check out Marla’s “Holm-made Cookin” book to see what other great stuff I can find. Thanks again for sharing.
Only thing to add to these would be a tall, cold glass of milk (almond, of course!).
So yummy! I love chocolate and peanut butter so I will (obviously) be makling these soon!
These look amazing! I cannot wait to try them! Thank you for sharing!!!
Wow – this looks delicious and super-easy, too!
I am so honored and flattered that Stephanie would share one of my recipes. I am honored to be a part of this wonderful family.
Be looking for Holm-Made Desserts to be released fall 2011. I would be honored if everyone would check it out on http://www.amazon.com or http://www.barnesandnoble.com .
Does anyone have source suggestiond for these gluten free grahm crackers?
Erica,
Here is just one website that offers gluten free graham crackers.
http://consumer.kinnikinnick.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/consumer.home.html
This site has everything imaginable gluten free.
Also at http://www.glutenfreely.com/ourstore/Desserts?gclid=CKyZh62R8qoCFYWW7Qod-RqOPA& there are tons of gluten free products and some wafers/cookies that you can use in place of graham crackers.
Lastly…. check out http://www.glennys.com/Gluten-free for lots of gluten free products.
Hope this helps.
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