Every family has a few recipes that are famous, if only at their house. At our house it’s my husband’s recipe for Peanut Butter Chews. A middle-school lunch lady gave him the recipe when he was about 11 years old, and it’s become one of our holiday traditions to gobble down dozens of these as he makes batch after batch to give away as gifts.
Every year I ask him to add chocolate chips, and almost every year, everyone else in the house vetoes my idea, saying that chocolate “ruins” them. Chocolate never ruined anything, I say.
The recipe is incredibly simple, and it might actually be gluten-free, so you know it’s healthy — despite all that corn syrup and sugar. Kids love these chewy cookies, although they’re really more like peanut butter candy, especially if you add a little chocolate. Trust me, if you do that, then they morph into something that tastes a whole lot like a Snickers bar.
Just be sure you catch the sugar and corn syrup right after the sugar melts and it begins to boil, and remove it from the heat. That’s the only tricky piece to the recipe, and you’ll be anticipating the chewy goodness, so I’m pretty sure you’ll watch the pan closely. I know we do.
While this recipe may not fall into the healthy category, it sure will please the peanut butter lovers in your family.
Peanut Butter Chews
1 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter
1 Tbsp. butter
6 cups cornflakes
Bring sugar and corn syrup to a boil. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter and butter; blend until smooth. Pour over cornflakes, and mix the two together until the cornflakes are covered in the peanut butter mixture. If you want, add ⅓ cup chocolate chips or M&Ms, to add a hint of chocolate.
Use two spoons to drop them onto parchment paper or a sheet pan so that you can put them in the fridge for about 20 minutes (it helps them set a bit).
This was a staple in the Fayetteville – Manlius Schools! Thanks for the memories!
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