CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CRISPY BARSfeatured

When I was in my late 20’s I decided to change careers and go back to school full time. Seems reasonable(ish) enough, but when you go back to school as an adult, you still have adult expenses. Which totally blows. Somehow my car payment and rent didn’t seem to disappear when I decided I wanted to study Graphic Design. Lame.

The year I decided to go back to school also became the year of the Rice Krispie Treat. Or RKT’s as we started to call them. When you are student level poor but you still have a ton of pot lucks and weekend bbqs that require you to pony up and bring something, you figure out quickly that Rice Krispie Treats are cheap. And fast. And GOOD. It’s basically the unicorn of desserts. So while it wasn’t the most original item on the pot luck table, it was my go to that entire year.

Anyhoo, figuring that I am no longer a student and well into career number 2, I could afford a classier version of the RKT. The original RKT is pretty perfect, but then again, adding peanut butter and dark chocolate to anything is never, never a bad idea.

I have a tiny kitchen so I am a big believer in only having kitchen tools you actually need. In this case you need a candy thermometer. If you do not have one, I highly recommend you get one. I have a fancy pants digital version and a cheapo old school one I bought at the grocery store in college. Guess which one I use more? Yup. The cheapo one. Works like a dream. So don’t fret thinking you need something super fancy. You don’t.

Recipe: Chocolate Peanut Butter Crispy Bars Adapted from the cookbook “Baked”  |  Soundtrack: Robyn

• CRISPY CRUST
• 5 cups Rice Krispies
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 7 1/2 tbsp light corn syrup
• 7 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• PEANUT BUTTER LAYER
• 10 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
• 2 cups creamy peanut butter
• CHOCOLATE GANACHE LAYER
• 6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (60-70% cacao)
• 2 tsp light corn syrup
• 8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter

Directions:
For the crust:
Grease a 9 x 13 pan. Set it aside. Measure the cereal and place into a large bowl. Set aside.

Pour the water into a small sauce pan. Gently add the sugar and corn syrup. You want to really try not to let any sugar or syrup get on the sides of the pan. Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture until it’s just combined. Put a candy thermometer in the sauce pan. Cook over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Stir very gently every once in awhile. Cook until the mixture reaches 235 degrees F on the thermometer.

Remove from the heat and immediately add in the butter. Pour the mixture over the cereal. Work quickly to thoroughly coat the cereal. Pour into the prepared pan. Using your hands press the cereal into the pan, making sure it’s even spread out. Do not press up the sides. Keep it flat on the bottom. Let the crust cool while you make the next layer.

For the peanut butter layer:
In a medium metal bowl, stir together the peanut butter and the milk chocolate.

Fill a large pan with water and bring to a simmer on the stove. Once the water is simmering, place the metal bowl with the peanut butter into the pan with the simmering water.  You will need to hold it with one hand, but the bowl should float on top of the water. Stir with a rubber spatula until the mixture is creamy and completely smooth.

Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for 30 seconds to slightly cool the mixture. Pour the mixture over the cooled crust. Put the pan in the refrigerator to cool for at least 1 hour or until the top layer cools and hardens.

For the chocolate ganache:
You are going to basically repeat the same process as the peanut butter layer.

In a medium metal bowl, combine the chocolate, corn syrup and butter.

Fill a large pan with water and bring to a simmer on the stove. Once the water is simmering, place the metal bowl with the chocolate into the pan with the simmering water.  You will need to hold it with one hand, but the bowl should float on top of the water. Stir with a rubber spatula until the mixture is completely smooth.

Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for 30 seconds to slightly cool the mixture. Pour the mixture over the chilled peanut butter layer and spread to make an even layer for the top of the bars.

Put the pan into the refrigerator and chill for another hour or until the top hardens.

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