Это предварительный просмотр рецепта "Oh Happy Day: Peanut Butter Nanaimo Bars".

Рецепт Oh Happy Day: Peanut Butter Nanaimo Bars
by Isabelle Boucher

I’m not one for food holidays… I mean, do we really need to devote an entire day to chocolate covered cherries or ice cream for breakfast? Still, when one of my favourite bloggy friends decided to declare March 25th as unofficial Chocolate Peanut Butter Day, I jumped on the bandwagon, mostly because I’d been looking for an excuse to make these Peanut Butter Nanaimo Bars for ages.

So, what is Chocolate Peanut Butter Day, exactly? It’s a fun excuse to eat some chocolate and peanut butter hosted by Carla of Chocolate Moosey and Miriam of Overtime Cook, and featuring a total of 31 awesome recipes made with… you guessed it… chocolate and peanut butter. Follow the hashtag #chocPBday all day today and our Pinterest board to keep up with all the happenings!

(Oh, and it’s not a blogger party without some prizes, so a big shout out to OXO, King Arthur Flour, and Peanut Butter & Co for providing three fabulous prize packs. You’ll find more details at the bottom of the post.)

>Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get back to the food. Nanaimo bars are an honest-to-goodness classic Canadian treat that features three distinct layers: a chocolatey cookie-crumb base, a creamy vanilla custard frosting middle, and a thin layer of ganache to top it all off.

Over the years, some resourceful bakers have discovered that the middle layer lends itself to a million and one variations, from Irish cream to mint to orange to mocha. Basically, any flavor that plays well with chocolate will do.

But today is Chocolate Peanut Butter Day, so this particular version has peanut butter in the middle. More specifically, white chocolate peanut butter, because the only thing better than chocolate and peanut butter is two kinds of chocolate and peanut butter.

If you can’t get your paws on some white chocolate peanut butter (or if you happen to eat the whole jar by accident, which may or may not have happened to me before), any ol’ kind of peanut butter will do. Skip the chunky, though, because what makes these bars so darn good is the contrast between the silky-smooth custard and the crunchy chopped nuts in the base.

It’s also all about the contrast between the tooth-aching sweetness of the middle layer and the deep, dark chocolatey flavour of the base and the ganache. This ain’t no time to go with milk chocolate… I’m talking about grabbing the darkest chocolate you can get. The 70% cocoa stuff, if you can find it. You won’t regret it.

Then, once it’s all done, park yourself on the couch with a Nanaimo bar in one hand and a double-double coffee in the other for the ultimate Canadian experience. Toque and hockey pads optional.

Peanut Butter Nanaimo Bars

Author: Isabelle Boucher (Crumb)

Recipe type: Dessert

Prep time: 2 hours

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 2 hours 15 mins

Serves: 32

The classic Nanaimo bar gets an upgrade with a sweet, smooth peanut butter filling. Betcha can’t eat just one!

Ingredients

Base Layer:

Instructions

Make the Base Layer:

In a small saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter. Using a heat-proof spatula, stir in the sugar and cocoa until smooth, then add the eggs and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly to keep the bottom from scorching, until glossy and thickened.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the graham crumbs, chocolate crumbs, coconut and walnuts. Add the hot cocoa mixture, and stir to combine. Press evenly into a parchment-lined 9×13-inch pan, and place to the fridge to chill and set up for 15 minutes.

Make the Peanut Butter Filling:

In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and custard powder.

In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the butter and peanut butter. Stir in the custard, then gradually beat in the icing sugar, ¼ cup at a time, until the filling is thick and fluffy and smooth.

Spread the filling onto the prepared crust in an even layer. Chill for 30 minutes, or until firm.

Make the Chocolate Frosting:

In a heatproof bowl set over a small saucepan of boiling water, melt the chocolate and butter together, stirring frequently. Spread out into a thin layer onto the chilled filling. Return to the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes longer, or until the filling is completely set, before cutting into squares and serving. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Notes

I used Peanut Butter & Co’s White Chocolate Wonderful to give the filling a little extra oomph, but if you have any trouble finding it, regular smooth peanut butter is just as good.

3.2.1275

Giveaway Details:

A huge thank you to our sponsors! Be sure to follow them on social media:

Three lucky winners will win one of the following:

Prize Pack #1: OXO Baking Tool Set: One 3-in-1 Egg Separator, One Bent Icing Knife, One Brownie Spatula, One Cake Tester, One Cookie Spatula, One Cupcake Icing Knife, One Cupcake Corer, One Egg Beater, One Stainless Steel Measuring Cups, One Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons, One Medium Cookie Scoop

Prize Pack #2: King Arthur Flour ingredients: One bag of all-purpose flour, one package of Guittard bittersweet chocolate disks, and one bottle of pure vanilla extract

Prize Pack #3: Peanut Butter and Co. package including: one Dark Chocolate Dreams 6-pack, One Variety 6-pack, and One 31 Days of Dark Chocolate Dreams cookbook

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For more chocolate and peanut butter deliciousness, check out the rest of today’s posts:

About the author

Isabelle Boucher

I'm a 30-something coffee-chugging, booty-shaking, bargain-shopping, cookbook-collecting, photo-snapping, trucker-swearing, farmers-market-loving self-taught cook with a Mister and two cats to feed.

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