For a day and a night, the wind moved like it had to blow to keep the earth turning. It was not particularly cold or warm, not a sultry Santa Ana or whatever other sexily named wind that blows in the deserts of SoCal. It was, quite simply, ferocious. For every inch I attempted to resettle myself into my life here in LA, it jostled me loose another foot. I asked for stability; it insisted on shaking things up. I dreamt of the giant sycamore outside my window crashing in on my bed. I pulled one earplug out in the middle of the night and woke up with one boob hanging out of my bralette. Chic.
And, in 85º heat, I baked.
In moments of rooting and nesting, I bake. When I’m lucky, that baking involves copious amounts of peanut butter and chocolate. These peanut butter chocolate chunk bars are the perfect answer to any quasi-existential question you may have. Even better, they’re made irresistibly moist and chewy with Thrive culinary algae oil.
Thrive came into my life late last year, at a point when I was longing for a better vegetable oil to cook, bake, fry, and roast with. It came in with the revolutionary power of last week’s gale-force winds, bringing with it the energy of culinary innovation and sustainable food possibilities. An oil made from algae with higher levels of monounsaturated fat (the good fat) than coconut oil, and less saturated fat than olive oil? Grown from algae in the same fermentation process as wine and vitamins? Heck yes.
Add to that the fact that Thrive is entirely flavorless, colorless, and an exceptional performer in absolutely every culinary application I’ve tried, and you’ve got something close to a miracle oil. Gorgeous, heart-healthy innovation. The perfect base for these peanut buttery, chocolate, densely chewy bars.
And just in case the wind decided to blow on through again, I figured we’d better drizzle these in salted semisweet chocolate, too. Now we’re safe. Phew.
This post is sponsored by Thrive Culinary Algae Oil. Thanks for supporting the businesses that keep Kale & Caramel thriving! All opinions are my own.
PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHUNK BARS WITH SALTED CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE.
Ingredients
peanut butter chocolate chunk bars
- ½ cup rolled oats ground to flour
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup unsweetened salted peanut butter
- ¾ cup Thrive culinary algae oil or vegetable oil
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chunks
salted chocolate drizzle
- 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
- 3 pinches sea salt
Instructions
Make the peanut butter chocolate chunk bars.
- Preheat oven to 375º. Line an 8"x8" baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a high speed blender or food processor, grind ½ cup rolled oats to flour. Empty into medium mixing bowl, and add all purpose flour, sea salt, and baking soda. Whisk to incorporate completely.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine peanut butter, Thrive (or otheoil, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Mix by hand with a silicone spatula or with electric beaters until completely smooth.
- Gradually add dry mix into wet, folding in with a spatula until just combined. Add chocolate chunks and mix completely. Press into lined baking dish in an even layer.
- Bake 13-15 minutes, until the edges are beginning to brown and the top is light golden. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.
Make the salted chocolate drizzle.
- Add a couple inches of hot water in the bottom of a small saucepan, and nestle a heatproof bowl over the top to create a makeshift double boiler. Bring the water to a boil and add 1/3 cup chocolate chunks and three pinches sea salt into the bowl on top. Use a silicone spatula to stir until most of the chocolate has melted. Remove from heat and let melt completely. Drizzle bars with chocolate as desired, after they’ve cooled from the oven about 15 minutes.
