 "Photo: Jordan Gomez")
The best taste combination known to mankind is peanut butter and chocolate. I'd argue it rivals mint chocolate chip and beats out even the world-famous peanut butter and jelly. When the creamy nuttiness of peanut butter mingles with the milky sweetness of chocolate, it creates a flavor that makes these peanut butter chocolate bars to-die-for delicious.
My mom whipped up these treats for all of my middle school slumber parties, so they tend to bring back memories of orthodontia, awkward school dances and wrapping houses. Years later, I brought them on the bus ride to the Texas vs. OU game, and my date guarded them from his fraternity brothers as though his life depended on it. Needless to say, whether you're in middle school or college, these scrumptious bars are a hit.
This easy recipe is for those of us who have not yet acquired domestic goddess Rachael Ray's skills in the kitchen. My shopping trip to Randall's was quick and painless. I was able to breeze up and down the aisles, grab the five ingredients: corn syrup, peanut butter, chocolate chips, sugar and Corn Flakes - sorry, health nuts - and pay the $20 total in no time flat. I also spent a mere 10 minutes preparing these tasty treats.
Those who are accident-prone and tend to burn cookies to a crisp can take heart because this recipe involves zero interaction with the oven. College students who don't want to grow up can get messy and play with their food while mixing and making these bars. What could be better?
Given the stickiness of this concoction, it definitely requires a solid cleanup job, but once you sink your teeth into one of these mouth-watering bars, you'll realize that putting a little extra muscle into scrubbing that mixing bowl was a small sacrifice to make.
Serve these gooey bars with a giant glass of cold milk and plenty of napkins. They're the perfect study snack or late-night treat. Just one warning to all you Spring Break dieters out there: It's impossible to indulge in just one.
