This year I find myself looking at the calendar in amazement wondering where all the time I thought I had before the holidays went. Actually the whole summer and fall have pretty much zip-pity do da-ed right out of my arse. Spring storms this year brought hail and water damage to our home. So in addition to playing general contractor for the already scheduled brick work, I found my self managing a new roof and gutters (thank-you State Farm), as well as the painting of all the exterior trim. The unplanned remodeling of the lower level of our house did offer us new options for finally completing the “man cave” of our dreams (with a giant HD television, amazing sound system, and sexy lighting) however I guess between doing much of the work myself and organizing the rest, I somehow lost a month or two.

Suddenly it was Thanksgiving (didn’t even see that one coming) and now it was time to decorate the house and make holiday treats for family and friends, neighbors, and the caregivers at the home where my mother resides. So I got busy and busted out a dozen of my trusted holiday family favorites and got to work. As I completed the last treat, I felt that I had sifted, creamed, chopped, dusted, and rolled about as much butter, flour, and sugar as I could possible tolerate. Seems to come a point each year where I am just over it, and with company arriving this coming Wednesday (hopefully a bit later in the day than the new furniture and bed are to be delivered, nothing like running a tight schedule) I felt like I had everything taken care of.  Then came the question. “You are going to make Peanut butter balls aren’t you? I don’t see any peanut butter balls. They are my favorite and you always make them. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without them”.

So overnight as I lay awake dreading the idea of rolling and dipping yet another item, the thought came to me to simply make them as a bar. The recipe itself is quite simple, so why not just let simple be and make my life the same. Well the experiment worked quite well I must say. I prepared the filling as I normally would for the balls, but instead pressed it into an 8″ x 8″ pan that I had lined with foil and buttered. Then I tempered some chocolate and flooded it over the top of the filling. I allowed the pan to set up overnight, cut the bar into pieces and….. ta da! I did go the extra and melt some peanut butter chips to decorate the tops but that certainly would have not been necessary. I must say they turned out really quite good. I still think I might prefer the rolled ones, but for this holiday, simple is certainly……. simply delicious.

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Peanut Butter Ball Bars

Everyone's favorite chocolate and peanut butter balls made in an easy bar form.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 48 Candies

Ingredients

• 1   cup butter softened
• 1   cup peanut butter smooth or crunchy
• 2   cups graham cracker crumbs
• 3   cups powdered sugar
• 1  12 oz. bag semi-sweet baking chips

Instructions

• Line an 8" x 8" baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly grease with butter
• Mix together butter and peanut butter until smooth. Add graham crackers and mix well. Add powdered sugar and mix until a soft dough forms.
• Press evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
• Melt chocolate by tempering either in a double boiler or in the microwave. Pour melted chocolate over the top of the peanut butter mixture and spread evenly.
• Allow for chocolate to set up before cutting. You can speed up this process by placing pan in the fridge.
• Using the foil lift the bars out of the pan and place on a cutting board. Cut into 1" - 1 1/2" squares. Store in an airtight container.

Notes

You can use any recipe for Peanut Butter Balls with this method.

More recipes you might enjoy:

Better Homes and Gardens

Joy of Baking

Sweet Anna’s

Taste of Home

The Girl Who Ate Everything

Plump juicy strawberries coated with a crisp shell of chocolate create fruit truffles that are both light and delicious. The perfect addition to any brunch, or with a glass of champagne for dessert, these decadent yet innocent treats combine two favorite flavors that will make your heart sing.

To prepare Chocolate Dipped Strawberries:

Cooks note: There really is no magic to dipping berries, but here are a few tips that will help you.

Start with the freshest berries you can find. This is not always an easy task, but look for berries that are bright in color, firm with no soft or dark spots, and that have bright green tops. Wash the berries and spread them out on a towel to dry completely. Make sure the berries and the tops are totally dry before starting. Chocolate and water do not mix!

Use a good quality chocolate for dipping. I like to use a dark and a white chocolate, however you can use whatever you prefer. Some recipes call for adding oil to the chocolate. If you are using a quality product, there is no reason to do so.

One of the great things about this treat is you can make any quantity you choose. If you intend to preparing a large quantity, I find it best to melt the chocolate over a double boiler. If I am only dipping a dozen or so, I temper my chocolate in the microwave in a small bowl to conserve chocolate, and make dipping easy. Gently pull the leaves up to create a handle. Dip the berry and tip it from side to side to coat. If your berries are different sizes, dip the largest berries first, while the dish is full of chocolate.

Gently shake the berries to allow the extra chocolate to drip off. Place the dipped strawberries on a wax or parchment paper lined sheet pan to set up. The chocolate will harden in about 20 -30 minutes depending on the temperature in your work space. I do not recommend placing your berries in the fridge. While the cold temperature of the fridge will speed up the hardening process, it will cause the chocolate to sweat.

It is almost impossible not to get chocolate on your fingers. Keep a damp and a dry towel handy to clean your hands, but make sure your fingers are dry before moving on.

There will be some wasted chocolate. It is impossible to use every drop when dipping. Remember the chocolate you have used to dip now contains some strawberry, so it is really not much use for any other project. I spread the remaining amount out on to a piece of wax paper and allow it to harden. Break into pieces, easy strawberry chocolate fudge!

Once the chocolate shell is hardened, I like to drizzle the berries with a contrasting color of chocolate for interest. I place the berries on a wire rack over wax paper to do so. Be creative and have fun.

Make sure to allow plenty of time for your chocolates to set up. Wear rubber gloves to handle your chocolates. Warm fingers leave prints.

Chocolate dipped strawberries do not hold very long. You can dip them a day ahead, but I would advise against any longer, as the strawberries will break down. Store your berries lightly covered at room temperature and out of direct sunlight. I do not recommend placing them in the fridge for storage. This is a treat that is best prepared the same day you plan to serve them.