Easy Buckeye Bars Recipe

1. Line an 8x8 or 7x11 brownie pan with parchment paper or foil, be sure to leave a little hanging over the sides for easy removal and cutting.
2. Over medium heat, melt butter, it will shizzle, snap, crackle and pop, then it will get quiet and foam up -- this is where you really need to keep an eye on it. You will start to see the browned butter swirling through, swirl the pan and remove from heat, once it's tan and brown with little flecks of goodness and will start smelling nutty.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the brown sugar until smooth. Whisk or stir in peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.
4. Stir in sifted powdered sugar, a half of a cup at a time, stirring until smooth. Pour mixture into prepared pan and smooth. Place in freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.

Chocolate Ganache Topping

1. Slice butter into 1 tablespoon hunks and place chocolate chips and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in microwave for 30-45 seconds to start, stir well, return and microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between until melted and smooth. Note that the chocolate continues melting even after removing from the microwave.
2. If chocolate becomes too thick or burns from overheating in microwave, simply stir in 1-2 teaspoons of vegetable oil until smooth and shiny. To fix broken, grainy, gloopy ganache, check out my Chocolate Ganache post.
3. Spread chocolate evenly (I like using an offset spatula for this type of thing) over the top of the chilled peanut butter mixture and refrigerate until firm, about an hour.