Amish Reese's Peanut Butter Bars Recipe

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

Amish Reese's Peanut Butter Bars with chocolate cake, peanut butter, and chocolate frosting is a rich and indulgent dessert that is sure to please fans of both chocolate and peanut butter.

This dessert combines the flavor of Reese's peanut butter cups with a moist chocolate cake, a creamy peanut butter filling, and a rich chocolate frosting to create a decadent and satisfying treat.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar Recipe (Reese's Cake)

Cakes are usually baked in a 9x13" (or equivalent size) pan, and that makes a nice thick layer of cake. But for this recipe, we have a moist chocolate cake that is baked in a larger pan to create a thin layer of cake on the bottom.

Then it gets a very thin layer of peanut butter and a chocolate frosting on the top. So it's technically a thin cake. But since it's made to eat with your hands, we call it bars.

And you can call them cookie bars, cake bars, or whatever you like to call dessert bars that you hold in your hands to eat. They make a great dessert on the go since you don't need utensils to eat them.

Homemade Buttermilk

I love using buttermilk in baked goods. It helps to create a soft and light, yet moist texture.

However, buttermilk is not something that I keep on hand. So what if I want to make these bars, and I don't have any buttermilk in my refrigerator?

No problem. I can make buttermilk with ingredients that I already have on hand since adding lemon juice or vinegar to milk makes homemade buttermilk.

I recommend using whole milk, although 2% will also work. Unfortunately, 1% or skim milk does not work.

Since we only need 1/2 cup of buttermilk for this recipe, you can add 1 Tbsp. of vinegar to a half-cup measuring cup and fill it will milk. Let it rest for at least five minutes.

It will curdle and thicken, producing buttermilk.

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Amish Peanut Butter Bars in 10x15" Pan

To make these bars, we bake the chocolate cake in a 10x15" jelly roll pan.

My jelly roll pan dimensions are more like 10 3/4 x 16 3/4". So they are not all exactly the typical 10x15 inches. But as long as it's close to that size, it will work.

The point is, we're not using a regular 9x13" cake pan, and neither are we using a 13x18" half-sheet cake pan. You want the size in between that's typically known as a 10x15" jelly roll pan.

It allows you to have a nice thin (but not too thin) layer of cake on the bottom.

Spreading Peanut Butter Over the Cake

Peanut butter gets spread over the top of the cooled cake. And you will have to spread it carefully, or it will pull the top off of the cake and you'll end up with cake crumbs all through the peanut butter.

I recommend using a nice and creamy brand of peanut butter. And I have found the cheaper generic brands to be a little stiff. So I'm going to suggest that you buy a better brand such as Jif, Skippy, or Peter Pan.

Here I used Peter Pan, and it spread fine. But I think Jif is known to be one of the creamiest spreadable brands.

These peanut butter cake bars are seriously addicting, especially if you love the flavors of chocolate cake with peanut butter. And if you enjoy this Amish recipe for peanut butter bars, I would love it if you left a star rating and comment below.

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Amish Reese's Peanut Butter Bars Recipe

This dessert combines the flavor of Reese's peanut butter cups with a moist chocolate cake, a creamy peanut butter filling, and a rich chocolate frosting to create a decadent and satisfying treat.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Bars, Cakes, Dessert

Cuisine American, Amish

Servings 30 servings

Calories 362 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Bottom Cake Layer:

• 1 c. softened butter (2 sticks)
• 1 c. water
• 3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
• 2 large eggs (room temperature)
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. buttermilk or sour cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Middle Layer:

• 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 c. creamy peanut butter (1 lb. container)

Frosting:

• 1/2 c. softened butter (1 stick)
• 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
• pinch salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 c. milk
• 2 1/2 - 3 c. powdered sugar

Instructions

 

Cake - Bottom Layer:

• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• Beat eggs well. Add the sugar and beat well again.
  2 large eggs (room temperature), 1 1/2 c. sugar
• Add the buttermilk and vanilla and mix.
  1/2 c. buttermilk or sour cream, 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• In a saucepan, melt the butter, water, and cocoa. Then add this mixture to the egg mixture.
  1 c. softened butter (2 sticks), 1 c. water, 3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
• Add the remaining ingredients and mix to combine. The batter will be runny.
  2 c. all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. salt
• Pour into a greased and lightly floured 10x15" baking pan (jelly roll pan) and bake for 20 - 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out with only a few crumbs.
• Cool completely.

Middle Layer:

• Carefully spread the peanut butter over the top of the cooled cake.
  1 1/2 - 1 3/4 c. creamy peanut butter (1 lb. container)

Frosting:

• Beat the butter until creamed. Add the cocoa and salt and mix.
  1/2 c. softened butter (1 stick), 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder, pinch salt
• Add the remaining ingredients, mix, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then mix on high speed for at least 2 minutes.
  1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1/4 c. milk, 2 1/2 - 3 c. powdered sugar
• Spread the frosting over the top and chill before cutting into squares.
• Can store at room temperature or refrigerate. These bars can also be frozen to keep them fresh for later.

Notes

If you don't have buttermilk, add 1 Tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice to a half cup and fill with whole or 2% milk. Let it rest for several minutes before adding it to the batter.

For a slight variation with the frosting, you can bring the butter, cocoa, and milk to a boil in a saucepan. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla.

*Nutrition is approximate.

Nutrition

Serving: 1barCalories: 362kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 6gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 224mgPotassium: 149mgFiber: 2gSugar: 33gVitamin A: 322IUVitamin C: 0.004mgCalcium: 24mgIron: 1mg

Keyword Amish Rees'e Peanut Butter Bars Recipe, Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

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