✨✨One of my favorite quotes, and the most applicable to my life, is “Necessity is ...
... the mother of invention” – Plato✨✨
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✨✨I’ve lived in some pretty remote areas where ingredients weren’t available like they are in a city or large town like I live in now. In other words, I had to come up with substitute ingredients for almost everything I wanted to make. While it wasn’t always fun or easy, it definitely expanded my thinking and led me to come up with some great ideas.✨✨
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✨✨Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Candy Bars (Vegan+GF)
These candy bars with a secret ingredient are what I like to call "cheater butterfingers" to my friends and family. Careful, they're addictive!✨✨
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Ingredients
1 1/2 cups dry roasted peanuts divided
1 cup Graham crackers crumb (about 1 package of full crackers ) *see note (I used graham crackers from this recipe
1 cup tortilla chip crumbs about 3 cups tortilla chips
1 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1 cup organic powdered sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups dairy free semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped bars
--Instructions--
In a medium to large mixing bowl, stir the peanut butter, vanilla, salt, powdered sugar, and maple syrup until combined. Line an 8x8 inch square pan with parchment and set aside.
Combine the graham crackers and tortilla chips in a food processor or blender and pulse until fine (You should have about 2 cups total). Pour into bowl with other ingredients and add 1 cups of the peanuts to the blender or food processor. Pulse until mostly fine with a few small chunks left. Add to the bowl.
Use a spatula to fold ingredients together (If you're having difficulty feel free to use clean hands or a stand mixer to finish this process as it can get thick). Press the mixture firmly into prepared pan and place in the freezer to chill for about 30 minutes.
In a double boiler, melt the chocolate slowly over low heat, stirring until completely melted. Remove bars from freezer and use the parchment to pull from the pan. Slice bars down the center one direction and divide 8 ways the other direction for a total of 16 bars. Line a tray with parchment and set near the chocolate.
Dip each bar into the chocolate with a large fork and turn to coat all sides. Place the bars on the tray about an inch apart. Chop the remaining 1/2 cup of peanuts and sprinkle over the bars. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the remaining chocolate into a fine-tipped pastry bag (or a sandwich bag with a corner cut) and drizzle over the bars.
Allow bars to set and the chocolate to completely harden. If you're impatient like me you can stick the pan in the freezer for a few minutes. Once dry, remove from pan and enjoy!
--Recipe Notes--
If you are vegan and prefer to not make your own graham crackers you can replace the crumbs in this recipe with a number of lightly sweet cookies or crackers from the store. I think Nabisco makes grahams without honey but Speculoos and Biscoff Speculoos cookies, animal crackers, cinnamon teddy grahams, and Girl Scout's Thanks-a-lots are all vegan. Double check to make sure though.✨✨
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](https://appics.com/referenced.html?ref=steemit.com&type=image&id=136929&url=https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/appics-content/ad0c131c405cf588785b03beb5c043c5-640&caption=%E2%9C%A8%E2%9C%A8One%20of%20my%20favorite%20quotes,%20and%20the%20most%20applicable%20to%20my%20life,%20is%20%E2%80%9CNecessity%20is%20the%20mother%20of%20invention%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%93%20Plato%E2%9C%A8%E2%9C%A8%0A.%0A.%0A%E2%9C%A8%E2%9C%A8I%E2%80%99ve%20lived%20in%20some%20pretty%20remote%20areas%20where%20ingredients%20weren%E2%80%99t%20available%20like%20they%20are%20in%20a%20city%20or%20large%20town%20like%20I%20live%20in%20now.%20In%20other%20words,%20I%20had%20to%20come%20up%20with%20substitute%20ingredients%20for%20almost%20everything%20I%20wanted%20to%20make.%20While%20it%20wasn%E2%80%99t%20always%20fun%20or%20easy,%20it%20definitely%20expanded%20my%20thinking%20and%20led%20me%20to%20come%20up%20with%20some%20great%20ideas.%E2%9C%A8%E2%9C%A8%0A.%0A.%0A%E2%9C%A8%E2%9C%A8Chocolate%20Covered%20Peanut%20Butter%20Candy%20Bars%20(Vegan+GF)%0AThese%20candy%20bars%20with%20a%20secret%20ingredient%20are%20what%20I%20like%20to%20call%20%22cheater%20butterfingers%22%20to%20my%20friends%20and%20family.%20Careful,%20they're%20addictive!%E2%9C%A8%E2%9C%A8%0A.%0A.%0AIngredients%0A1%201/2%20cups%20dry%20roasted%20peanuts%20divided%0A1%20cup%20Graham%20crackers%20crumb%20(about%201%20package%20of%20full%20crackers%20)%20see%20note%20(I%20used%20graham%20crackers%20from%20this%20recipe%0A1%20cup%20tortilla%20chip%20crumbs%20about%203%20cups%20tortilla%20chips%0A1%20cup%20natural%20creamy%20peanut%20butter%0A1%20cup%20organic%20powdered%20sugar%0A2%20tablespoons%20maple%20syrup%20or%20agave%0A1%20teaspoon%20vanilla%20extract%0A2%201/2%20cups%20dairy%20free%20semi-sweet%20chocolate%20chips%20or%20chopped%20bars%0A%0A--Instructions--%0AIn%20a%20medium%20to%20large%20mixing%20bowl,%20stir%20the%20peanut%20butter,%20vanilla,%20salt,%20powdered%20sugar,%20and%20maple%20syrup%20until%20combined.%20Line%20an%208x8%20inch%20square%20pan%20with%20parchment%20and%20set%20aside.%0ACombine%20the%20graham%20crackers%20and%20tortilla%20chips%20in%20a%20food%20processor%20or%20blender%20and%20pulse%20until%20fine%20(You%20should%20have%20about%202%20cups%20total).%20Pour%20into%20bowl%20with%20other%20ingredients%20and%20add%201%20cups%20of%20the%20peanuts%20to%20the%20blender%20or%20food%20processor.%20Pulse%20until%20mostly%20fine%20with%20a%20few%20small%20chunks%20left.%20Add%20to%20the%20bowl.%0AUse%20a%20spatula%20to%20fold%20ingredients%20together%20(If%20you're%20having%20difficulty%20feel%20free%20to%20use%20clean%20hands%20or%20a%20stand%20mixer%20to%20finish%20this%20process%20as%20it%20can%20get%20thick).%20Press%20the%20mixture%20firmly%20into%20prepared%20pan%20and%20place%20in%20the%20freezer%20to%20chill%20for%20about%2030%20minutes.%0AIn%20a%20double%20boiler,%20melt%20the%20chocolate%20slowly%20over%20low%20heat,%20stirring%20until%20completely%20melted.%20Remove%20bars%20from%20freezer%20and%20use%20the%20parchment%20to%20pull%20from%20the%20pan.%20Slice%20bars%20down%20the%20center%20one%20direction%20and%20divide%208%20ways%20the%20other%20direction%20for%20a%20total%20of%2016%20bars.%20Line%20a%20tray%20with%20parchment%20and%20set%20near%20the%20chocolate.%0ADip%20each%20bar%20into%20the%20chocolate%20with%20a%20large%20fork%20and%20turn%20to%20coat%20all%20sides.%20Place%20the%20bars%20on%20the%20tray%20about%20an%20inch%20apart.%20Chop%20the%20remaining%201/2%20cup%20of%20peanuts%20and%20sprinkle%20over%20the%20bars.%20Use%20a%20rubber%20spatula%20to%20scrape%20the%20remaining%20chocolate%20into%20a%20fine-tipped%20pastry%20bag%20(or%20a%20sandwich%20bag%20with%20a%20corner%20cut)%20and%20drizzle%20over%20the%20bars.%0AAllow%20bars%20to%20set%20and%20the%20chocolate%20to%20completely%20harden.%20If%20you're%20impatient%20like%20me%20you%20can%20stick%20the%20pan%20in%20the%20freezer%20for%20a%20few%20minutes.%20Once%20dry,%20remove%20from%20pan%20and%20enjoy!%0A%0A--Recipe%20Notes--%0A*If%20you%20are%20vegan%20and%20prefer%20to%20not%20make%20your%20own%20graham%20crackers%20you%20can%20replace%20the%20crumbs%20in%20this%20recipe%20with%20a%20number%20of%20lightly%20sweet%20cookies%20or%20crackers%20from%20the%20store.%20I%20think%20Nabisco%20makes%20grahams%20without%20honey%20but%20Speculoos%20and%20Biscoff%20Speculoos%20cookies,%20animal%20crackers,%20cinnamon%20teddy%20grahams,%20and%20Girl%20Scout's%20Thanks-a-lots%20are%20all%20vegan.%20Double%20check%20to%20make%20sure%20though.%E2%9C%A8%E2%9C%A8&category=food&hashtags=photography+life+food+lifestyle&author=gringalicious&profileImageUrl=https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/appics-content/profileImages/868-1546662941439-640&permlink=appics-v1-appics-im-136929)
I definitely want to try 😍
They look great, I love all things chocolate!!