These fabulous Small-batch Peanut Butter bars are so easy to make–maybe too easy…
I’m not usually big on no-bake desserts. I love baking (I may have even written a whole book on the subject), so aside from some frozen desserts (remember last summer’s red wine popsicles? ), there actually aren’t any no-bake desserts on the entire blog–until today.
Guys, have you ever had a Peanut Butter Bar?
Oh, these beautiful, terrible things. If you’ve never had one, that should change today. They are SO good, like giant, more substantial Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. They have a base layer of sweet and salty peanut butter and graham cracker and then they are covered in peanut butter chocolate. It’s preeeety spectacular.
And the terrible thing about these bars is that they are so easy to make. Like take you five minutes and 2% effort to make. There’s not a whole lot to stop you from making these all the time if you wanted to (and you will want to).
How to Make Peanut Butter Bars
The process for making these Small-batch Peanut Butter Bars is just mix all of your peanut butter base ingredients together–you don’t even need a mixer, spread that out in a 7×5-inch baking dish (I used a Pyrex container), and then melt together some more peanut butter and chocolate and pour it over the top. Refrigerate and eat.
The most labor intensive part of making these bars is crushing some graham crackers for the base, and since this is a small-batch recipe, that’s like four crackers, so it’s more entertaining than tedious.
Since this is a small-batch recipe, it will make about six really generous bars, or you can cut them into much smaller, bite-sized pieces to spread the goodness around a little more. As with most things peanut butter, there’s really no wrong way to enjoy these.
Looking for more Peanut Butter Desserts? Try Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies , Peanut Butter Hot Chocolat e, and Peanut Butter Sauce .
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- ▢ 7x5-inch Baking Dish
Peanut Butter Layer
- ▢ 1/3 cup salted butter melted
- ▢ 2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs (4 full sheets)
- ▢ 2/3 cup ( 80g ) powdered sugar
- ▢ 1/3 cup ( 85g ) creamy peanut butter (not natural peanut butter)
Chocolate Layer
- ▢ 1/2 cup ( 3oz ) good-quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ▢ 1 ( 20g ) heaping tablespoon peanut butter
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and peanut butter. Stir with a spoon until well mixed. Turn out into an ungreased 7x5-inch dish and smooth out. Place in the freezer for 5 minutes.
- In a small, microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate and peanut butter. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir. If necessary, microwave for an additional 15 seconds and stir, repeating until chocolate is melted and smooth.
- Pour mixture over the cooled peanut butter and spread. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting. Enjoy!
Adapted From The Girl Who Ate Everything
One pot and twenty minutes are all you need to make this quick and easy chicken noodle soup for one.
Heya, I have another recipe for one for you today. When I started posting these single-serving recipes with my Scalloped Potatoes for One , I wasn’t sure how much of a demand there would be for them because I know lots of people don’t like cooking for just themselves, but that post has been pretty popular, and so has my Mac and Cheese for One , so clearly I’m not the only one who doesn’t mind cooking for just myself!
This soup is super fast, super easy, and perfect if you:
- You have extra cooked chicken sitting around.
- You need an easy and warming lunch/dinner.
- Hate soggy leftover noodles/the canned stuff.
And real talk, nothing beats the type of chicken soup that takes four hours to make and starts with an entire raw chicken, but this easy version for one takes about twenty minutes, doesn’t require you to dismantle a dead bird AND totally hits the chicken soup spot, so when I’m craving some chicken soup for lunch, this is totally the version I’m going for.
The soup you see in photos used cubed chicken and carrots and celery because that’s what I usually have around, but go nuts.
Use shredded leftover rotisserie chicken, toss some corn in there, chop up some parsnips and make it a party. Make the chicken soup that’s in your heart. 😉
I also included instructions in the recipe notes for my favorite way to cook chicken for soup if you don’t have any cooked chicken already on hand. It’s the same method from my How to Cook Shredded Chicken and How to Cook Chicken Breasts for Recipes posts, so if you want to see step-by-step walkthroughs, you can click on through and see it there.
More Chicken Soup Recipes
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Chicken Carcass Soup
- Chicken Peasant Soup
- Chicken Parm Soup
- Easy Taco Soup
Ingredients
- ▢ 2 cups ( 1 14-ounce can ) chicken broth
- ▢ 1 medium carrot sliced 1/2-inch
- ▢ 1 medium celery rib sliced 1/2-inch
- ▢ 1/4 cup diced onion
- ▢ 3/4 cup egg noodles
- ▢ 3/4 cup ( 3oz ) diced or shredded cooked chicken
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon basil
- ▢ Salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a medium pot (with a lid), combine vegetables and chicken broth. Cover and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Add noodles, chicken, and spices. Re-cover and cook according to noodle package instructions, until noodles are al dente. If broth level looks low, add 1/4 to 3/4 cup of filtered water. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
These Strawberry and Blueberry Yogurt Smoothie Popsicles are fun, easy, and absolutely delicious!
Heeeeey, I have something a little nerdy and a lot delicious to start off your Monday!
It’s been a little while since I’ve posted a nerdy recipe . After my Creepy Recipes From Fiction series ( Sanguinaccio Dolce and Game of Thrones Frey Pie , anyone?) back in October, it’s been quiet on the nerdy front, but not any longer, because I’m sharing an X-men -inspired recipe today!!
I wasn’t a kid who watched the animated X-men series growing up, but I am a fan of the X-men movies, especially First Class. When the theme was announced, I knew immediately what I was going to make: a chess pie, because the scenes where Erik and Charles sit around and chat over a game of chess are basically the best parts of the movies in any timeline (or with either set of Erik and Charles).
Buuuuut I made a test chess pie, and it was an eggy, too-sweet failure, which was a bummer because you know I do love my word play.
So instead of a punny pie, I decided to make something sweet in the red and purple colors of Magneto’s costume and figured it would be a perfect chance to make smoothie popsicles for the blog. So I made Strawberry and Blueberry Yogurt Smoothie Popsicles, and unlike my mess of a pie, these are so good!!
Smoothie popsicles are super fun and easy to make. They only require a few ingredients, and just in case you don’t feel like making them in Magneto’s colors, you can use your favorite smoothie fruit instead.
How to Make Smoothie Popsicles
You just blend together fruit, yogurt, lemon juice, and a little bit of sugar (more on the sugar later) in two batches, and pour the smoothie into your popsicle mold ( this one’s my favorite ). And since the yogurt gives you a fairly dense smoothie, you don’t even have to freeze the layers separately the way you do with most two-toned popsicles.
A Note on Sugar
The sugar here is optional. You don’t have to add it, especially if you are working with really sweet fruit, but freezing mutes sweetness a lot, so I always like to start with a little extra sweet to make up for that. You can also try the same amount of honey if a natural sweetener is more your style!
Looking for more Popsicle Recipes ? Try these (FABULOUS) Homemade Pudding Pops , Cookies and Cream Popsicles , and Red Wine Popsicles .
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- ▢ Blender
- ▢ Popsicle mold*
- ▢ Popsicle sticks
Strawberry Layer
- ▢ 1 1/2 cup strawberries fresh or frozen
- ▢ 1 (5 to 6-ounce) container sweetened yogurt (any complementary flavor*)
- ▢ 1 tablespoon sugar
- ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Blueberry Layer
- ▢ 1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen
- ▢ 1/2 cup strawberries fresh or frozen
- ▢ 1 (5 to 6-ounce) container sweetened yogurt (any complementary flavor)
- ▢ 1 tablespoon sugar
- ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Combine strawberry layer ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Divide among popsicle molds.
- Repeat with the blueberry layer, making sure to leave a little space at the top for the popsicles to expand. Add sticks and freeze for at least 4 hours.
- Run mold under warm water and gently remove popsicles. Wrap individually in freezer or parchment paper and store in an air-tight container or freezer bag. Enjoy!
Notes
Small-batch Peanut Butter Bars
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- 7x5-inch Baking Dish
Peanut Butter Layer
- 1/3 cup salted butter melted
- 2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs (4 full sheets)
- 2/3 cup ( 80g ) powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup ( 85g ) creamy peanut butter (not natural peanut butter)
Chocolate Layer
- 1/2 cup ( 3oz ) good-quality semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 ( 20g ) heaping tablespoon peanut butter
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and peanut butter. Stir with a spoon until well mixed. Turn out into an ungreased 7x5-inch dish and smooth out. Place in the freezer for 5 minutes.
- In a small, microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate and peanut butter. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir. If necessary, microwave for an additional 15 seconds and stir, repeating until chocolate is melted and smooth.
- Pour mixture over the cooled peanut butter and spread. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting. Enjoy!
