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We all love the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, but there is something about the ratio of chocolate and peanut butter filling in the Easter Eggs that I just can’t get out of my head and taste buds!!!! Well, Easter is long gone and will not return for a few months. Therefore, the search began for a replacement and I believe I have found it. There are quite a few versions of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup / Bar recipes on the internet that are really good.

So, my family and I set out to try a few and ended up perfecting our own version. There were qualifications to meet our standards. The recipe had to be easy, quick, few ingredients and taste GREAT! We can be a hard sell!!! LOL. So here is what I came up with after a few tries and advice from family and friends. These are bars, soooo much easier and faster than cups!!!

Filling or Crust:

1 cup of butter, melted

2 cups of finely crushed graham cracker crumbs

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 cup of creamy peanut butter

The recipe is quite simple really. Melt the butter (I only use the real thing) and blend with the creamy peanut butter. Mix the crumbs and the sugar together. Then take the buttery mixture and the crumb mixture and stir them together till it is completely mixed and forms a ball. My husband is a crunchy peanut butter fan if that smooth texture is not important to your family you might enjoy the variation of the crunchy texture. So many options for this recipe, which makes it fun!

Press evenly into the bottom of a 9 x 13 in a pan.

Topping:

Topping is where we really played around a bit and I recommend that you do the same to get the exact taste your family loves. Besides, it is fun to experiment. This is what I ended up with as my favorite.

1 ½ cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ cup of white chocolate chips

4 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter

Choose your favorite semi-sweet chocolate chip brand and your favorite white chocolate chip brand and your favorite creamy peanut butter. This was the favored combo and amount for the thickness we thought was the right ratio of peanut butter filling and chocolate topping. We tried the milk chocolate chips but all agreed it needed to be darker chocolate but the semi-sweet was a bit too bitter and that is how adding the white chips came about. To our delight, it was a perfect combination.

Melting Ingredients

My preferred way to melt this deliciousness is with a double broiler but the microwave works just as well. Melt the mixture but don’t overdo the melting processes. Stir pretty consistently. When all the chips have melted it is time to pour the mixture onto the prepared crust and smooth evenly over the crust.

Final Step

Now comes the hard part, waiting until it sets up and is ready to cut.  It takes about an hour or so for it all to set up and flavor to fully develop. I will admit that I have tried to set them in the frig to rush the process!

Peanut Butter Choices:

I have a couple of tips concerning the peanut butter. There is one particular family member that was involved in our first rounds of taste test that insisted on Reese’s peanut butter. It has a wonderful flavor and it is well worth the mention if you want to go deluxe. I try to go as healthy as possible and have tried natural peanut butter. I have more information on healthy alternatives at the end of the article.

Graham Crackers Comments:

This recipe has been a lot of fun. I am not an expert at changing up recipes but I had fun with this one. My daughter and son-in-law live a few states away and my daughter and I enjoy our kitchen time and our men enjoy the results. It is not uncommon for there to be additional family there to help with the critiquing. My nephew is often present to lend his opinion, he has very discriminating taste buds and his opinion is valued. Note: He is the one that prefers the Reese’s Peanut Butter!  

My tips on the graham crackers are that we all agreed that the finer the graham cracker crumbs were the more the texture was like the real deal. Therefore, a food processor is definitely a plus but not absolutely necessary. I tried a couple of different brands and I would say that the two top brands seem to be best. But again, the issue for my family seemed to be the texture more than the graham crackers’ flavor. By the time you added the sugar and peanut butter they taste very similar. The finer crumbs did not affect the taste just the texture, which is all-important to a couple of family members that were involved in the taste tests.

Healthy Alternatives for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Recipe

Changing out ingredients to come up with a healthier version will change the taste and texture a bit but is well worth it for your diet’s sake. First, I would go with organic ingredients whenever possible.

Natural peanut butter is simply peanuts or peanuts and salt. If you go without the salt you will need to add some salt, of course, whatever healthy version you have on hand, Himalayan pink, for example. Using this type of peanut butter will make the crust softer so you can either use a couple of tablespoons less of butter or a couple of tablespoon more of the crumbs. You may also need to store leftovers in the refrigerator if the crust is too soft.

The graham crackers can easily be exchanged for an organic version. There are some good alternatives to the top brands of graham crackers.

The confections sugar I have not tried any substitutions. I am not very familiar with using stevia. I have used succinate as a substitute for sugar but has a mild molasses taste, so it can use in many recipes that that flavor would lend itself to. If you choose succinate, using your food processor and add just a pinch of cornstarch could give you texture and taste similar to confectionary sugar, but have not tried that yet. You may have to experiment a bit but you should be able to come up with a healthier version of confectionary sugar. Organic butter is an easy substitute. As well as an organic chocolate chip or a carob version.

To those making Healthy Changes

If you are into modifying your recipes you will already have worked out some of these substitutes in other recipes. There are always some compromises with texture and taste from an original recipe to a healthier version. A compromise does not have to mean that it is not just as tasty, just different. When it comes to your health, some compromises are well worth the effort. I wish you the best in your pursuit of a healthier you.

Maybe More To Come?!

My daughter is the queen of spices and sauce combos and would love to get her involved in adding some of her favorite concoctions. I am working on her to share her expertise. When it comes to tweaking simple dishes to make them uniquely hers, she is the queen. I have more of a sweet tooth and prefer playing with the dessert part of the meal. I am proud of my daughter’s cooking skills, which she did not get from me. LOL

Together we are pretty awesome!!! LOL! Well, at least on a good day we are awesome. (I am going to hear about that comment!!!! LOL) I love spending time with my daughter and son-in-law and it’s not just because they live in a sunny warm climate and have a pool in their back yard!!!!  Really, that is not the main reason, but I have to admit it is a great perk.

Hope you enjoy your Peanut Butter Bars as much as we enjoy ours! Thanks for visiting my page and feel free to browse around and check out some of my other articles.

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