Peanut Butter Bars

I know I haven't been blogging long.  And most of you can tell I love chocolate.  But I have a big secret.  I am addicted to peanut butter.  I have talked about peanut butter chewies, peanut butter cookies, peanut butter french toast...I wonder if they have meetings for this kind of thing.

This recipe came from Paula Deen's Savannah Country Cookbook.  My mom gave me this recipe years ago before I even realized it was from my butter lovin' cooking idol. 


What you will need:
1 stick of butter (Who would have guessed?)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups of sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup of self rising flour


I added a crust to mine.  If you want to do the same, then melt some butter and grab a package of Nutter Butters.  You only need half of the package.  So have fun with the rest!

Crush the Nutter Butters in a food processor and mix with some melted butter.  I used about 1/2 stick for the crust.  Press into a baking pan.  The recipe suggests a 13 x 9 pan. However, I used a smaller pan.  The result is a thicker peanut butter bar that will require a longer cooking time.  

Bake the crust at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.  While that is cooking, you can start with the peanut butter mixture.  In a double boiler, melt down the stick of butter and 1/2 cup of peanut butter.  You don't have to buy a fancy double boiler from the store. You can make your own.  Fill a saucepan with water, turn on the heat, and place a stainless steel bowl (or even a thick glass bowl) over the water.  Make sure the bowl is big enough that it doesn't sit on the water.  Just be careful with the steam.  

After the peanut butter and butter have melted, add the remaining ingredients.  Stir everything together and pour over the crust.  If using the bigger pan, bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes.  If you use a smaller pan, you will cook the bars for about 45 minutes.   You know they are done when the middle is no longer jiggly.  Kind of like my belly after all this holiday eating.  Cool completely, cut into squares, and store in an airtight container.