Easy white chocolate bark filled with a creamy peanut butter filling.
You know how I feel about peanut butter and chocolate.
I mean, chocolate without peanut butter is like a shoe with no laces. Pennies with no faces. Sentenceswithnospaces. It just isn’t…. right.
Bark is a miraculously lazy way to create a candy bar. A blessed little treat that takes literally no effort, thought, or preparation. By throwing random doo-dads from your pantry into melted chocolate, you can create some truly unique and creative chocolate candy. That’s why bark makes such a personable gift.
Today’s “recipe” happened in about 10 minutes. A systematic use of all the miscellaneous stuff hiding in my baking stash: the bottom of a peanut butter jar (the rest was used for peanut butter cookies, of course), a handful of Reese’s Pieces, a leftover bag of peanut butter chips from these death by chocolate peanut butter chip cookies, and a 1-pound bar of white chocolate that had been staring at me for weeks.
The white chocolate layers are pretty self explanatory. Melt white chocolate. Pour into a pan. The middle peanut butter layer is la creme de la creme. The obvious star of the show here. It is a simple combination of powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, salt, and peanut butter. It tastes identical to the the creamy yet crumbly center of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. I layered the peanut butter in extra thick for obvious reasons.
The slightly salty peanut butter layer keeps the bark from being sickeningly sweet. When you’re eating pure chocolate with candy on top, a little salty action provides a much needed flavor balance.
The topping? Just a simple handful of crushed Reese’s Pieces and peanut butter chips.
I eat peanut butter on my peanut butter.
The little candies on top provided a nice crunch to the otherwise soft and creamy bark. Plus, it’s a way to create something completely your own. I’m going to top my bark with chopped pretzels or chocolate sprinkles (!!!) next time. 😉
Considering how much time this “recipe” did NOT take, one bite of this bark and you’ll wonder how it’s not illegal. It’s like a massive White Chocolate Reese’s Cup that you can make in 10 minutes. With more Reese’s on top. And with more peanut butter. And even more chocolate.
If you can’t get enough peanut butter, try my this peanut butter caramel corn next!
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Reese’s Peanut Butter White Chocolate Bark
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 10-12
- Category: Candy
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Easy white chocolate bark filled with a creamy peanut butter filling.
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 16 oz white baking chocolate* (such as Ghirardelli)
- 1/2 cup chopped Reese’s Pieces candies
- 1/4 cup peanut butter chips
Instructions
- Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir the peanut butter, sugar, softened butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- In another medium bowl, melt the white chocolate according to package instructions. Pour half of the melted white chocolate into prepared baking dish. Spread out evenly with a silicone spatula. Spoon peanut butter mixture over top of the white chocolate layer. Gently spread the peanut butter layer over the white chocolate, creating some swirls as needed. Top with remaining melted white chocolate. Sprinkle Reese’s Pieces and peanut butter chips on top.
- Allow to cool in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to set up. Lift parchment paper and bark out of the pan and break into pieces with a knife. Store bark in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×13-inch Baking Pan | Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowls | Silicone Spatula
- White Chocolate: If using white chocolate chips, melt with 1 teaspoon shortening so the chocolate is smooth and easy to spread.
SO GOOD!! And we especially love it cold right out of the refrigerator.
These are over the top delicious! Â Thank you for another great recipe!
Hi Sally! So is the peanut butter layer supposed to be so thick? I’ve made this twice now and it’s pretty difficult to spread the peanut butter without it pushing the chocolate underneath out of the way. Any tips or suggestions on how to avoid this? This recipe is a hit, as I’m sure you’re well aware! My sister in law demands me make it for all our big family gatherings. Haha.
Hi Mia! It’s supposed to be pretty thick. If you can, try taking a bit of the PB “dough” and flattening it out in your hands and placing on top of the bottom layer. Sort of like in little patty shapes on top. This should help!
could you put a layer of ritz crackers in the middle underneath the peanut butter layer? How do you think that would turn out?
That could work! Love the sweet/salty idea.
Sally – this is delicious! Just like a white Reese’s cup, but with the added satisfaction of having made it yourself. Thanks for the great recipe, I will be making this again!
Hi Sally! I have made these and we LOVE them! Do you think a 3/4 cup or so of graham cracker crumbs added to the filling would make these easier for travel?
Definitely! I’ve actually tried something like that before. It was so good! I think I used about 1/2 cup of graham cracker crumbs if I can remember correctly. Enjoy!
Looks amazing…. just wondering though, how do you spread peanut butter over melted chocolate? Wouldn’t you need to cool the bottom layer first?
No you do not. The very thick peanut butter layer will slightly swirl with the white chocolate at the bottom as we mentioned. Thanks Sarah!
How long can you store this?
Hi Kelsey – Store bark in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.