I stumbled upon this recipe in a weathered community cookbook, tucked between a recipe for “Never-Fail Fudge” and someone’s grandmother’s pound cake. The combination of peanut butter, graham crackers, and Butterfingers seemed like a stroke of genius, and I just had to try it. Let me tell you, the first time I mixed that dough, my entire kitchen filled with the nostalgic, sweet scent of childhood—roasted peanuts, rich butter, and that hint of honey from the graham crackers. When I finally bit into a chilled, chocolate-dipped ball, it was a revelation: creamy, crunchy, sweet, and salty all at once. They disappeared from the plate faster than anything I’d ever baked, and I knew this handwritten recipe was a permanent keeper.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
You will love this recipe because it solves every potluck and gift-giving dilemma you’ve ever had. It requires no oven, feels incredibly special, and delivers that famous candy bar flavor in a rich, truffle-like form. It’s the kind of treat that makes people ask, “You made these?” From my experience, the process is as fun as the result—a little messy, totally hands-on, and absolutely rewarding. They’re foolproof, endlessly customizable, and they store beautifully, meaning you can tackle your sweet cravings or party prep on your own schedule.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp butter, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 8 oz chocolate bark or chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup Butterfinger bars, crushed
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup peanut butter (not natural)
- 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
- Extra crushed Butterfinger bars or sprinkles (optional, for topping)
- Coarse sea salt (optional, for topping)
Let’s talk ingredients, because your choices here define the final product. For the peanut butter, the instruction “not natural” is critical. I learned this the hard way. Natural, oily peanut butter will not bind your dough; it will be a greasy, slumping mess. Use a standard, homogenized brand like Jif or Skippy—the stabilizers are your friends here. For the graham cracker crumbs, you can buy them pre-crushed, but I always blitz whole sheets in my food processor for the freshest flavor. And for the Butterfingers, please crush them yourself. The bag of pre-crushed bits lacks the vibrant peanut-buttery punch and satisfying chunk size. I put mine in a zip-top bag and go at them with a rolling pin—it’s a fantastic stress reliever.(See the next page below to continue…)