Peanut Butter Cup Bars

 They're a little bit of smooth and creamy with a little bit of crunch. The delightful flavours of the chocolate top layer combine in complete harmony with the fudgy peanut butter and make it oh so rich and irresistible.
Peanut Butter Bars. I knew when I came across Christine's blog Kitchen Chronicles that she would be the culprit of a weekend's indulgence and possible weight gain. (Don't worry Christine, I already can't see my toes anyway. My hubby had to do a few more kilometers at the gym though, he doesn't have pregnancy as an excuse!)
I loved everything about this slice, not only the flavour and appearance, but that because of the divine richness, it forced portion control. It's also a really easy recipe to make, and requires no use of the oven, just a little bit of the stove or microwave, which makes it great for summer. The only problem I had was a wee one--the peanut butter layer tended to come away with the knife when I cut through the bar. It was probably an error in my butter calculations that made it so. I heated the knife to make it easier to cut the chocolate layer, so maybe that had something to do with it as well.
Well, I'm off for a while from the Secret Recipe Club to have my bub! Wish me luck!

PEANUT BUTTER CUP BARS (Adapted from Kitchen Chronicles)

Peanut Butter Layer:

3/4 cup butter
1 3/4 cups icing sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup biscuit crumbs (I used crushed Scotch Fingers but biscuits such as Graham Crackers do the trick well also)

Chocolate Layer:

1/3 cup butter
1 cup dark chocolate buttons

Garnish:

1 tbsp smooth peanut butter

Grease a 9x9 inch tray and line with baking paper.
To make the peanut butter layer, place the butter in a medium saucepan and melt over a low heat. Add the icing sugar, peanut butter and biscuit crumbs and stir until well combined.
Pour this mixture into the prepared tray and smooth with a spatula. Set aside.
For the chocolate layer, place the butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over a low heat. Stirring continuously, allow the chocolate and butter to melt and incorporate. Remove from heat. Gently pour this mixture over the peanut butter layer and smooth with a spatula.
In a zip lock bag, place the remaining peanut butter for the garnish. Microwave gently for 15-30 seconds until the peanut butter is runny, then decorate the top of the chocolate layer as desired. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before cutting with a hot knife.