Chocolate Peanut Fudge Bars Midwest Recipes

Steps:

• Make chocolate layer:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil, allowing 2 inches of foil to hang over 2 opposite ends of pan, and lightly brush foil (except overhang) with oil.
• Melt chocolate with butter, sugar, and salt in a double boiler or a large metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, whisking occasionally, until smooth. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and whisk in eggs and vanilla, then stir in peanuts.
• Pour batter into baking pan and bake until set and edges are slightly puffed, about 15 minutes. Transfer cake in pan to a rack to cool completely.
• Make peanut butter layer:
• Beat cream cheese, peanut butter, confectioners sugar, and salt in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until combined well, about 4 minutes.
• Beat cream with vanilla in a bowl with cleaned beaters at medium-high speed until it just holds stiff peaks, then gently fold into peanut butter mixture until just combined.
• Spread mixture evenly on top of chocolate layer and freeze, pan covered with foil, until firm, about 2 hours.
• Make hot fudge sauce:
• Bring cream, syrup, sugar, cocoa, salt, and chocolate to a boil in a 1-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until chocolate is melted. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 3 minutes, then remove from heat. Stir in vanilla until incorporated. Cool sauce to warm.
• To serve:
• Carefully lift cake from pan by grasping overhang. Trim 1/4 inch from edges of cake and discard, then cut into 8 bars. Peel off foil and serve bars with sauce.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line an 8" x 8" baking pan with 2 pieces of parchment paper, leaving at least 3" of overhang.
• For the base, mix together flour, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
• Add melted butter and mix thoroughly until you have a soft dough. Break dough into small pebbles and spread evenly in bottom of lined baking pan, then gently press dough into pan in an even layer. Bake until it turns a shade darker, 15 minutes. Let base cool a bit.
• Meanwhile, make chocolate layer: Put chocolate in the top of a double boiler, or in a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Add peanut butter and heat gently until melted, stirring occasionally.
• Pour 1/2 cup of warm melted chocolate mixture over the baked base, and spread it out evenly. Refrigerate until set. Reserve remaining chocolate mixture on top of the stove while you prepare maple fudge.
• Melt butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add sweetened condensed milk, maple syrup, brown sugar, and salt and bring to a simmer. Boil softly, stirring often, for 10 minutes. (Gauge doneness using the cold-water test: Fill a bowl with cold water and drop about 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture into it. If it forms a soft ball, it's ready.)
• Fill a sink with at least 6" cold water, and set saucepan in it (making sure not to slosh water into fudge). Stir constantly with a sharp-edged wooden spoon, scraping down sides of pot, until mixture starts to turn granular, about 5 minutes. When it starts to look like sand and becomes hard to stir, remove pan from water; add cream cheese. Stir, scraping sides, until mixture is smooth and light.
• Immediately spread maple fudge in an even layer over cooled chocolate layer.
• Scatter peanuts on top and press them lightly into maple filling. Gently heat remaining chocolate mixture to return it to a liquid state. Drop chocolate from the side of a rubber spatula onto maple layer. Swipe across peanuts to cover them completely.
• Return baking pan to refrigerator and chill until completely set, about 4 hours. Cut into small bars.

Steps:

• In a medium bowl combine the crust ingredients, mix well.
• Press firmly into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
• Refrigerate crust for 20-30 minutes.
• In another medium bowl, combine filling ingredients, and blend at low speed for 30 seconds, and then on medium high speed 2 minutes or until light and fluffy.
• Spread over crust.
• In a medium saucepan, melt chocolate chips over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. (You can also microwave the chips at 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval until smooth).
• Stir in peanut butter, blend well. (If using microwave method, you might want to microwave for 30 seconds to melt the peanut butter a bit after adding it to the chocolate).
• Stir in peanuts.
• Spread over filling.
• Refrigerate at least 4 hours, store leftovers in the refrigerator as well.

Steps:

• Sift dry ingredients into bowl. Add melted butter, vanilla essence and egg.
• Mix well. Press mix over base of greased 28cm x 18cm tin.
• Bake in moderate oven (180°C) for 20 minutes.
• Icing: In a small bowl sift confectioners sugar and cocoa. Melt the butter and add to bowl. Mix until smooth and glossy.
• Cool the base in its tin and when cold ice with the chocolate icing mixture.
• Cut into bars when set.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment, overlaping the two longer sides for easy removal.
• Beat butter, peanut butter and icing sugar until smooth with an electric mixer. Stir in flour, oats and peanuts until crumbly,.
• Reserving 1 cup of oat mixture, press remainder onto bottom of prepared pan. Top with apples,.
• Melt chips with sweetened condensed milk in a heavy saucepan on low heat, stirring occasionally. Pour mixtre evenly over apples. Crumble remaining oat mixture over top.
• Bake in preheated oven 35-40 minutes or until golden. Cool. Chill thoroughly in refrigerator. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.
• TIPS: Use a firm apple such as Royal Gala, Golden Delicious, Pink Lady or Fuji.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, peanut butter, oil, and egg until well blended. , Press two-thirds of the mixture into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes., In a heavy saucepan, heat the milk, chocolate chips and butter over low heat; stir until smooth. Pour over crust. Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture. , Bake for 20-25 minutes longer or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.