As promised here is the recipe and photos of the recent Reeses Bars I made. This is a recipe from Pichet Ong’s book, The Sweet Spot, but I did tweak it slightly by using semi-sweet chocolate instead of milk chocolate. Although I do love milk chocolate with some desserts, I am definitely more of a fan of semi-sweet and bittersweet, so I thought I would try it instead…and believe me…they turned out sooo good! So without further ado here is the sinful recipe!
Chocolate & Peanut Butter Bars aka Reeses Bars
adapted from The Sweet Spot
Makes 8 Servings
Peanut Chocolate Base
1 T. plus 1 t. canola oil, plus more for greasing the pan
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 c. peanuts, toasted and chopped
1/4 t. salt
Peanut Butter Chocolate Filling
3 1/2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 c. plus 2 T. heavy whipping cream
3 T. cream cheese, at room temperature
3 T. creamy peanut butter, plus 1/2 c. for garnish
1/4 t. vanilla
1/4 t. fleur de sel
Lightly grease a 9 x4-inch loaf pan and set aside. Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments, stirring well between each, until the chocolate is melted. Add the peanuts, salt, oil and stir well.
Pour the chocolate mixture into the prepared loaf pan and spread into an even layer. Freeze, uncovered, until hard.
Meanwhile, make the filling: Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments, stirring well between each, until the chocolate is melted. Set aside.
Whisk the cream in an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until medium peaks form. Transfer to another bowl and set aside.
Put the cream cheese, peanut butter (3 T.), and vanilla extract into the bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume, about 7 minutes.
Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, turn the mixer speed to low and add the melted chocolate in a slow, steady stream. Once all the chocolate has been incorporated, gently fold in the whipped cream.
Spread the filling on the frozen peanut chocolate base in an even layer and freeze until hard, at least 2 hours.
To unmold, invert the loaf pan onto a cutting board and gently tap the bottom to release the chocolate bar. Spread the peanut butter on top and sprinkle on the fleur de sel. I also topped these bars with half of a reeses from Trader Joes and Valrhona Chocolate Crunchy Pearls. Use a sharp serrated knife to cut the loaf crosswise into 1″ wide bars. You can let them come to room temperature or eat them now…I prefer them cold.
Hope you try these out…they are FABULOUS!!!
Well, since I do love sharing my dessert passion with others I thought I would do a book giveaway using one of my favorite books that I got this past year. The book is David Lebovitz’s book, The Perfect Scoop! If you don’t have this book then you are definitely missing out!
To enter the giveaway contest just tell me your favorite flavor of ice cream and let me know by Saturday night! Good luck eveyrone!
Tags: chocolate and peanut butter, peanut butter chocolate desserts, pichet ong recipes, reeses bar homemade, the sweet spot recipes, valrhona chocolate pearls
YUM! Your bars look out of this world delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I love ice cream, but homemade is for sure the best! I like lots of flavors but chocolate hazelnut is probably at the top! What a fun giveaway! Thanks!
I always get dark chocolate with chocolatey bits in it… but every so often i eat strawberry, or mint, or mango, and i’m like ” i love this! why don’t I deviate from chocolate more often?!?”. But I can’t seem to make myself stop!
Such a good idea to cover the peanuts in chocolate as a base! Beautiful! Where do you get those cute little chocolate crunch balls? Are those from TJ’s also? I want some! So, my favorite ice cream of all time is Chocolate Malted Crunch. You can only get it at Thrifty Ice Cream stores. I grew up on it in California, but the closest place that has it now is almost 5 hours away! We don’t have TJ’s anywhere near here either! Poor me!
I love Spiced Mexican Chocolate, Eric makes it with Cayenne Pepper… so good. Thanks for the brownie recipe. They look delicious!
My favorites have to be Cookies & Cream and vanilla bean (the kind with the bean specks) with crunchy peanut butter mixed in…yum! I’ve heard fantastic things about that book, too!
Thanks so much for sharing!! My favorite flavor is cookies and cream. love it!
My favorite flavor of ice cream would have to be…vanilla bean topped with blueberries. Man now I want ice cream!
BTW I can’t wait to try these bars!
Bubble Gum!
My favorite ice cream is probably coconut chocolate chunk with almonds from Mallards in Bellingham, Wa.
Amazing bars!
My favorite ice cream would probably have to be, let me think.. Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream :} If not these, then – pistachio.
Yum! Those Reese’s Bars look SO good! My favorite flavor of ice cream is mint chocolate chip.
Rocky Road- chocolate ice cream w/ marshmallow creme & toasted almonds.
These bars look delish!
My fave ice cream is Peanut Butter & Chocolate by Baskin Robbins. Yum!
my favorite flavor would be coffee. it can be coffee, espresso, capppuccino, whatever else they wanna call it, if it has coffee in it, i’d buy a gallon!
those bars look downright decadent! I wish I could have a slice! My favorite flavor of ice cream is chocolate, but i am obsessed with HD’s caramelized pear+ walnut right now.
You are inspiring and amazing! Love your creations!
Thanks!
My fav flavor is Java Chip!
I love checking out your new recipes and desserts! I think my husband would love these Reese’s Bars! Anyways, my favorite flavor of ice cream is Sticky Toffee Pudding from Haagen Daz!!! Imagine vanilla ice cream with a caramel swirl with bits of brown sugar cake here and there! It is so amazing, and the Food Network even has an entire show about it! You should definitely go buy it!
Your dessert looks divine!
I love rocky road ice cream!
Can’t wait to try the recipe! My favorite ice cream is peanut butter. YUM
)
my favorite ice cream is Thrifty (Rite Aide now) chocolate chip! you can’t get anything better than that! could be because i’ve eaten it since i was ten years old. Great memories going there to get a single scoop! What’s nice is i gave that same memory to my sons!
thank you for the opporrtunity to win this book.
So many icecream flavours, so little time to taste them all!
The flavour I always come back to is vanilla buttermilk……..smooth, ultra creamy and so vanillary. Perfect with fresh banana sliced on top. I’m off to the kitchen, I think I’ve just talked myself into a bowl!!!
My fave ice cream favor would definitely be cookies and cream. Vanilla ice cream and Oreos are so awesome!
I eat so much ice cream my husband has banned it from our house!! I would have to say if I could have only one it would be vanilla because you can add any topping and it will still be uterly delicious!!
this is a particularly appetizing use of the glorious chocolate-peanut butter combination. very nice indeed.
and i live and die for cinnamon ice cream.
How can chocolate with peanut butter EVER be bad?
I’m a big fan of the basic butter pecan… but I’m also mourning the disappearance of a really great icecream flavor that Haagen Daz used to make… called “White Out”
I LOVE pictachio ice cream.
Chocolate ice cream with cookie dough chunks
That would have to be chocolat brownie! I can’t wait to try the reeses bars…thanks for sharing the recipe!
Ooh these look so good! My favorite ice cream flavor–depending on the mood I go for butter pecan, something cinnamony (specialty flavors…) or good ‘ol cookie dough!
Chubby Hubby by Ben and Jerry’s!!! …it’s the best in the world.
That cake looks DELICIOUS! My favorite ice cream is coffee flavored.
These look so luscious!
Oh my gawd, I LOVE Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. These cupcakes look wayyyyy better. It’s like a peanut butter cup to the 10th power. Big yum! Thanks for the great recipe.
My favorite flavor of ice cream? I don’t think I have just one. It depends on my mood. But I will say, I finally got a chance to try the much-touted salted caramel ice cream by San Francisco’s Bi-Rite Creamery. Let’s just say, now I know what the fuss is all about. It was incredibly wonderful. Rich, creamy, sweet, yet with just that tad of salt to bring out the contrasts.
My favorite ice cream is mint chocolate chip!
Double Chocolate Malted Crunch. YUM!!!!
My absolute favorite is pumpkin ice cream- it tastes like a perfect fall day!!!!
looks so yummyy…..:) I would have to say that my favorite flavor of ice cream is good old vanilla; coffee-flavored ice cream comes in a close second!
Mocha Almond
Those look so good!!! My favorite ice cream is Chocolate Caramel
I would have to say my all time favorite is Peanut Butter Chocolate. I remember as achild going to Baskin Robins and I always chose the same flavor. Love it to pieces!
I have Pichet Ong’s book and have not tried that recipe yet – now I might have too! Oh, and I’m a strawberry girl…always have been and always will be:)
I’d have to go with Hazelnut as my favorite. Or “nocciola” as they say in Italy, where I tried it first. DELICIOUS!
These look so so good! I’m with you on the bittersweet chocolate, I definitely prefer it.
Pistachio is the best…
But chocolate and peanut putter does seam like a good ice cream combination…
They look FABULOUS! I’m going to have to remember this recipe.
I like the Perfect Scoop – I’ve checked it out from our library.
My favorite ice cream is chocolate chip cookie dough.
these look so yummy. I need something chocolatey now .
I just saw your comment on my blog and decided to visit yours. I am officially craving chocolate now! Yum!
totally made this peanut butter dessert this weekend! LOVED IT!
mint oreo is my favorite BUT in general i just LOVE me some ice cream!
I love mint chocolate chip and also Moose tracks! What a great giveaway!