Soft And Chewy Peanut Butter Bars

My favorite bar cookies are Peanut Butter Bars.  I had a recipe for Peanut Butter Bars when my kids were little, now it's lost.  Around once or twice a month I would make them and they would fly out of the pan, they loved them so much.  When we moved to our new house 10 years ago, a whole folder of old recipes including the one for these bars, disappeared.  Don't know where it is, who misplaced or threw it out!  I have been on a search, for a recipe for these bars, forever.  I don't even remember where I got the original recipe from. That recipe was baked from scratch, and all I remember is that it was handwritten on an index card, and never to be seen again.

While grocery shopping in different supermarkets, I did find a box version that came close to the homemade bars, but then that was pulled from the market too, can't find it anywhere.  After much searching I am happy to say, I found a recipe that does come close, and after tweaking it a bit, these new Peanut Butter Bars will definitely be in the dessert rotation at our house.

Recipe below.

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I used a box yellow cake mix for this recipe, JIF peanut butter (is there any other brand, NO!).  JIF is my favorite.  Mix the egg, water and peanut butter together.

 Whip it with a hand mixer.

 It will look like the picture on the left, fluffy.  Then add the cake mix.

 It will be more like a soft cookie dough.  Scrape the bowl so all the cake mix is incorporated.

 Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish, use a spatula and start spreading it in the pan.  It's pretty easy to do, as the dough is soft.

Make sure it's even and not lop sided.  PERFECT! Now it's ready to bake.

After it's done baking and cooling, start mixing the frosting, the best part!  

 Add milk and whip into a delicious creamy, chocolaty frosting.

 I chopped about 1/4 cup of peanuts in a small food processor, to sprinkle on 1/3 of the bars after they were frosted.  Not everyone likes to eat peanuts so I didn't do the whole pan.  If you do the whole pan 1/2 cup of chopped peanuts will do.

 Cake, frosting and peanuts lined up and ready to finish off the bars.

 I find it easy with a 9 x 13 pan, to plop down three scoops of frosting down the center of the cake and then spread it.  After it's frosted, sprinkle part of the pan or the whole pan with chopped peanuts.

 I made these Peanut Butter Bars to take to a friends house for a Saturday night get together of food, fun and talk, it was a great night!

 I cut my bars into 2 inch squares for easy eating finger food.  They were a hit!

Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients

Cooking Spray

1/2 cup water

1 large egg

1 cup JIF Peanut Butter

1 box yellow cake mix

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.  In a medium size mixing bowl combine the water, egg and peanut butter.  Beat with a mixer until fluffy and smooth. Pour the cake mix in and beat with a mixer until all is combined. Scrape down the bowl as you are mixing.

Spread the mix into the baking dish.  Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until a light golden brown.  Please remember all oven temperatures are different and bake according to your oven.  Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 - 3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

3 cups confectioners sugar

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Directions

Beat all ingredients in a medium size bowl with a mixer until smooth. Frost the bars, sprinkle with peanuts, cut into 2x2 inch pieces and serve.

Chocolate Dessert Cake

HAPPY   MOTHER'S   DAY!

I had a hankering for something chocolate and didn't have anything homemade in the house.  I am not big on store bought bakery items unless I am in a hurry.  I had an old recipe for a chocolate snack cake but wanted to dress it up and give it a punch.  I added strong coffee to the batter instead of water, you can certainly use water,  I like the coffee because it brings out the richness of the chocolate.  I doubled the recipe for the snack cake and added some toppings to make it richer and sweeter.  This is how I made it, recipe below. 

A big bowl and some of the ingredients.  You do not need a mixer for this, a whisk and a spatula will do the job.

Start pouring the measured ingredients into the bowl and whisk them together.

 

Get all the lumps out and it should look like the bowl on the right.

Then pour in the liquid measurements and it will foam a little, that's the vinegar and the baking soda reacting.  Spray your pan with Baker's Joy this stuff is great for baking and no mess, if you don't have that use butter and flour.

 I used walnuts and mini chocolate chips dusted with some sugar to make them sweet and crunchy.

 Baked and ready to be served.  Some like it plain.......

 I like mine with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce or syrup, it's so good!  The cake is moist, crunchy, chocolaty and sweet, it's a party in a pan and is easy to make, bake and take.  This recipe is keeper!

Chocolate Dessert Cake

Ingredients for the cake

Bakers Joy or 1 tablespoon of vegan butter and flour for dusting the pan

2 1/4 cups of unbleached four

1 1/2 cups of granulated cane sugar

1/3 cup of Hershey's unsweetened baking cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 1/2 cups of strong coffee, cooled (can replace coffee with water if you like)

1/2 cup canola oil

4 1/2 teaspoons of white vinegar

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Ingredients for the crunchy topping

1 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans

1 cup Enjoy Life mini vegan chocolate chips

1/3 cup of cane sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with Baker's Joy or butter and flour set aside.  In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together until all the lumps are gone.  With a a spatula, stir in the coffee, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Scrape bowl from the bottom up to make sure everything is combined.  Pour the batter into the baking dish.  Mix together the crunchy topping ingredients and sprinkle it over the top of the cake batter, making sure to cover the whole cake.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted, comes out clean.  Cool the cake for about 1/2 hour. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and warm chocolate fudge sauce or Ben and Jerry's Vegan Ice Cream and Hershey's chocolate syrup. Can also be served cold.  Makes 12 - 14 servings.  

Vanilla Bean Birthday Cake with Buttercream Frosting

This is the birthday cake that I made for my daughters birthday dinner.  I usually buy birthday cakes, because it seems more special to me to have a professionally decorated cake.  She wanted a yellow cake with chocolate buttercream frosting.  You can never find this kind of cake in the grocery store, they are always chocolate with vanilla frosting, you have to special order yellow cake with chocolate frosting - WHY grocery stores WHY?  I thought, I am going to make it with a box mix but amp up the flavor a bit, then I am going to make buttercream frosting.  I think the cake came out very nice and the flavor was delicious but most of all she loved it.
  HAPPY BIRTHDAY Michele!

I put down strips of waxed paper on the cake plate before putting the cake on it, when frosting no mess gets on the cake plate.  After frosting, carefully slide the strips of  paper out from under the cake and toss. 

 All frosted, decorated, ready to sing Happy Birthday and eat!

Happy Birthday Cake

1 - 15.25 oz. box of Betty Crocker Super Moist Yellow Cake Mix

1 cup of water

1/2 cup of canola oil

3 eggs

2 tsp. of vanilla bean paste

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour, or use Bakers Joy to flour two 8" round baking pans.  Pour the cake mix into a mixing bowl.  Add the water, oil, eggs, and vanilla bean paste.  Beat on low for 30 seconds, then on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping as you are mixing.  Pour batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake for 28- 33 minutes, depending on your oven, or until cake springs back when touched.  Let cool on baking rack for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.  Cool completely before frosting.

Homemade Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1 stick of butter, softened at room temperature

4 cups of confectioners sugar, sifted

1 cup of cocoa powder, sifted

5 Tbsp of milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl as you mix.  Add cocoa powder and mix it in.  On medium speed alternately add the confectioners sugar with the milk, a tablespoon at a time to your desired thickness.  Add the vanilla and mix.  Scrape bowl as you are mixing until all is combined. Frost your favorite cake.