Is Chocolate and Peanut Butter the Best Flavor Combination in the World? Probably.
Matt Armendariz, 2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
Peanut butter and jelly are always linked, but really, chocolate is peanut butter’s best partner. Was Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup the first example of this classic pairing? Maybe. According to this story, a farmer named H.B. Reese, employed by Hershey’s, invented peanut butter cups, aka “penny cups” in 1928, so it’s possible we have H.B. to thank for this winning combination.
Regardless of the history, whenever chocolate and peanut butter are together, you’ll have the best dessert ever. When a craving hits, you can take the easy route and sprinkle a spoonful of peanut butter with chocolate chips and pop it in your mouth, or you can make one of these treats.
Buckeyes, named after the nut from Ohio’s state tree, the buckeye, (not a deer’s eyeball, in case that’s what you thought) are peanut butter truffles dipped in melted chocolate. They’re incredibly simple to make — you won’t even need to turn your oven or stove on; you can melt the dipping chocolate in the microwave.
Matt Armendariz, 2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
Peanut butter, chocolate and corn chips — it’s an unexpected combination, but the sweet-savory-salty mixture is highly addictive.
Matt Armendariz, 2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
Everyone knows Peanut Butter Blossoms are the best Christmas cookies. Shouldn’t you be making them year-round?
Stephen Johnson, 2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All rights Reserved
Peanut butter bars are usually pretty decadent and are more of an indulgent treat than a healthy dessert, but this no-bake version is made with low-fat cream cheese and Greek yogurt. That makes them lighter than other PB bars, but they’re so packed with chocolate and peanut butter that you won’t be able to tell.
When her future husband Jeffrey was in college, Ina Garten used to send him boxes full of homemade brownies. To remind him of his college days and the early years of their romance, she makes him brownies swirled with peanut butter — they’re extra-rich, thanks to the addition of instant coffee, plus two kinds of chocolate, and there’s peanut butter in every bite.
Peanut Butter Pie, quite possibly one of the best pies around, is like cheesecake meets peanut butter cups — in pie form.
And if cheesecake and peanut butter cups together really is your thing, or you like adorable little hand-held pops, make Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Cheesecake Pops.
Tara Donne, Tara Donne
With 600-plus reviews, this recipe for Chocolate-Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies is one of the most popular cookie recipes on FoodNetwork.com. This cookie has the flavor combination going for it (chocolate plus peanut butter — the best in the world; see above), but it’s made in seconds and with only a handful of ingredients — ones you probably have in your pantry right now — so of course it’s popular.
Trisha Yearwood’s Chocolate-Pretzel-Peanut Butter Squares are another no-bake dessert — the crunchy, sweet, salty, five-ingredient squares are super-easy to make. The difficult part is waiting for them to firm up in the fridge.
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