Marbled Peanut Butter & Chocolate Shortbread Bars

November 15, 2013
Whip up beautifully-marbled Peanut Butter and Chocolate Shortbread Bars.  A simple shortbread crust is layered with white chocolate and peanut butter, and topped off with a marbled swirl of semi-sweet chocolate.  They're little bars of pure deliciousness!

Can you believe Christmas is only about 5 and a 1/2 weeks away?  Have you started your Christmas shopping yet??  Well, I have bought exactly one gift.  ONE.  That's it.  But I'm happy to say, it's a fabulous one! ... a personalized, engraved cherry wood cutting board for some foodie friends of mine from the wonderful folks at cherryBLOX.

And guess what!!  YOU could have one, too! ...That's right, if you're the winner of this great cherryBLOX give-away presented by me and my bloggy friend Dorothy at Crazy for Crust, you'll get to create your very own cherryBLOX custom-engraved cutting board as your prize.  How cool is that?




Here's my personalized cherryBLOX ... and I love, love, love it.

See how nice and thick the cutting board is?  Makes it perfect for both cutting and for using it as a serving piece.  Gotta love beautiful versatility.


And these make the perfect personalized gift ... for Christmas, weddings, bridal showers, anniversaries, teacher gifts ~ you name it!

Ready to enter for your chance to win?  Great!  Just follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below.


This give-away is over.  Congratulations to our winner ~ Jisoo R.!
The fine print:  Entry open from midnight Eastern time on November 16, 2013 until midnight Eastern time on November 22, 2013.  Open to U.S. residents only, must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Please see full rules and restrictions in the Rafflecopter form. Sometimes it takes a moment to load.

Now let's talk scrumptious Marbled Peanut Butter & Chocolate Shortbread Bars! ... photographed on my gorgeous cherryBLOX cutting board, of course.


These little bars of deliciousness were a happy accident.  An act of pure desperation, actually.  Yup, I totally messed up a recipe ... annnddddd these were born.  With a layer of scrumptious shortbread covered in a thick layer of white chocolate and peanut butter, all topped off with a marbled swirl of semi-sweet chocolate, how could the accident be anything but happy?

You know those days when you're very short on time ... I mean, like crunching right down to the very last second you have ... and you've committed to make something for an event?  Well, the day these bars were born was one of those days.

I had committed to bringing the sweets for a group get-together, which is something I love to do.  'Cause, as you know if you come by here often, I'll take any excuse I can to bake.  So I decided to make a peanut butter and chocolate bark I'd had my eye on for a while.

Well, let's just leave it at ... the bark didn't work.  At all.  It tasted totally yummy, but it was ooey-gooey and didn't set up at all.  A total mess.  And I didn't have time to make something else.  Ugh.

I fretted and fretted.  What was I going to do?  I couldn't show up at the get-together empty-handed!

And then an idea struck.  What if I turned the {failed} bark into the topping of a bar?  I could pull that off pretty quickly, I thought!  {I had all of about 40 minutes before I needed to be at the get-together.}

I quickly mixed up and baked up a simple shortbread crust.  Then, I cut large pieces of the ooey-gooey peanut butter {failed} bark in sheets and layed it on top of the warm crust ... stuck it back in the oven for just a minute or two to melt and adhere the bark onto the crust ... and then flash-chilled it all in the freezer.

Whew!  It worked!  And it was deeee-licious.

Probably needless to say, I was a wee bit late for the get-together.  But happily, these Marbled Peanut Butter & Chocolate Shortbread Bars were a total hit.

Aaahhhhhh, you gotta love happy accidents.


Now, here's how to make these beautiful bars the non-accident way.

Line a baking dish with aluminum foil to create a sling ... you're doing this because it makes it soooooo much easier to cut the squares.  Simply lift the entire slab out of the pan by the foil overhang, set it on a cutting board (ahem ... like a gorgeous cherryBLOX personalized cutting board), pull back the foil from the edges, and cut.  Easy-peasy.

Then, press a simple shortbread dough mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan and bake it up.


While the crust is baking, melt together some white chocolate and crunchy peanut butter.  Resist the temptation to eat it all by the spoonful.  It'll be hard ... but you can do it.

Spread the peanut butter mixture evenly over the shortbread crust as soon as it comes out of the oven ...


... and then drop on some stripes of melted semi-sweet chocolate, like this:


To create the really pretty marbled effect, simply run a sharp knife back and forth through the peanut butter mixture, perpendicular to the chocolate stripes, like this:


Aren't they pretty?


So, what are you waiting for?  Go whip up a batch of these totally heavenly happy-accident Marbled Peanut Butter & Chocolate Shortbread Bars ... your tummy will be so glad you did!  And be sure to create your very own personalized cherryBLOX cutting board to cut them on.  I'm pretty sure these gorgeous cutting boards may just make these scrumptious bars taste even better.


Thank you for stopping by The Kitchen is My Playground. We'd love to have you back soon!




peanut butter chocolate shortbread bars recipes, peanut butter bars recipe, peanut butter bars with shortbread crust
Cookies & Bars
American
Yield: varies
Author:
Marbled Peanut Butter & Chocolate Shortbread Bars

Marbled Peanut Butter & Chocolate Shortbread Bars

A simple shortbread crust layered with white chocolate and peanut butter, topped off with a marbled swirl of semi-sweet chocolate. They're little bars of pure deliciousness!
Prep time: 25 MCook time: 30 MTotal time: 55 M

Ingredients:

  • 2 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 c. granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 c. butter, just slightly softened
  • 1 (12 oz.) package white chocolate chips
  • 1 1/4 c. crunchy peanut butter
  • 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

For the Crust:
  1. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Cut butter into small pieces and add to flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on slow speed until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a sandy consistency. 
  2. Press flour mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish lined with aluminum foil (let the foil overhang the edges of the pan, creating a foil 'sling'). 
  3. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
For the Peanut Butter Topping:
  1. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt together the white chocolate and peanut butter. 
  2. Spread evenly over the still-warm crust.
For the Marbled Chocolate:
  1. Melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 45 seconds in the microwave or in a small saucepan over medium-low heat); stir until smooth.
  2. Drizzle stripes over the warm peanut butter topping. To marbelize, use a sharp knife to draw lines through the peanut butter mixture perpendicular to the chocolate stripes.
  3. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until set. 
  4. Use the edges of the foil "sling" to lift bars from the pan. Cut into small squares.
Created using The Recipes Generator

Enjoy these other amazingly yummy bars from The Kitchen is My Playground ...




53 comments

  1. Hi,
    These Sounds like Yummy..!!
    This Chocolate Shortbread bars looks delicious.
    I love chocolate dessert most. I read your recipe its really unique and easy to make.
    You share lovely Christmas dessert.I really excited to try this.
    Thanks For Sharing...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Chrish! Sometimes mistakes yield the yummiest things. :-)

      Delete
  2. I would keep it for myself. Thanks for the chance to enter.

    Andrea D.
    short74717@msn.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Leslie:
    I'm afraid I would want to keep this beauty for myself. It would have a permanent place on my countertop.
    leslieannstevenson@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. I would keep it for myself. I love it! Thanks for the giveaway! DamianMom at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  5. That's a NICE cutting board! I have a bamboo one that I love, so I would give this to my son and his bride-to-be, as they're just beginning to set up their home.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is, indeed, a NICE cutting board. Congrats to your son and his soon-to-be wife!

      Delete
  6. i would love it for myself, but i know my son would love it more, so in the spirit of the holidays, i would give it up. thanks for a chance to win

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'd keep this for myself for sure!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I LOVE to cook, so I'd keep it.
    knycks1(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'd definitely get some use out of it if I kept it, but I would give it to my mom. She's a foodie and she could actually really use a new cutting board, she would LOVE it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm not selfish, I'd give it someone that would use it.....my husband!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Definately large.

    Love3570@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. I would keep it !!

    Love3570@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. I need a new cutting board so I would keep it.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I'd give it to my brother for Christmas

    ReplyDelete
  15. I would selfishly keep it for myself. My cutting board (32 years old) recently fell apart, Split into two pieces.....:(

    ReplyDelete
  16. I would keep it for myself because I only have a cheap plastic cutting board.I love these cutting boards,too.

    ReplyDelete
  17. This would be a Christmas gift for my aunt.
    elysesw@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  18. I think I should say that I would give it away...but I'm not sure--I like it a lot!! Love your blog--such great ideas!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'd keep it. We're desperate for a good cutting board around here.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Love the look of these bars...and the cutting board-have to say, I'd keep it! :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. I hate to say I'd keep it - its so pretty and I could really use a nice new cutting board!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I would keep it because it is absolutely beautiful

    ReplyDelete
  23. I'm a bit selfish and I would definitely keep it for myself!

    *susan

    ReplyDelete
  24. I would keep it for myself, but only because my cutting board recently broke in half :(

    ReplyDelete
  25. Just got added to My Favorites! Hope to win the large cutting board-very nice!

    ReplyDelete
  26. I think I would pick the large one and give i5 to my dad for Christmas, him and his wife would love it :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. I love cherryblox! Would love the little one for our future bar!

    ReplyDelete
  28. I would give it as a gift to my best friend

    ReplyDelete
  29. I would keep it for myself as I have very few cutting boards!

    ReplyDelete
  30. love that cutting board!

    perhaps you can help a fellow food blogger out and vote for my mac n cheese in a recipe contest? i'd greatly appreciate it!! :)
    http://www.mysteryingredientbloggershowcase.com/?contestants=macaroni-and-cheese

    ReplyDelete
  31. Being that I LOVE to cook & cook everyday I would keep it for my self

    ReplyDelete
  32. I would give this as a gift to my mother who is a wonderful cook.

    ReplyDelete
  33. I would keep it for me because I have one that is 28 years old and has a large crack in it and I need a new one .

    ReplyDelete
  34. I would get a large one and give it to my parents as a gift

    ReplyDelete
  35. I would get the large and it would be a gift.
    vikki.billings@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  36. I would keep it for myself!!!
    brich22 at earthlink dot net

    Richard Hicks

    ReplyDelete
  37. I would keep it for myself. I could really use a nice new cutting board.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Thanks for the giveaway…we would love one for our kitchen !
    Rafflecopter: Bryan E.

    ReplyDelete
  39. I THINK ID KEEP THIS ONE FOR MY FAMILY! THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE CHANCES TO WIN.
    ALLISON.BAHR@YAHOO.COM

    ReplyDelete
  40. I would give it to my mother. kdog13@comcast.net

    ReplyDelete
  41. I would keep it for myself - we just bought a house and the kitchen is badly in need of some attractive and useful utensils!

    ReplyDelete

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