to make a quick buckeye

at the nintendo summit, i met nora, and we hit it off over (other peoples') tales of the rock and an amazing chocolatey mint dessert. somewhere in the middle of the conversation, we discussed oreo truffles, which got me thinking about buckeyes--mainly, both are messy attempts at rolling things into balls.

two hours of flight time home allowed me to deeply ponder the inner workings of cocoa and peanut combinations AND watch two episodes of the real housewives of orange county. during that time, i figured i might as well take my own whack at buckeye bars (aka butch bars to anyone who frequents hot cookie). becca's buckeye bars

ingredients

• 1 bag (16 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips


• 1 tablespoon shortening


• 1 (18 oz) jar creamy peanut butter


• 1/2 cup butter or earth balance, softened


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

directions

• line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper.


• clear out a flat space in your freezer.


• melt half of the chips and 1/2 tablespoon shortening over medium heat (use a double broiler or your own microwave method. stir every few seconds, and don't burn the chocolate!).


• poor the melted chocolate into the bottom of the lined pan. spread evenly, and place in the freezer for 30 min.


• place the peanut butter, butter, vanilla extract, and 3 cups of powdered sugar in a large bowl. mix until smooth (use fingers, fork, a hand mixer, whatever). depending on taste and consistency, perhaps add the last cup and mix until smooth (i used 4 cups, and feel that my final product was a little too sweet).


• remove pan from freezer.


• line the chocolate mixture with the peanut butter mixture. flatten/smoothen the top of it and return to the freezer for another 10-15 min.


• meanwhile, melt remainder of chips and shortening.


• remove pan from freezer, and layer with melted chocolate mixture. smoothen, and return to freezer for another 45 min.


• remove from freezer, slice, and keep in fridge!