Recipe
Barley & Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Updated on July 01, 2016

Recipe: Barley & Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

What is the best food combination ever? If you answered chocolate and peanut butter (and we suspect you might have) you'll love these spent grain dessert bars created by our ever inventive kitchen research staff.

The perfect marriage of crunchy and gooey layers, these bars are what would happen if a tray of granola and a slab of fudge eloped and went honeymooning at a brewery. Give 'em a try, and we bet you'll fall in love too.

 

WHAT YOU NEED FOR THE CRUST

  • 1 cup pretzel crumbs, (about 3 cups uncrushed small twist pretzels)
  • 1 cup Dried Spent Grain
  • 1 1/2 sticks (6 oz) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

WHAT YOU NEED FOR THE TOPPING

  • 1 cup chunky peanut butter
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 sticks (6 oz) melted unsalted butter
  • 1- 12 oz package (about 2 cups) dark chocolate chips
  • 6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

WHAT YOU DO

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized bowl combine pretzel crumbs, spent grain, 1 1/2 sticks butter, brown sugar, and salt. Using your hands, mix ingredients together, blending in cubes of butter. Pour mixture into a glass or ceramic brownie pan and firmly press the mixture down to form a level layer. Bake crust for 18 minutes and let rest until almost cool.
  2. In a medium sized bowl add peanut butter, powdered sugar, melted butter, and one cup of the dark chocolate chips. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, mix until well combined. Set aside.
  3. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy whipping cream over low heat until hot (be careful not to scald cream). Pour cream over the remaining cup of dark chocolate chips. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth.
  4. Spread peanut butter filling over the crust using your hands or a small spatula, smooth or press down until level.
  5. Pour the dark chocolate and cream mixture over the peanut butter layer and distribute evenly to coat the entire surface. Place in the fridge and chill for at least 2 hours before cutting into squares.






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