Crisp, buttery shortbread. Soft, chewy caramel. Crunchy salted peanuts topped with a layer of sweet peanut butter. All layered and dunked in rich chocolate, then sprinkled with flaky sea salt. These Chocolate Peanut Butter Millionaire Bars are basically homemade mini candy bars – a cross between a Snickers and a Twix – and I am ALL CAPS OBSESSED with them. These decadent little bliss-nuggets will rock your world in the very best way.
I’ll be up front: this dessert is a project. It’s not difficult, but it does take time to create, and the chocolate-dunking part in particular requires patience and mess-tolerance. But I personally love a good project, especially when the end result is this addictive and decadent.
These bars are all about the layers. A traditional millionaire bar (so-called because of its extreme richness) has a layer each of shortbread, caramel, and chocolate. Good start. But I wanted a little crunch, and some salt to offset all that sweetness. Plus, what goes better with caramel, chocolate, and cookies than peanuts – and peanut butter? Silly question.
LAYER ONE: SHORTBREAD
The shortbread layer could not be easier. Butter, sugar, flour – that’s it. Shortbread is magic at altitude because with no rising agents to fuss with, it pretty much turns out perfectly every time. And since we’re making it as a solid foundation for our layers rather than cutting out cookies, all you have to do is barely mix the dough, tumble the crumbs into a pan, press into an even layer, and bake. Simple!
LAYER TWO: CARAMEL
This is totally a cheater’s version of caramel. I get highly stressed when making caramel from scratch – making sure the sugar doesn’t burn, getting the mixture to just the right temperature, whisking in cream without letting it curdle … I can feel my blood pressure rise just writing about it, thank you no. This version is easy – you simmer condensed milk with some butter until it thickens, then whisk in a little vanilla. The only thing you really have to do is whisk vigilantly for quite awhile, and there’s not really a way around that, sorry (but just know it could be worse).
LAYER THREE : PEANUTS AND PEANUT BUTTER!
I am counting the peanuts and peanut butter chips as one layer, because they sort of meld together seamlessly into this sweet-crunchy-salty-peanutty melange of yum. Make sure you add the salted peanuts right after smoothing the caramel over the shortbread. I like to gently press them in to make sure they adhere.
I really wanted a melty-sweet peanut butter layer to both amp up the peanut flavor and hold the nuts in place for the dipping process. But actual peanut butter didn’t perform well in test batches, so I picked up a bag of peanut butter baking chips and gave those a try. They are perfection. Sweet and nutty-flavored, with a velvety consistency. And you don’t even have to mess with pre-melting and pouring them. Simply sprinkle the chips on top of the peanuts, pop the pan back in the oven, and let the heat melt them until they’re spreadable.
COOL, SET, AND CUT
Once you’ve added the peanut butter layer, it’s very important to refrigerate (or freeze, if you’re in a hurry) the pan before cutting them into bars. By letting them cool and set, you’ll be able to cut them into neat squares with clean lines. If you try to cut them too early, they’ll be prone to crumbling and you will be swearing a lot.
I recommend popping the cut squares back in the fridge while you prepare the melted chocolate, just to further ensure they’re easy to handle.
FINAL COATING: BRING ON THE CHOCOLATE
The chocolate is also a snap to prepare. No fussy tempering needed here. Just melt chocolate chips (milk or dark, depending on your preference) with some coconut oil, which helps the chocolate set. I like to place a heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water and let the steam slowly melt the mixture. But you can also heat it in the microwave in 30-second increments.
Coating the bars takes a little practice. It’s an untidy process; I recommend mentally preparing yourself to surrender to the mess. But after countless hours dripping chocolate on my counters and clothes, I discovered a few tricks to minimize frustration:
- When dunking the bars in the chocolate, really submerge them. Don’t be afraid of getting too much chocolate on them. It might look like a lot, but the excess will slide off, leaving the perfect layer.
- Use two forks to lift the bars in and out of the chocolate. It’s the only way I’ve found to effectively avoid slathering my hands (and forearms and torso) in chocolate. I think forks, with their flat surface, worked better than spoons for balancing the bars, and the excess chocolate can drip through the tines. After dunking, I hold the bar on one fork and scrape the surplus chocolate off the bottom with the other.
- Speaking of which, do make sure you scrape excess chocolate off the bottoms of the bars, either by using the aforementioned fork technique, or by scraping them on the edge of the bowl. If you just dunk them and slap them on the parchment, you’ll end up with a “foot,” or irregular-shaped puddle of chocolate at the bottom of your bar. Not a terrible thing, but they’ll look prettier with cleaner lines.
- If you’re going to add a sprinkle of toppings to your bars, like flaky sea salt or finely chopped peanuts, do that immediately after dipping, before the chocolate begins to set. Otherwise they won’t stick well. If you want to do a contrasting drizzle – such as more melted peanut butter chips, white chocolate, or a lighter/darker drizzle of chocolate – do that after the chocolate has set so it doesn’t melt into your base chocolate.
- All that said, don’t worry about making your bars look perfect. I like a slightly rugged-looking chocolate myself. It is homemade, after all, and there’s no shame in looking like it.
You definitely need to let these set up in the refrigerator or freezer before serving or packaging up to give away. No one will know if you sneak one first, though. You just worked really hard and deserve a treat!
You could make these bars bigger, but trust me when I say that even one tiny square is really rich. I was tempted to call them trillionaire bars, even. But they are so good! I hope you enjoy them – and share them, because you’ll have a lot – with great abandon and joy.
Craving more peanut butter/chocolate combos? Try one of these:
Print
Chocolate Peanut Butter Millionaire Bars
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 mins
- Yield: 36 bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
Description
Layers of buttery shortbread, caramel, peanut butter, and salty peanuts are drenched in chocolate for a decadent, extra-rich treat.
Ingredients
SHORTBREAD
- 1/2 cup (8 TB, 1 stick) cold salted butter, cut into chunks
- 3 TB brown sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
CARAMEL
- 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk* (choose a variety with milk and sugar as the only ingredients – avoid brands containing oil)
- 1/4 cup (4 TB) salted butter
- 1 TB vanilla extract (not imitation)
REMAINING LAYERS/COATING
- 1 cup chopped salted peanuts
- 1 10-oz bag peanut butter baking chips (such as Reese’s), plus more for drizzling if desired
- 2 cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips, plus more for drizzling if desired
- 1 TB coconut oil
- Flaky sea salt and/or finely crushed peanuts, for sprinkling
Instructions
MAKE THE SHORTBREAD
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8″ metal baking pan with parchment (use a bit of butter to help it stick), leaving an overhang on all sides to aid in lifting the bars out.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a medium bowl using a hand mixer), cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and gently beat in the flour. Mix just until the flour is incorporated and the dough begins to form in clumps.
- Tip the dough clumps into the pan and press them evenly across the bottom of the pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes, until the shortbread is lightly browned on the edges. Avoid over-baking, as it will make your shortbread layer overly crumbly.
- Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Tip: You’ll need the hot oven for a future step, so I recommend leaving it on.
MAKE THE CARAMEL
- In a medium pan set over medium-high heat, combine the sweetened condensed milk with 4 TB salted butter.
- Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low (if needed, raise the heat a bit to make sure the mixture is still bubbling gently) and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the caramel is thick and a dark-golden shade of beige (about 7-10 minutes for me, could take a bit longer). I cannot overstate the need to stir constantly in order to avoid burning/overly browning the caramel. If you notice small brown flecks developing, that means the caramel is starting to brown on the bottom – reduce the heat immediately and keep stirring, stirring, stirring.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract.
- Pour the caramel on top of the shortbread and spread it evenly with a silicone spatula.
ASSEMBLE THE REMAINING LAYERS
- Immediately after you smooth the caramel, sprinkle the salted peanuts evenly on top, pressing them gently into the caramel to help them adhere.
- Sprinkle the peanut butter chips on top of the peanuts and return the pan to the 350-degree oven just for a minute or two, until the chips are melted enough to spread. Spread the chips in an even layer over the peanuts.
- Allow the pan to cool, then refrigerate the layers for at least 45 minutes, up to overnight. If you’re in a hurry, you can also freeze it for 15-20 minutes.
- When the layers are firmly set, remove the pan from the refrigerator and, gripping the overhanging sides of the parchment paper, carefully lift the bars out of the pan.
- Place on a sturdy cutting surface and, using a heavy sharp knife, cut into 36 small squares (you can also make larger bars if you wish).
- Return the bars to the refrigerator to keep them firm while you melt the chocolate.
COAT THE BARS
- Using a double boiler, a heat-safe bowl set over a pan of boiling water (my preferred method), or simply a bowl in the microwave, combine the chocolate chips and the coconut oil and heat gently, stirring occasionally, until melted into a uniform, glossy, pourable consistency. Allow to cool slightly.
- Set up a workspace: I recommend lining a baking sheet with parchment, and placing it, along with the bars and the bowl of chocolate, on whichever side makes sense for your orientation (I’m right-handed, so I place the baking sheet to my right and the bars and chocolate to my left).
- Using two forks or a spoon, dunk one bar in the bowl of chocolate, ensuring it’s covered completely. Using one of the forks or the rim of the bowl, scrape the bottom of the bar to remove excess chocolate – this will allow for a cleaner finish with no chocolate puddling at the bottom. Set the chocolate-covered bar on the parchment. If you’re finishing with a sprinkle of flaky salt or chopped peanuts, add it now, before the chocolate sets. Repeat the process with the remaining bars.
- Refrigerate the bars until firm and fully set. If desired, you can melt additional chocolate or peanut butter chips to drizzle artistically on top of the bars.
Store the bars in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. They can also be frozen for longer but may develop a “bloom” on the chocolate (totally harmless, but creates a white, cloudy cast).
Notes
… If possible, use a metal pan rather than glass, as metal tends to promote more even browning. You can also use a 9×9″ pan if that’s all you have – the layers will be slightly thinner.
… don’t confuse sweetened condensed milk with evaporated milk! Same size cans, very different product.
Leave a Reply