Peanut Butter Squares

 

A grade school legend...the Peanut Butter Square

Growing up we called them Peanut Butter Squares, some called them Hollywood Squares (anyone who grew up in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) – these little peanut treats are sure to bring back memories of grade school lunches.  

I borrowed this recipe from the Hollywood Squares recipe originally printed in the Cuyahoga Falls News-Press.  After going over the ingredients, I was a bit hesitant in preparing it – it’s really nothing but sugar and fat.  Not the best recipe to be publishing so early in 2010 when many resolutions are already hanging by a thread.  

These Peanut Butter Squares are certainly delicious and very rich.  Kind of like a peanut butter cup on steroids.  One tiny square and your peanut butter craving will be cured.  Yep, I said “peanut butter craving” – I get them all the time.  I usually cure mine with a bit of Skippy Peanut Butter mixed with vanilla ice cream.   Now I have a new medicine.     

Peanut Butter Squares, aka Hollywood Squares 

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups peanut butter
• 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup graham cracker crumbs
• ½ cup melted butter

Topping: 

• 4 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate
• 2 tablespoon peanut butter

Directions: 

1.)     Combine all ingredients except topping ingredients.  Mix well and place in a buttered 9″x13″ square pan.  

2.)     Melt the topping ingredients together and spread over the top of the peanut butter mixture. 

3.)     Chill until topping is firm. 

I’ve got a question…does anyone know where the term “Hollywood Square” originated?  In my school we simply called them Peanut Butter Squares, but in my husband’s they called them Hollywood Squares.   We grew up 40 minutes away from each other.   

Peanut Butter Squares on Let’s Get Cookin’ 

Hollywood Squares on Tasty Kitchen

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Tags: Comfort Food, peanut butter, quick and easy recipes, recipes

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 2nd, 2010 at 4:57 pm and is filed under Baking, Comfort Food, Quick and Easy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

7 Responses to “Peanut Butter Squares”

1. Misty Says:
   January 2nd, 2010 at 7:38 pm

   Its okay, I get peanut butter cravings too.

2. popnull Says:
   March 26th, 2010 at 1:12 am

   I think Hollywood Squares is the name because of the game show Hollywood Squares. So they are like the little squares the celebrities would be in during the game show

3. Julia Says:
   June 4th, 2010 at 10:50 am

   A peanut butter cup on steroids, count me IN! Because I love peanut butter, not so much the steroid part.

4. Katharine Says:
   June 27th, 2010 at 7:23 pm

   Are you from Lexington?
   They made Peanut Butter Squares in the cafeterias at the school I went to in Lexington, Ohio. I was searching for the recipe because I wanted to have a bite of nostalgia and stumbled upon your blog. I just couldn’t help but think you could be from Lexington since you mentioned growing up in Ohio.

5. Megan Says:
   July 2nd, 2010 at 10:29 am

   I am actually from North Royalton, Ohio…a suburb of Cleveland. I hear they are a popular treat in several schools in Ohio. I loved them. They bring back memories. Did you make the recipe?

6. Evan Says:
   October 12th, 2010 at 8:16 am

   They stopped makeing them here in the Falls a few years back due to increased helth standards in the schools.

7. Cindy Gallo Says:
   October 1st, 2011 at 1:57 pm

   I went to school in Massachusetts and we used to have “peanut butter squares’ for breakfast, only ours were nice and warm… I’ve even contacted the person in charge of the cafeteria at my old high school to see if maybe they will provide me with the recipe. I know this recipe here doesn’t need any baking, but I wonder if the ones from school were actually baked or maybe just heated up? Anyone know of a baked recipe for these?

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