Friday, August 15, 2008

No Bake Chocolate and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

Am I the only one who gets trapped by all the magazines at the checkout? I was flipping through Living (I always skip to the back, of any magazine, because I know that is where the food is ) and saw a picture of these yummy bars. There was something about them. I had to make them. So, I bought the magazine and had a chance to try them out. If you like peanut butter and chocolate- you will love these! They are delicious and rich. I cut them in 40 or so squares, so they wouldn't be as big and luckily was able to share them with a big group of people!

No Bake Chocolate and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars from Martha Stewart Living magazine
Vegetable oil cooking spray
9 ounces chocolate wafers (about 40 wafers), finely ground (2 cups) (Such as Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers)
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
5 ounces (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup chunky peanut butter
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
10 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
1 1/2 ounces milk chocolate, melted



Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the 2 long sides.
Combine wafers, oats, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then add chunky peanut butter and 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter, whisking until well combined. Add peanut butter mixture to wafer mixture, stirring until combined. Transfer to baking dish, and use the bottom of a measuring cup or an offset spatula to firmly press mixture into an even layer. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Pour melted semisweet chocolate over chilled mixture and, using an offset spatula, spread into a thin layer that covers the entire surface. Refrigerate until hardened, at least 15 minutes.
Heat remaining 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter in a small saucepan until runny. Drizzle peanut butter over chilled chocolate. Drizzle melted milk chocolate over peanut butter. Refrigerate until hardened, about 15 minutes.
Use parchment to lift out chilled block of bars. Run a sharp knife under hot water, dry well, and cut into 24 squares, wiping knife between cuts. Let bars stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. (Sliced bars can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month.)

8 comments:

Emily Sherinian said...

These peanut butter chocolate bars look tasty, but I have a question about one of the ingredients. What are "chocolate wafers?" This may sound dumb, but I never know if that means oreo cookies, or those little layered wafer cookies in rectangles iwth chocolate filling between their thin little layers? Any brand you can recommend? I'd be grateful (and so will my family!!).

Aggie said...

Oh my, these bars are a treat! I have to make them, they look delicious! All my favorite things!

I'm the same way with magazines, I have too many, and am constantly finding more I want, and most of the time I am just looking in the back section for the recipes!!

Mary Ann said...

There is a particular product called Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers, which I found at a local grocery store, they were a bit pricey, but made a wonderful result. They are very thin and come in a yellow pkg. You could probably use oreos, maybe scrape out the filling and grind them up. Here is a link to see what the Nabisco wafers look like http://www.amazon.com/NABISCO-FAMOUS-CHOC-WAFERS-CT/dp/B0002QF1NS

Erin said...

These look great! There's not much better than peanut butter and chocolate!

Jenny said...

Yes, I wish I could take one of each of the magazines by the checkout. They all look so fun. These bars look terrific, I've got to jot this recipe down!

Chef Jeena said...

Oooh now these are a real treat and no bake too, brilliant. :-)

Prudy said...

Everytime I see something in a mag I want you get to it and let me know if they're good. They look soooo good. We must have all the same subscriptions. If we were neighbors we could share. Everything looks so yummy. I don't even know how many children you have? How many??? All I know is you are a UT girl and went on a Baltic Sea mission. You better email me and tell me more. vsmylroie@aol.com

Eleganza Strings/ The DeLadurantey Family said...

Those look deathly!
Anthing PB&C is great with me!