Cacao Peanut Butter Cake Bars

Ever since I was a little kid, I have loved the taste of peanut butter whether it was in cookies, ice cream, peanut butter bars, candy, or on a sandwich. I have also always enjoyed chocolate but since starting the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which does not allow traditional chocolate, I have begun trying out new recipes using a more pure form of this decadent treat called Cacao Butter.

I have decided to combine these two delicious flavors and created a sweet treat that is healthy yet satisfying. These Cacao Peanut Butter Cake Bars are the perfect snack to have on hand to enjoy anytime of day without regrets.

When I first heard of cacao butter I was a little skeptical that it would taste like chocolate because let’s face it, chocolate is one of the greatest flavors on the planet, but if you have never tried Cacao Butter before you may be as skeptical as I was that although this is pure chocolate it isn’t what we have been taught.

The first difference between cacao butter and chocolate is the appearance, chocolate is usually brown in color and cacao butter is a much lighter shade. The shape and texture is also different as when we usually purchase chocolate at the store it is in the candy form, a solid bar that is easily chewed up and melts in your mouth.

Cacao Butter is hard and in order to work with it for baking or even to eat it you will have to shave pieces off or in this case melt chunks to incorporate it into your recipes.

Now that we are a little more familiar with one of our star ingredients, let’s get started making the Cacao Butter Peanut Butter Cake Bars.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and get out a 13×9 inch glass baking pan (no need to grease it)

Melt 3/4 cup of Cacao Butter in microwave until liquified, this should take about 2-3 minutes depending on your microwave. I would do 1 minute at a time and check, stir, and then put back in until completely melted.

Mix together 1 Cup of Peanut Butter and melted Cacao Butter until well blended. The heat from the Cacao Butter should melt the peanut butter and make the two blend together easily. Add 2 bananas mix, add 1/2 cup of honey, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, mix, add 2 Eggs, and 1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda and Mix. Continue to mix all ingredients together until they are well combined.

If you are a huge fan of peanut butter like my mom and I, you may want to try this recipe with 1 and a 1/2 to 2 cups of peanut butter for a richer flavor because the bananas can overshadow the peanut butter after they cool down.

Pour mixture into the baking dish and put it into the oven for about 20 minutes. The Cacao Peanut Butter Cookie Bars are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cacao Peanut Butter Cake Bars

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Ingredients

• 3/4 cup of Cacao Butter
• 1 Cup of Peanut Butter
• 2 bananas
• 1/2 cup of honey
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda and Mix.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and get out a 13x9 inch glass baking pan (no need to grease it)
2. Melt 3/4 cup of Cacao Butter in the microwave until liquified, this should take about 2-3 minutes depending on your microwave. I would do 1 minute at a time and check, stir, and then put back in until completely melted.
3. Mix together 1 Cup of Peanut Butter and melted Cacao Butter until well blended. The heat from the Cacao Butter should melt the peanut butter and make the two blend together easily. Add 2 bananas mix, add 1/2 cup of honey, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, mix, add 2 eggs, and 1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda and Mix. Continue to mix all ingredients together until they are well combined.
4. Pour mixture into the baking dish and put it into the oven for about 20 minutes. The Cacao Peanut Butter Cookie Bars are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Have you ever tried baking with cacao butter before or are these Cacao Peanut Butter Cake Bars the first recipe you are going to try that incorporate this decadent ingredient into a healthy yet delicious dessert?