Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars

Your favorite peanut butter cereal is transformed into a crunchy, chocolate coated treat in my Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars...

Did you all know that this week is National Cereal Lovers Week?  I didn't either until I was watching an episode of The Chew a couple of days ago, and their entire episode was all about recipes using their favorite cereals!

I knew this was the perfect time to finally break out and share my super simple and tasty recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars.

These no-bake bars are peanut buttery gooey, perfectly crunchy, and just what the doctor ordered  for all you chocolate peanut butter lovers out there!  I used Peanut Butter Captain Crunch in my version here, but I have also used Peanut Butter Toast Crunch to make these and they were just as delicious.  Reeses Puffs or the new Peanut Butter Cheerios would be perfect in this too! :)  Any crunchy peanut butter flavored cereal will do really...  

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars

by Frugal Foodie Mama

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 3-4 minutes

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Ingredients (12 bars)

• 1 stick of unsalted butter- divided into 3 tbsp and 5 tbsp
• 1 (10)oz package of mini marshmallows
• 1 1/4 cups peanut butter (creamy or crunchy depending on your personal preference- I did half of each.)
• 6 cups peanut butter flavored cereal
• 3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a dutch oven, heat the 3 tbsp of butter over medium heat until melted. Stir in the mini marshmallows and continue stirring and heating for another 30-35 seconds.

Remove from the heat and stir in the peanut butter. Stir until all the marshmallows are pretty much melted and the peanut butter is incorporated. Add in the peanut butter cereal and stir until all the cereal is well coated with the peanut butter/marshmallow mixture.

Turn out in the prepared pan and pressed the cereal mixture into the pan evenly. Allow to cool completely.

Once cooled, melt the chocolate chips and the remaining 5 tbsp of butter in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each 30 second interval. It only took 1 minute for the chocolate chips and butter to completely melt. Stir until smooth.

Evenly pour the melted chocolate/butter mixture over the cooled cereal bars and spread out with the back of a wooden spoon or spatula. The chocolate will seep down into the cracks and crevices between the pieces of cereal.

Pop the chocolate covered bars in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to help the chocolate layer set.

Once the chocolate is set, feel free to cut into bars.

Enjoy!

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These Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars are a perfect quick dessert or after school snack.  And since they have cereal in them, I give you all full permission to have 1 or 2 of these bars with your morning coffee for breakfast. ;) 

Which cereal are you celebrating National Cereal Lovers week with this morning?  

If you are a chocolate peanut butter-aholic like me, you might also like my...

Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Pie

MVPeanut Butter Snickers Popcorn

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cracker Bars

You only need 4 simple ingredients to make these no-bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cracker Bars...

I don't normally post new recipes on the weekends, but this weekend is the exception. Because today would have been my friend Joan's (aka, Chocolate, Chocolate and More) 50th birthday. 

Some of you all may remember me talking about Joan last October shortly after she died. Though I didn't know Joan well and only had the opportunity to meet her in person once, she had such a huge impact on who I am as a food blogger. 

And I think the same can be said for pretty much every single food blogger who was lucky enough to have known her. She freely shared her knowledge of the blogging business and social media world with all of us. She believed that we should build each other up, & not always be in competition with one another. 

She taught many of us that we are worth far more than we give ourselves credit for sometimes. And she was a sweet soul who didn't see you in terms of follower numbers or page views, but rather as a kindred spirit who also loved sharing delicious recipes & their love for chocolate with others as much as she did.

So, today myself and other bloggers from across our food blogging community are celebrating Joan's life and honoring her memory in the best way that we know how- by sharing some of her time tested & amazing recipes with you all. And let me just say that browsing through Joan's extensive list of recipes & trying to choose just one to share today was no easy task, folks. ;) 

But I finally ended up zeroing in on her Chocolate Peanut Butter Cracker Bars. I mean, can you blame me? Just look at these scrumptious bars! 

Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cake

With it's super moist chocolaty cake layers frosted with a rich peanut buttery mousse, this Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cake is chocolate cake perfection...

Do you all know what day it is today?

Nope.... It isn't hump day (that's tomorrow, folks). ;)

It is National Chocolate Cake Day! (As if we all need a national food holiday to eat a slice or two of chocolate cake today, right?)

I have actually been holding onto this recipe for a decadent Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cake for a little while now. Inspired by my Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Pie, this cake has been served at my son's birthday party for the past two years, and it has been requested by my mother for her department's work birthday parties several times in the past year.  

To say that this cake has been thoroughly tested and taste tested would be an understatement, friends. ;)

I could think of no better day to finally share this recipe with you all than for National Chocolate Cake Day. How can you go wrong with super moist chocolaty cake layers frosted with a rich peanut buttery mousse and then topped with your favorite whipped topping, lots of chocolate syrup and honey roasted peanuts? 

I mean, unless you are not a fan of chocolate... or peanut butter... or cake. Does someone like that even exist anyways? ;)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Pie {A Recipe Makeover}

Creamy, cool layers of chocolate and peanut butter mousse are nestled in a graham cracker crust in this easy to make, no-bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Pie...

Whenever a long holiday weekend approaches, I tend to have two thoughts- 1. Yay! A long weekend! (Not that a stay-at-home/work-at-home mama really ever gets a 3 day weekend, but that is besides the point. ;) ) and then 2. BBQ's & get-togethers!  

I really do love this time of the year. The end of the school year is almost here. The days have started getting longer. And I get into full-on outdoor entertaining mode. 

I want to host all the parties and cookouts and get-togethers! And since I seem to be hosting a little something almost every weekend of the summer, I like to keep a few go-to, tried & true recipes in my back pocket for the summer season. 

This no-bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Pie happens to be my most requested of these recipes. :)

Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Packed full of chunks of chocolate & crunchy peanuts, this Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Banana Bread is a chocolate & peanut butter lover's dream come true...

This post is sponsored by Walmart, Thyme & Table, and The Women's Blogger Network. As always, all opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.

I know when most people think of their "happy place" they usually think of a beach with a cocktail in hand. Or a secluded cabin in the mountains. And while I could definitely go for either one of those places right about now, my favorite happy place happens to be my kitchen.

It is the one room in my house where I can create. And cook. And bake. And tinker with new recipe creations while also whipping up the tried & true recipes that my family loves and asks for time & time again. The rest of my house can be an absolute chaotic mess, but as long as my kitchen is clean, & tidy, and stocked with all the pretty things then I am able to find my inner calm and breathe.

One way that I am keeping my happy place decked out in trendy, yet functional utensils, gadgets, & cutting boards is with the Thyme & Table kitchen line from my local Walmart. Thyme & Table is the newest line of stylish kitchen products from Core Home. For those of you who have been following along with me for a while now, you all already know of my love for Core Home. Their products have been a staple in my kitchen for the past four years now. :)

Easy Banana Cinnamon Peanut Butter Waffles

You all won't believe how incredibly easy it is to whip up these Easy Banana Cinnamon Peanut Butter Waffles...

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of The J.M. Smucker Company. The opinions and text are all mine.

One of my longtime favorite flavor combinations has always been peanut butter with banana. I love adding them both into smoothies or enjoying them together over toast for a quick snack. But I am here to tell you all that Jif has managed to take my peanut butter/banana obsession to a whole other level of peanut butter happy with their new Jif Cinnamon Peanut Butter. :) You heard me right, folks. Cinnamon + peanut butter + bananas= my new #peanutbutterhappy.

You all won't believe how incredibly easy it is to whip up these Easy Banana Cinnamon Peanut Butter Waffles using my new favorite Jif flavored spread...

Peanut M&M's Buckeye Bars

Peanut butter and chocolate is just one of those baking flavor combos that is perfect any time of the year.  Throw in some Peanut M&M's?  And oh yeah!  You have yourself a crowd pleaser for sure. :)

As some of you may have seen me mention before, I lived about 8 years in the scarlet & gray city of Columbus, Ohio.  I embraced the Buckeyes culture after a couple of years of living there.  It was difficult to not get caught up in it all, especially on a game day Saturday (and even more so if that game happened to be against the Wolverines ;) ).  

Buckeye candies were the signature candy of the city.  You could find them in every store there.  For those of you not familiar with a Buckeye candy, it is basically a peanut butter fudge ball that is dipped into chocolate leaving a small circle of the peanut butter candy open at the top thus resembling a Buckeye nut.

Ohio State fan or not, Buckeye candies are amazing! 

Snickers Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats

A classic no-bake treat gets jazzed up with the addition of creamy peanut butter, Snickers, & honey roasted peanuts in these Snickers Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats...

Okay, let's have a little confession time here, folks- how many of you all purposely buy extra bags of candy for Halloween just to make sure you have enough to make some tasty treats with? (Raises hand.) Or maybe you are the one who waits until November 1st, and then picks up a few bags while they are on clearance. (Also guilty on that charge.) 

I mean, there is just something about having hoards of extra trick or treat candy on hand that makes me want to get into the kitchen and whip up a few goodies. If you find yourself with some extra Snickers on hand after those porch lights go off this weekend, then you will definitely want to make sure that these Snickers Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats happen.

The classic rice krispies treats recipe gets jazzed with up with the addition of creamy peanut butter, Snickers, and honey roasted peanuts making it a quick and delicious no-bake treat...

Feel Good Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Satisfy your cravings for fresh from the oven cookies without wrecking your goals for healthy eating with these Feel Good Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies...

I love, love, love home baked cookies warm from the oven.  They are just one of my many sweet tooth weaknesses.  But in my journey to develop a more balanced lifestyle, I need to take some of my guilty favorites and make them... well, a little less guilty. ;)

I love a good peanut butter oatmeal cookie stuffed with gooey chocolate chips and rich pecans. To satisfy my cravings for one of my favorite cookies, I made a few tweaks to this recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies from Will Cook For Smiles.  (If you want the full-on version of this recipe, be sure to click on over and get it!)

I reduced the butter & replaced some of it with coconut oil.  I added more whole grains to the overall recipe and cut the amount of chocolate chips in half- Gasp.

MVPeanut Butter Snickers Popcorn

This MVPeanut Butter Snickers Popcorn with it's crunchy popcorn, gooey peanut butter, and bits of Snickers is the perfect sweet treat for game day...

Looking for a sweet and salty snack for your tailgating or game day get-together this weekend? I have you covered with my MVPeanut Butter Snickers Popcorn!  

This easy dessert that requires no utensils (and hey, even a plate or napkin is optional with this one!) comes together in about 30 minutes and is sure to please even the most hardcore football fans.  

The new MARS Snickers Bites makes this popcorn treat come together in a snap since there is no unwrapping of candy bars required.  Just dump out the entire bag of unwrapped bites of peanut, nougat, caramel, and milk chocolate onto a cutting board and give them a quick chop!

I am not going to lie to you all.  This stuff is seriously addictive.  Like the day I made this popcorn, it may have ended up constituting most of my lunch because I couldn't keep my hand out of the bowl.  Sweet, salty, chewy, crunchy.... okay, perfect. ;)  

Tossing the Snickers Bites in while the peanut butter mixture is still warm is the key.  It melts the chocolate and caramel ever so slightly making it stick in delicious little globs to the popcorn that harden after it has cooled...

Peanut Butter Crumble Yogurt Parfait

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WhenImHungry #CollectiveBias

Ever had that moment during the day when you have been so busy and stressed that you somehow forgot to eat lunch or you have powered through the mid-afternoon munchies and then hangry sets in? I know some of you all already know too well what I am talking about when I say hangry, but for those of you that don't  know what hangry it is basically when you are so hungry that you are pretty much angry.  You don't feel quite like yourself. Your patience wears thinner a little quicker. The smallest thing can agitate you and make you snap. Yep, that is hangry, my friends. And hangry isn't pretty.

I have been guilty of being hangry more times than I would like to admit. Rather it be because I am trying to power through some blog post guidelines while dealing with a toddler meltdown (and you know that they always perfectly time to throw down the major ones right when you are the busiest ;) ). Or out running errands, picking my son up from practice, and just getting the general business of keeping our home & family running smoothly. And boom! It hits me- hangriness. And that is when I remember that I haven't ate a thing for over 5 hours. 

My new solution to cure the afternoon hangry? This easy to make, energy boosting Peanut Butter Crumble made with toasted oats, toasted rice cereal, peanut butter, chia seeds, and satisfying SNICKERS® Peanut Butter Squares.  I can throw a couple of handfuls in a plastic baggie to go or create a quick and delicious yogurt parfait with it at home in minutes. Hangry cured. ;)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Pie

Join the Pi Day Pie Party with Crazy for Crust and enter to win some fabulous prizes!

I love a good challenge, and recently learned of the Get Your Chef On challenge from White Lights on Wednesdays and Four Marrs and One Venus 's blogs.  Here is the quick low-down: Once every 2 months they give you an ingredient. You come up with your best using that ingredient and then link up on the start of the challenge.  The posts are drooled over by the lovely hostesses and then they pick a winner!  Fun, right? ;)

The secret ingredient this is round is..... Peanut Butter!!  I adore peanut butter, and there was no doubt in my mind that I would be submitting my Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Pie. :)  My recipe is an adaptation from a recipe for No Bake Peanut Butter Pie from the blog, One Ordinary Day.  

This creamy, rich pie comes together easily and with very little effort.

What you will need:

One graham cracker crust (store bought or homemade)

One 3.2 oz box of Chocolate Mousse mix (I needed 1 cup of cold milk for the mix I used.)

One 8 oz package of cream cheese

1/2 cup of sugar

1 cup of creamy peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

Half of a 8 oz tub of Cool Whip

The rest of the Cool Whip, chocolate syrup, and peanuts for garnishing

(Like how I used the Lite Cool Whip and 1/3 Less Fat cream cheese? I saved just a few calories and fat grams there. ;) )

Prepare the chocolate mousse mix according to the package directions.  Spread the mousse into the prepared graham cracker crust.  Let the chocolate mousse layer set up in the fridge for an hour.

To make the peanut butter layer of the pie, cream together the cream cheese and sugar using an electric mixer until smooth.  Beat in the peanut butter and vanilla.  Fold in the 4 oz of Cool Whip.  Mix well.  

Spread the peanut butter mixture evenly over the chocolate mousse layer.  Return the pie to the fridge and let it chill for another 3-4 hours.  

Once chilled, slice the pie.  Garnish each slice with a dollop of your remaining Cool Whip, a drizzle of chocolate syrup, and a small handful of peanuts.  

And there you have it!  This is by far one of husband's and son's favorite desserts of mine that I make.  It is pretty fair to say that they were both beyond excited when I told them I was making it this past weekend for the Get Your Chef On challenge.  They never complain about being my personal taste testers. ;)

Fluffernutter Banana S'mores

 When you add a little fluffernutter action to classic s'mores by adding some peanut butter coated banana slices, you get something truly and deliciously amazing- Fluffernutter Banana S'mores...

So according to the calendar it is not "officially" summer until June 21st, but we have already started summer in this house. 

Summer pretty much starts Memorial Day weekend around here.

In fact, we have already had our newly assembled fire pit toasting marshmallows and illuminating conversations with friends and family twice since May 26th.  

And you seriously can't have a good fire pit, camp fire, or bon fire going without s'mores always fitting into that summertime equation.

A summer fire without s'mores would be like having a lit grill without hamburgers or hot dogs to grill.

Or serving a pitcher of iced tea without, you know... ice. ;)

Fire pit= s'mores. 

Enough said. 

But I decided to take the classic s'mores to the next level by throwing a little fancy pants s'mores party for friends & family on Memorial Day evening. (There will be more details on that little party on the blog tomorrow, friends. Stay tuned!)

Sure, the classic s'mores will always be summer perfection.

But when you add a little fluffernutter action to them with some peanut butter coated banana slices, you get something truly and deliciously amazing- Fluffernutter Banana S'mores...

3 Easy Dessert "Pizza" Muffins

With 3 different topping combinations to choose from, these Easy Dessert "Pizza" Muffins are the perfect no-bake treat for summertime...

This post is sponsored by Thomas' English Muffins & Megaphone. All opinions expressed below are 100% my own.

Who else happens to be a fan of no-bake recipes for those hot summer days? When the temperatures rise & the humidity is on, the last thing I want to do is turn on my oven to whip up a sweet treat for myself & the kiddos. That's why when Thomas' English Muffins asked me to come up with a perfect for summertime recipe that went beyond the breakfast table, I knew I wanted to create a dessert recipe that was simple & easy and required no baking time whatsoever.

I stopped in at my local Walmart & picked up everything that I would need to make these Easy Dessert "Pizza" Muffins, including my favorite Thomas' Light Multigrain English Muffins. These dessert "pizzas" go from toaster to table in just 20 minutes! Plus with 3 varieties to choose from & make, there is sure to be a perfect dessert muffin for each member of your family.

Peanut Butter Chai Cookies {The Leftovers Club}

A few months back, I was hanging out on Twitter when I saw someone post a recipe link for Chai Peanut Butter.  

Chai Peanut Butter?!?

Needless to say, I was super excited to click on the link and then within almost the same instant completely and utterly let down...

It was CHIA Peanut Butter!

The person who tweeted out the recipe spelled chia wrong.

Yep.  Bummed.

I have pretty much been obsessed with using that flavor combination in a recipe ever since. ;)

When I received my pairing for this month's The Leftovers Club and she stated in her email that she loved peanut butter and cinnamon, I knew it was time to make my Peanut Butter Chai dream a reality...

Thus my Peanut Butter Chai Cookies were realized.

These cookies are softy and chewy, close to a bakery style.  There is a slight hint of spice to the peanut butter, and I am happy to say peanut butter and chai make perfect bed mates. ;) 

Peanut Butter Chai Cookies

by Frugal Foodie Mama

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10-12 minutes

6052870

Ingredients (2 dozen cookies)

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• Turbinado sugar or large crystal sugar, for topping the cookies

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

In large bowl, cream together the butter & peanut butter. Beat in the sugars until fluffy.

Add in the egg, milk, & vanilla and mix well.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, all the spices, and the black pepper.

Beat half the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Then add the rest of the flour mixture and mix. Do not over mix.

Sprinkle the turbinado sugar onto a small plate.

Roll the dough into balls slightly larger than a tablespoon. Press one side of the cookie dough ball into the sugar, flattening slightly. Continue this for the rest of the dough.

Place the sugared cookie dough balls on your prepared baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are slightly browned.

Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

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Recipe adapted from THIS ONE on Pinch of Yum.

These cookies were seriously amazing!  I have never baked a better peanut butter cookie in my life. 

If you loved this recipe, you might also like my...

Coconut Chai Biscotti

Crock Pot White Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

Be sure to check out all the other amazing recipes in this month's The Leftovers Club below!