Aunt Patty swore this was her 4 ingredient secret weapon for potlucks

To make these bars your own without adding more core ingredients, you can mainly play with texture and sweetness. For a slightly less sweet bar, swap in part dark chocolate chips for the semi-sweet; the darker chocolate gives a more grown-up flavor that’s great for coffee lovers. If you only have crunchy peanut butter, that works too and adds a nice bit of texture to the base. For easier cutting at a big potluck, score the chocolate lightly with a knife after it’s just started to set but isn’t fully hard—this helps prevent the top from cracking later. You can also adjust the thickness: use a 9×9-inch dish for thinner bars that stretch further at parties, or keep the 8×8 for extra-thick, bakery-style squares. If your kitchen runs warm, store the bars in the fridge and pull them out 5–10 minutes before serving so the base softens slightly while the chocolate stays firm and glossy.