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Fudgy Buckeye Peanut Butter Bars

Transforming the iconic buckeye dessert into fudgy bar cookies topped with a whipped peanut butter filling, toasted peanuts, chocolate fudge, and sea salt flakes. Fudgy Buckeye Peanut Butter Bars, chocolate buckeyes, fudge frosting, peanut butter filling, buckeye cookies, holiday cookies, cookie exchange
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Transforming the iconic buckeye dessert into fudgy bar cookies topped with a whipped peanut butter filling, toasted peanuts, chocolate fudge, and sea salt flakes.

Ingredients

Cookie

  • 1 1/2 cups / 292.1 g light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup / 100.4 g granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons / 7.8 g chocolate extract
  • 2 Xl eggs, whole and room temp
  • 1 XL egg yolk, room temp
  • 2 1/2 cups / 312.9 g all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons / 170.6 g Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons / 6.7 g baking powder
  • 1 1/2 baking soda / 5.1 g baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon / 6 g kosher salt
  • 16 Tablespoons / 226.7 g butter, melted and unsalted
  • 1 1/2 cups  / 255.5 g chocolate callets (or high-quality chocolate chips)
  • 1 1/2 cups / 251.9 g chopped chocolate (high-quality chocolate bar, chopped)

 Buckeye Filling

  • 3 cups / 851.7 g creamy peanut butter
  • 8 Tablespoons / 113.4 g butter, softened and unsalted
  • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Fudge Topping

  • 14 ounces of sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 3/4 cups / 298.1 g chocolate callets (or high quality chocolate chips)

Additions

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 9×13” pan with cooking spray and line it with foil leaving a 1” overhang.

Make the Cookie Base

  1. In a large bowl add the brown and granulated sugar, whole eggs, and egg yolk along with the chocolate extract; whisk to combine. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add that to the sugar mixture and give it a little mix together with a spatula. Pour in the melted butter and mix until it becomes a thick cookie dough. Add in the chopped chocolate and callets and mix into the dough. Spray a 9×13″ pan with cooking spray then foil (make sure to leave a 1″ overhang all the way around). Add the dough to the pan, and spread it around into an even layer.
  2. Pop the pan into a preheated oven and bake for 23-27 minutes. You want the cookie base to be soft but not gooey. It will firm up more upon cooling.

Make the Buckeye Filling

  1. In a large bowl cream together the peanut butter and butter until it’s very smooth and creamy. Add in confectioners’ sugar and, with the mixer on low, start to incorporate the sugar until it becomes thick and spreadable. To your cooled cookie base, spread all of the peanut butter filling on top into a smooth, even layer.
  2. Top with the toasted peanuts and gently press them into the buckeye filling.
  3. Pop the pan, uncovered into the fridge for a few minutes to firm up the filling while you make the fudge topping.

Make the Fudge Topping

  1. In a microwave bowl heat the sweetened condensed milk for 30-45 seconds. Add in the chopped chocolate, and stir until fully melted. If needed, microwave for 10-15 seconds at a time.
  2. Remove the pan from the fridge and then pour the fudge frosting over top of the buckeye filling.
  3. Once it’s all smoothed out, sprinkle with sea salt flakes.

Chill then Serve

  1. Place pan, uncovered, in the fridge to set fully; about an hour.
  2. Remove from the fridge, and slice into 1” slices (roughly 4 rows with 13 pieces per row).
  3. You can store the leftovers, covered in the fridge, or on the counter, in an air-tight container.

Find it online: https://www.thekitchenwhisperer.net/2022/12/12/fudgy-buckeye-peanut-butter-bars/