Happy Thursday! I am sharing one of my favorite recipes today! My mom used to make them when I was little and I have always loved them!! I still ask for them as my birthday cake most years. My kids and Jeff love them, too! We’ve had them for a lot of birthday treats in the past few years. The only tricky thing about the chocolate peanut butter bar birthday treats is that it’s hard to put a candle in!

I have a few friends that make these bars with small variations from mine. I’ve adopted a few things to my recipe along the way.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

1 stick of butter, softened
1/2 box of confectioners sugar
1 cup of peanut butter – I find that Jif creamy peanut butter works best
1 cup of graham cracker crumbs
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips
8 oz chocolate chips – I actually use the whole bag if I have it 11.5-12 oz

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter, sugar, peanut butter, and graham cracker crumbs.

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While you are mixing them together, start a double boiler to melt the chocolate.

When the peanut butter mixture is all mixed, stir in the mini chocolate chips.

Transfer the dough to an 8×8 dish. I usually use glass not metal. Smooth it out as much as you can.

Pour the melted chocolate on to the peanut butter dough.

My friend Erin made bars similar to these and added sprinkles on top. I thought I’d give it a try because I love sprinkles. But I’m not sure I loved them on here. They make it look more festive, but the texture was definitely different. They still tasted delicious!!

Chill in the refrigerator and serve once the chocolate is hard. Store them in the refrigerator if you have any left after serving. Warning – there may not be any left after serving. 😉

Tips and Variations

I tried to use a hand mixer for easier clean up when I made them last month. It did not work! The hand mixer made a giant mess with the sugar and it was a little clumpier. Go with your stand mixer, it’s worth it.

Jeff’s gluten free so when I make them for our family I make my own graham cracker crumbs. I use my little Cuisinart food processor and chop gluten free graham crackers to make the crumbs. It’s an easy substitution but make sure you get the crumbs really fine.

I think my mom makes this recipe in a 9×13 dish so they are a little thinner. If I make them in a 9×13, I double the recipe. When they are thicker, it is tricky to make them perfect squares or rectangles for serving. I tend to stick a sharp knife in and break off a piece when we have them.

My mom doesn’t add the mini chocolate chips, but my friend Cathy did and I think they are a great addition. Cathy also made them with some peanut butter in the melted chocolate but I haven’t done that yet.

Mom, let me know if I missed any tips or variations. 😘

Well, there you have it. My almost famous chocolate peanut butter bars. I was very happy to make a batch to share with you all. They really are my favorite! Have a great day full of sunshine and books and chocolate peanut butter bars.