Homemade Peanut Butter Cup {Bars} Recipe

I didn’t discover the Reese’s peanut butter cup until high school. And I didn’t like them until college. This is the sad truth. Somewhere in the first few weeks of my pregnancy with my son, I began to CRAVE peanut butter cups. I thought about them too much. And being a fan of homemade versions, I scoured the internet for DIY Reese’s peanut butter cup recipes. Some people make perfect replicas, and really quite impressive to look at. Mine is not fancy–but it is addictive. … and delicious. They also taste good at room temperature, frozen, and refrigerated. It doesn’t matter. Every bite is pure bliss.

The list of ingredients for my version of a Reese’s peanut butter cup are simple: peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar, graham crackers, and chocolate. Nothing complicated. Plus, I happened to have all the ingredients on hand in bulk because of a failed attempt at a family getaway last weekend. You see, this past weekend my husband subjected me to something awful: staying in a one room lake cabin with our family and sharing a bed with our four-year-old daughter. My son was stuffed in a pack-and-play in the bathroom, and between my husband and his spread eagle limbs, and my daughter and her flailing limbs, I got minimal sleep. I actually woke up thinking that had been the longest night of my life. The next morning, my daughter asked when she could go home and sleep in her own bed. We cut our trip short by one night and drove home, where we all slept happily in our beds/cribs.

But what we forfeited in coming home a night early was our s’mores event. We’d planned on building a campfire and roasting marshmallows. Sadly, it rained, so we just drove home. So then I was left with the terrible burden of a bag of jumbo marshmallows, graham crackers, and Hershey’s bars. I decided to not let the poor things go to waste, and while the marshmallows don’t factor into today’s recipe, I’m sure my kids will find good use for them in the very near future.

Homemade Peanut Butter Cup {Bars} Recipe

1 1/2 Cups Creamy Peanut Butter (to make it healthier, substitute light peanut butter)

1 stick of melted butter

2 sleeves of graham crackers, crushed

2 tbsp. Shortening

1 1/2 Cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups Chocolate Chips, melted

1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

First, place your graham crackers into a gallon-sized Ziploc baggie and use a wooden rolling pin to crush the crackers into coarse pieces. Or, use a food processor and pulse until it looks like picture below.

Then, place the stick of butter in a microwave safe bowl covered with a paper towel and microwave 45-60 seconds until the butter is completely melted. Mix the graham crackers and butter in a large bowl, adding in a 1 1/4 cups of the peanut butter and the powdered sugar, mixing combined.

Then, grease a 8×8 pan and press the mixture down with your hands until it is one homogeneous layer.

Next, take the chocolate chips and shortening and place them in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds, then stir. Continue with that pattern of heating and stirring until the chips are completely melted, then add the remaining 1/4 cup of peanut butter and the vanilla extract.

Quickly, pour the chocolate layer over the graham layer and smooth it out with a spatula. Now, lick the spatula place the pan into the freezer or refrigerator until it sets up and the chocolate layer is hardened. To serve these delectable Peanut Butter Cup {Bars}, use a sharp knife and cut squares of the goodness for everyone you know.

You will be famous.

People will love you.

Your kids will think you’re amazing.

Your husband will want to marry you all over again.

I hope you like these Homemade Peanut Butter Cup {Bars} as much as I always do!

Copyright © Charis Freije, Moms of Faith®, All Rights Reserved

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