I love peanut butter any way...on toast warm and melty for breakfast...with strawberry jam and potato chips on squishy bread for lunch that takes me back to third grade...on an apple for a quick afternoon snack...and of course straight out of the jar on spoon (don't judge). But, my favourite way to eat peanut butter is with chocolate.
Years ago I adapted these crazy-simple, no-bake, little squares from Nigella Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess. She uses creamy peanut butter and a mix of milk and "plain" chocolate...and honestly, I've never figured out what "plain" chocolate is. I switched it up using crunchy peanut butter and dark chocolate...these are incredibly rich and satisfying. A little goes a long way.
Base Ingredients
50 grams (1/4 cup) muscovado/dark brown sugar
200 grams (1 1/3 cups) icing/confectionary sugar
50 grams (1/4 cup) unsalted butter—softened to room temperature
200 grams (3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons) crunchy peanut butter
Topping Ingredients
300 grams (11 ounces) dark chocolate (70-80% cacao), broken into small pieces.
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Line square baking tin (23 cm/9-inch) with baking paper. Don't skip this. You'll regret it later when you are hacking your squares out of the pan.
To Make
Using an electric mixer, mix all ingredients for the base together. It will look like soft brown sand—rough and crumbly. Dump the base mixture into the lined baking tin and pat it together until smooth.
Put the chocolate and butter into a microwave-proof bowl or glass measuring cup. Melt slowly in short increments of 1 minute, then 30 seconds, then 20 seconds, stirring in between. Watch this carefully so the chocolate doesn't seize up and harden.
Pour the melted chocolate over the base mixture and spread. Put the tin in the fridge to set. When the chocolate has hardened (about an hour), cut into very small squares. Some of these may crumble and break, it's fine...rustic is part of the charm of this recipe. I save the broken bits in small container and use to top vanilla ice cream (again, don't judge).