no bake chocolate peanut butter bars

My mother introduced me to these delicious and super easy bar cookies over 4th of July weekend. I was slightly skeptical at first, afraid they would be too sweet, but one bite and I was hooked. So as soon as I was back in Boston, I had to make them!

Of course, me being me, I could not leave well enough alone, and decided to make my own chocolate wafers. To be fair, I could not for the life of me find Nabisco Classic Chocolate Wafers, and was ultimately really pleased with this chocolate wafer cookie from Smitten Kitchen. And with my extra wafers, I made delicious little ice cream sandwiches. Who wouldn't love that!

These must be kept in the fridge, which makes them the perfect summer treat! They are apparently fantastic frozen as well. And when you cut the bars up, you will inevitably have lots of little crumbles. If you can resist eating these crumbs right away, save them in the fridge to sprinkle over vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

No-Bake Chocolate and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
from Martha Stewart, August 2008

Vegetable oil cooking spray

9 ounces chocolate wafers (about 40 wafers), finely ground (2 cups)
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
5 ounces (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup chunky peanut butter
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
10 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
1 1/2 ounces milk chocolate, melted

Coat a 9-by-13 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the 2 long sides.

Combine the ground wafers, oats, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then add the chunky peanut butter and 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter, whisking until well combined. Transfer to a baking dish, and use the bottom of a measuring cup or an offset spatula (or your fingers!) to firmly press the mixture into an even layer. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Pour melted semisweet chocolate over chilled mixture and, using a offset spatula, spread into a thin layer that covers the entire surface. Refrigerate until hardened, at least 15 minutes.

Heat remaining 3 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter in a small saucepan until runny. Drizzle peanut butter over chilled chocolate. Repeat with milk chocolate. Refrigerate until hardened, about 15 minutes (fyi - if you use all natural peanut butter, it lacks stabilizers, and never completely hardens).

Use parchment to lift chilled block of bars out of the pan. Run a sharp knife under hot water, dry well, and cut into 24 squares, wiping knife between cuts. Sliced bars can be refrigerated for up to 1 week, or frozen for up to 1 month.

- e