Flourless Peanut Butter White Chocolate Bars
Peanut. Butter. White. Chocolate. Bars.
I think I could just stop there. But I won't. Because I'm very excited to share more about these bars.
Like first, I'd like to share the fact that these peanut butter bars are flourless. Which means they contain no flour. Which means they're gluten-free. Which also means that they're a whole lot more gooey and soft and cookie-dough like than a peanut butter bar that does contain flour is.
Because there's nothing interfering with the natural gooeyness and deliciousness that occurs when peanut butter and sugar and eggs meet.
You may have noticed a theme in some of my recipes on the blog that contain nut butter in them. Theme: flourless. Some examples: wholesome flourless almond butter cookies, wholesome flourless tahini cookies, and flourless peanut butter cookies.
Nut butters tend to act as both the flour and the butter in the recipes they inhabit, which cancels out the need for adding any flour or butter to said recipes. And that, my friends, is the magic of nut butter, aside from that fact that it makes desserts taste ridiculously rich and delicious.
By now, my love for chocolate chunks is quite evident. Just have a look at the countless desserts in the recipe index that contain oozing, melting chunks of dark chocolate in them.
But what I've never featured on the blog before are white chocolate chunks. Not because I don't love white chocolate as much or more than I love dark chocolate, but because the idea of adding white chocolate instead of dark chocolate simply escaped my mind every time I've worked on a recipe.
But one day I suddenly recalled my affection for white chocolate. And the pairing of peanut butter and white chocolate tickled my senses. It seemed natural to me.
Unfortunately, the white milk chocolate I used didn't melt in the oven. White chocolate tends to do that. It's very finicky. But it's okay. I know how to enjoy unmelted chunks of white chocolate in my flourless peanut butter bars too.
If you thought the last couple recipes I posted on the blog were quick and easy, you're in for a surprise. Because these flourless peanut butter bars are even quicker. And easier.
Just have a look at the ingredient list. It's super short. And simple.
Once again, all that is required is a mixing bowl and a rubber spatula. Oh, and a chef's knife, if you're going to be chopping up a bar of white chocolate.
These peanut butter bars are some of the softest, most gooey bars you'll come across. Since they don't have any flour in them, the bars really don't get harder as time passes. They stay soft. And maybe get even softer after a couple days.
If you enjoy the cookie-dough, raw kind of taste in your cookies and bars, you'll love these bars. Because that's another feature of these peanut butter bars.
And it goes without saying that if you love peanut butter, these bars should already be baking in your oven.
And if you like white chocolate, may I ask what you're still doing here?
flourless peanut butter white chocolate bars
Yield: about 18 bars
1 cup creamy peanut butter (best if it's not natural peanut butter)
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup white milk chocolate chunks or chips
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8x8 square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some excess hanging over.
Using a rubber spatula, stir together the peanut butter and sugar in a large bowl until smooth and no longer grainy.
Add in the rest of the ingredients except the chocolate chips and stir vigorously until mixture is smooth. Mix in chocolate chips or chunks last.
Press batter into pan evenly. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until edges are just golden but center is still slightly gooey.
Let cool before lifting out of pan by excess parchment paper and slicing into bars.
