Chocolate Covered Moose Chips

Appealing recipe title, eh? :-) Well, the name might not be great, and the caloric count for these is definitely not great, but the taste sure is fantastic. There is a reason these bad boys only come out around the holidays- I think I'd be long dead of clogged arteries if they were a year round treat!

But since the holidays are about taking pleasures all around, these chocolate and peanut butter bars are perfect. They've got a nice crunch with the graham cracker chunks and the crunchy PB, but the butter, chocolate, and sugar add an almost grainy smoothness to them. Mmmm. I will admit I usually partake of too much batter when making these and feel a little sick.

Thank goodness the holidays are also about sharing pleasures, so I was able to get most of these tempting treats out of the house and into friends' and neighbors' hands!

Chocolate Covered Moose Chips

• 2 Sticks of Butter (1 Cup)
  
• 1 1/3 C. Graham Cracker Crumbs/ Crumbles
  
• 2 1/3 C. Confectioners Sugar
  
• 1 C. Chunky Peanut Butter
  
• 1 12 oz. Bag Chocolate Chips

1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. All that wonderful butter...
   
2. Stir in the graham cracker crumbs and confectioners sugar, getting everything moist and well mixed.
   
3. Stir in the peanut butter and mix until PB melts.
   
4. In a 9" x 13" pan, preferably lined with wax paper for easy handling and clean up, pour in the peanut batter, spreading it evenly across the bottom of the dish.
   
5. Put dish in fridge and let cool for about 15 minutes.
   
6. While cooling, melt the entire bag of chocolate chips in a small pot on the stove over low heat. This is probably a good use for a double boiler if you have one. I don't though, so I am sure to stir the chocolate often to prevent burning.
   
7. When peanut mixture is chilled, evenly spread the chocolate on top all the way to the edges.
   
8. Allow the goodies to chill for at least an hour. When cooled through, cut into small bars. They should be no more than 2" by 2" as they are very rich. Keep chilled when not serving as they can get melty.