Peanut Butter Cup Bars

Welcome to day 2 of satisfying my peanut butter and chocolate craving!  I made these bars the same day as the Georgia Cookie Candy bars for a side by side comparison as to which peanut butter and chocolate bar I liked best.  Both bars had excellent flavor, making a close competition.  In the end it was these Peanut Butter Cup bars that won!  I loved the creamy texture, the ease of cutting through the chocolate on top and the presentation.  Try out both reipces for yourself and let me know which you like best: Georgia Cookie Candy or Peanut Butter Cup Bars!!

Peanut Butter Cup Bars  Source: Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients:

½ cup unsalted butter (I used salted)
1¾ cups powdered sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter
¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup unsalted butter
½ cup milk chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate)

Directions:


1. Line an 8×8-inch square pan with foil, leaving enough to hang over the sides, then butter the foil. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt the ½ cup of butter over low heat. Once melted, remove from heat and stir in the powdered sugar until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter and graham cracker crumbs until completely combined and smooth. Spread the peanut butter mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
3. In the now-empty saucepan, melt the ¼ cup unsalted butter. Add the chocolate and stir until almost completely melted. Remove from heat and continue stirring until completely melted. Pour the melted chocolate over the peanut butter layer and smooth into an even layer.
4. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to set. Remove from the pan using the foil overhangs and place on a cutting board. Use a pizza cutter to slice into 16 bars. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

* I doubled the recipe and used a 9 x 13 pan

Georgia Cookie Candy

It is no secret that I love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate.  I have a rather embarrassing list of recipes that I either have made or want to make involving these two ingredients.  One day when my peanut butter and chocolate craving hit (no surprise :). I began scrolling through my 'want to try' peanut butter and chocolate recipes and realized that I had two very similar recipes bookmarked.  Unable to decide from the photos and ingredients alone I knew that I would just have to make them both and decide which was the better recipe.

Today's recipe is Georgia Cookie Candy from Pass the Peas Please, adapted from Paula Deen.  I really liked the darker chocolate flavor in these bars.  I used to be a milk chocolate only gal, but with this pregnancy have preferred semi-sweet and dark chocolate most of the time.  Another bonus with this recipe is that it is super duper simple!  Crushing the graham crackers into crumbs was probably the hardest thing but I am sure if you used a food processor this "hard" task would be super duper easy too!  The drawbacks to this recipe compared to the other one was the presentation (I didn't think they looked as pretty) and that they had a slightly grainy texture.  I used the same bag of crushed graham crackers for both recipes so I am not sure why this one had a more grainy feeling. Even with those two things this is still a fantastic recipe and I loved how easy it was to make.

Georgia Cookie Candy  Source:  Pass the Peas Please

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1 cup crunchy peanut butter (I used smooth peanut butter)

2 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Line a 13x9x2 pan with foil.

2. Combine the butter, peanut butter, sugar and graham cracker crumbs in a large bowl.

3. Press into the foil-lined pan using your hands or a spatula.
4. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave for 1 minute on high. Stir. If the chocolate has not completely melted, microwave for 10 seconds more, then stir.

5. Spread evenly over the cookie layer with a spatula. Chill for several hours.

When ready to serve, allow the candy to come to room temperature before cutting into pieces. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Makes 36 to 40 pieces. (I didn't get nearly that many :)

You can see the texture a little better in this picture

Spicy Green Pepper & Rice Casserole

I like stuffed peppers but my husband just picks all the filling out and leaves the pepper behind.  In an effort to appease my sweetie I made a casserole using the rice filling for stuffed peppers.  I added in 2-3 chopped green peppers (for me :) and kicked up the flavor for Matt.  I kicked up the flavor a lot!  More than I had intended...a bit too much for my little boys.  If you like spicy go for the recipe below.  If you like things milder I have indicated suggested substitutions. 

Spicy Green Pepper & Rice Casserole  Source: An 'A' For Effort

Ingredients:

2-3 green peppers, chopped

1 lb hot sausage (Mild substitution: ground beef)

6 C cooked rice (or more)

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies (Mild substitution: plain diced tomatoes without chilies)

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp chili powder (Mild substitution: omit completely)

1 can kidney beans, drained

1 can mushrooms

salt & pepper to taste

Optional: Shredded cheddar cheese for topping

Directions:

1. Cook rice to make 6 + cups.

2. Preheat oven to 350 F.

3. Brown and drain hot sausage, green pepper and onion.

4. Combine all ingredients in a very large bowl.

5. Place in a 9 x 13 pan.  Top with cheese.

6. Bake until hot.