Blue Ribbon No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars

I’m a great fan of fiction in which a recipe is included here and there, in service to the story.I’m going to jump the gun and tell you the punchline to my latest book discovery: Blue Ribbon No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars. 

I’ll back up. My latest book love from the public library is “Kitchens of the Great Midwest,” by J. Ryan Stradel, a sweet and savory novel about the American heartland, Lutheran church bake-offs, chile pepper eating contests and the opening of deer season. Here’s what the jacket sleeve says about it:

“Midwestern chef Lars Thorvald has three loves in his life — his kitchen, his wife, Cynthia, and his newborn daughter, Eva. When Cynthia falls in love with wine and a dashing sommelier, he’s left to raise Eva on his own, and devotes his life to sharing his passions with his only child, starting with pureed pork shoulder.

“After a childhood shaken by tragedy, Eva will find solace and salvation in the flavors of her native Minnesota. She is blessed with a once-in-a-generation palate and ultimately becomes the mysterious chef behind the most sought-after dinner reservation in the country.”

I was hooked from the first page, and by the time we got to the chapter on the Lutheran church baking competition, I had my computer out to copy several recipes, starting with Barb Ramstad’s Kraft Caramel Bars, and Celeste Mantilla’s Mississippi Mud Bars, and finally, Pat Prager’s Peanut Butter Bars, which in mid-book had won five blue ribbons at the County Fair Bake-Off, and by the end of the book, had bagged a sixth blue ribbon.

Six blue ribbons are sufficient for me. And there are only five ingredients in the recipe!

Grab a copy of this fun, easy read, and then let’s make these bars.

Now what are you waiting for?  Get the book, make the bars, and tell me what you think about both.

And hey, apparently I am not the only one intrigued by this recipe! A couple of other bloggers made it as well, and don’t they all look scrumptious?

Jesse Doogan on Bookriot (below)

Benjamin Plante on Yes and Yes  (below)

Claire Quinn on Grimm LITring  (below)

Stephanie Grossman on Books on Tape  (below)

Mary on Home is Where the Boat Is  (below)

Michael Lee West from Designs by Gollum (she made a fancy marbelized swirl on top!) (below)

Other peanut butter and chocolate recipes on Shockingly Delicious

Peanut Butter Chocolate Overnight Oats

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Power Bites

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Banana Bread