Have you ever thought you didn’t like an ingredient and then suddenly realized that you’d actually been enjoying it for years? This recently happened to me. I never liked Whoppers growing up and remember being thoroughly confused about why someone would prefer a chocolate malt over a milkshake. But this all changed when the lovely Shannon announced she was hosting a Boston blogger cookie exchange. I decided it would be fun to come up with a cookie version of my very favorite Ben and Jerry’s ice cream flavor, Chubby Hubby. Between the fudge covered peanut butter filled pretzels and streaks of fudge and peanut butter, I was completely hooked the first time I tried it! So you can imagine my surprise when the label of the pint I picked up for “baking research purposes” said the ice cream itself was vanilla malt! Huh, how come I never noticed this before? I was a bit flustered. I mean, how could I have been enjoying malt ice cream and turning my nose up at Whoppers over all these years? I think the answer is that the flavors of Chubby Hubby are perfectly balanced. I would have never thought to pair malt with pretzels, peanut butter, and chocolate, but I am sure glad the geniuses at Ben and Jerry’s did!
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any malted milk powder at the store, so I picked up some Whoppers and decided to use peanut butter cookie dough as the base instead. I sandwiched coarsely chopped pretzels and Whoppers between two layers of cookie dough and then baked the bars up and topped them with a chocolate ganache. The bars were very rich and I loved getting a bit of Whopper and pretzel in each bite!
All the cookies at the exchange were delicious and unique! Ready for your mouth to water? I got to pig out on Adrienne’s Lime Meltaways, Bridget’s Chocolate Almond Orange Macaroons, Elina’s Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, Kelly’s Cookie Dough Truffles, Mary-Kate’s Black and White Cookies, Nicole’s Lemon Almond Cranberry Crescents, Shannon’s Maple Bacon Toffee Oatmeal Cookies, and Tina’s Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Bars! The event was so fun and I think Shannon wants to make it an annual tradition, so I am already looking forward to next year!
Peanut Butter Chubby Hubby Bars
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mini pretzels, coarsely chopped
1 cup Whoppers candy (malted chocolate balls), coarsely chopped (I just cut mine each in half)
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup milk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Mix butter, sugar, eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla extract together in a large bowl. Mix in flour, baking powder, and salt. Spread half the dough in a greased 13×9-inch pan. Sprinkle pretzels and Whoppers evenly on top; drop remaining dough in chunks on top and spread evenly, until all the pretzels and candy pieces are covered. Bake at 350˚F for 23 to 28 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
In a medium bowl, microwave chocolate chips and milk on High 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds; stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Spread ganache over cooled peanut butter bars and refrigerate for an hour or until ganache is set. Cut into 32 bars after the pan reaches room temperature (this makes it easier to cut the ganache). Makes 32 servings.
Nutrition: 288 calories, 15.4g fat, 1.4g fiber, 5.7g protein per serving
Cost: $0.21 per serving
Cake, Batter, and Bowl features my original recipes for quick, healthy, and inexpensive weeknight meals and indulgent weekend treats. Enjoy!
These bars are SO delicious!! I love the crunch from the whoppers and pretzels! It was great to meet you too!! Hope we can all get together again!
Those sound wicked good, Chubby Hubby is the best B&Js flavor. Course I’ve known I love malt for years. Heh.
I knew we were kindred spirits. Chubby Hubby ice cream is my absolute fav too. This recipe just made it to the top of the list.
-Josie
these were AWESOME!! thanks for such a fabulous addition to the table
and i’m definitely thinking it should be an annual event!
SUCH a cute recipe name! They look wonderful, and definitely something that my hubby would love to get chubby on! Thanks for the recipe…I look forward to making them!
Wow, those certainly look packed full of goodness and look at that table full of goodies. What a fun idea!
Nice bar cookie creation!
Ooh, I love the combo of ingredients. That dessert spread looks amazing!!
OMG… These look SERIOUSLY amazing… Soooo much goodness all in one cookie!!
So sweet…and oh what a lovely barr cookie to take to a cookie xchange that would have loved to be at with all those cookies….
And ur recipe tops dear…
They look indeed amazing! They are an original creation
How fun a food blogger cookie exchange.. so ennvious!! Your cookie sound addicting, delicious!! I must try them! All of the cookies look great.
Funny how you mention not liking whoppers, or at least thinking you don’t. I went through the same thing on Christmas, when I got a package. I was like wha?… but then I tried and was like, oh ok these are good
Glad you had a blast at the cookie exchange, it looks like quite a turnout! I like that name chubby hubby
i’ve never been a fan of malted anything, but the high quantities of peanut butter and chocolate in these bars leads me to believe that i’d like them just fine.
Thanks for posting this recipe. I swear I’ve been dreaming of these for the past few days. So sad I ate them all on Sunday! I know I’ll be making these in the future.
PB bars, I can imagine how delicious this were.
you’re so creative! what a great recipe…they look heavenly!
AAAARRRGGGHHHH… I am so jealous. I have several ideas for blogger get togethers, but can’t seem to find any KC bloggers at least foodie bloggers. seems to be plenty of bitter disgruntled kid blogs, but no foodies…
and chubby hubbie would be right about all those cookies!!!
Yum. I’ve never tried chubby hubby before so I didn’t get the inspiration until now.
Chubby Hubby is my all-time favorite ice cream!!! These bars sound delicious, I can’t wait to try them!
That’s funny I used to feel the same way about whoppers, now I kinda might like them a little
) These bars look fantastic! If it’s anything like the ice cream, it’s right up my alley!
Yummm! I’m a sweet tooth and every candy that I see I drool! Lol
But those look really yummy! Peanut butter is delicious!
These were soooo delicious!!! I savored every morsel of my last one last night! YUM! It was so nice to meet you.
Sweet wounded wuffles.
I wish I could have been in Boston with you guys! This sounds like so much fun…some of my favorite bloggers in one place. Ah well. Another year.
These bars look really fantastic. I have always felt the same way as you about malt. But you’re right…I do like chubby hubby ice cream.
Same thing with mayo. I hate mayo. But I love honey mustard. Strange.
I couldn’t find malt powder at the store either when I needed it for a recipe. I wonder where you get it from… Anyways, I wish I had been feeling better on Sunday. I would have loved to have gotten to meet you and try these wonderful bars!
Quite possibly the best icecream out there is Chubby Hubby – these definitely look insulin worthy!!
These bars were INSANE! I loved the salty pieces of pretzel and peanut butter combined with the chocolate and malt balls. I could have easily eaten a whole tray of them! I only took a few pieces that day at Shannon’s and when I got home, I realized I didn’t take nearly enough
It was great to see you again!
A blogger cookie exchange is such a fun idea!!! I never heard of chubby hubby but from how you described it I think my hubby would love it! I love that you picked up some ice cream for ‘research’ – smart
These look crazy good! And they are just loaded with goodies. I love the sweet and saltiness of them.
The cookie exchange is so much fun! And these look totally scrumptious!
To say these look heavenly is an understatement…and the table of all the cookies…just be glad I wasn’t there to steal them all and run away!
That table of goodies! OMG. and I can’t get over those bars. I’m not a huge fan of Whoppers either but I’m sure these bars will change my mind. Perhaps I should start off with the ice cream first.
Oh man. Can I have one?? Those sound INCREDIBLE!
I do love some kind of malt more than others depending on the flavors.All the cookies look irresistible, especially the peanut bars
I do love Whoppers, the bars look so decadent and delish!
These sound incredible, and I love malt balls! Great mix, and great research!
I secretly enjoy whoppers, but never used them in any dessert before … these are adorable!
I was not a vanilla fan by itself… until I realized there. is. vanilla. everywhere. Since then I have started reconsidering it!
Your cookie bar looks awesome
That’s so fun! Look at all those treats! yum..
I wish I could have attended Shannon’s cookie exchange party, too. It sounded So cool, and I would have loved to try your amazing bars, and Shannon’s bacon cookies. Yum yum!
I need to have a cookie exchange party! I am definitely bookmarking this recipe…Whoppers are one of my favorites!
Wow, I thought I was the only one who knew Chubby Hubby existed! These look amazing, even with the Whoppers!
Thanks everyone! And yay for all the Chubby Hubby lovers
Adam – Too funny!
What a fun idea to make these bars. Gotta love PB, chocolate, and pretzels but malted milk balls too, I would have never thought! Genius! And thanks for the cookie links. There are a few I neeed to check out too.
Oh man, these look wonderful. I have a feeling they would make me quite chubby if I made em for just me lol!
These sound so good! Chubby Hubby is my current favorite ice cream, so I’ll have to try this recipe for sure. I’ve been looking for an excuse to buy those peanut butter malt balls.
yumm these are making me drool,
I made these a few days ago. They were SO SO good! I added about a cup of chocolate chips to the batter, as if they weren’t rich enough. I crunched up the rest of my peanut butter-filled pretzel bites (they were left over from Anna of Cookie Madness’ compost cookie adventure), along with some plain pretzels. Very dense & fudgey. I cut them small.
Joan – I’m so glad you enjoyed them! I’m going to add peanut butter pretzels next time