Peanut Butter Chocolate Crispy Treats

Hey guys :)
Okay, so my co-workers and I were talking about different kinds of Rice Krispie treats on Friday, and it reminded me of my favorite ones from childhood: peanut butter with a layer of chocolate on the bottom. My mom used to buy them in variety packs from Costco, along with a couple other (lamer) flavors.
I don't think they sell them anymore so today I decided to re-create the recipe :)


Peanut Butter Chocolate Crispy Treats


I got the main idea for the recipe from http://www.ricekrispies.com/ and tweeked it a bit.

What You'll Need:
6 cups of Rice Krispies
3 tablespoons of butter
1 bag (10.5 ounces) of mini marshmallows

1 half cup of creamy peanut butter

Milk chocolate*

*I'm not sure about the actual measurement, but I used a bag of Hersey's Kisses. A bag of chocolate chips would work too.

Step 1:

Whenever I'm going to bake something that requires a bunch of different specifically measured ingredients, I like to measure them out and put them in separate bowls. It makes me feel like Rachel Ray and it makes the actually baking (or cooking) part go by a lot faster. It's like boom, bam, zing, done.

Step 2:

 
Prepare a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray.
This is actually really important. Melted marshmallows are sticky as fuck.
9x13 is a good size too.
When the mixture is pressed into the pan, the bars are about an inch thick.


Step 3:
Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a non stick skillet over low heat.
I strongly recommend a skillet with steep sides, it does a better job of keeping the ingredients in the pan.

Step 4:
 
When the butter is completely melted, add the marshmallows.

 

Stir with a rubber spatula until melted.
Remove from heat.


Step 5:

Add the peanut butter to the marshmallow mix.
Stir it in until it is completely melted.
You'll want to do this quickly; the peanut butter and the marshmallow have two completely different consistencies, so the hotter the mallow the better.

Step 6:

Add the Rice Krispies and stir the mixture until all the pieces are coated.


Step 7:

Once the mixture is cool enough to touch, press the mix into the pan.
The recipe on the website says to use a greased spatula, but I've found that it's way easier to use your hands.
So wash them, spritz them with cooking spray, and go for it.


Step 8:

Set the treats off to the side and get your chocolate ready.
I used Hersey's Kisses for this recipe, but it was only because Walgreen's didn't have milk chocolate chips.
The Kisses worked fine, but I had to unwrap all of them, which was a total bitch.
If you have the option, just get chocolate chips.

Put the chocolate in a double boiler to melt over a low boil.
As you can see, I don't have a real double boiler, so I just made one using a medium sized pot and a large pot. If you do this as well, you NEED to remember that the water CANNOT boil and overflow into the chocolate. If it does the chocolate will be ruined and you'll have to start over from scratch.
I cannot tell you how much chocolate has gone to waste thanks to my ghetto double boiler and my fleeting attention span.

**note: I added a teaspoon of shortening to the chocolate, just to make it a bit softer when it had completely cooled.**

Step 9:
Once all the chocolate is completely melted and smooth, use a rubber spatula to spread it over the treats.
I found the the amount of chocolate I used was PERFECT for the 9x13 treats.


Step 10:
 
Place the whole thing in the refrigerator just long enough for the chocolate to harden.

Step 11:
Cut into squares and enjoy :)



I'm not overly fond of peanut butter, but these things kick ass.



I would definitely recommend serving these as soon as the chocolate has hardened.
It's not really a treat you would want to make too far in advance.
I only made them this evening but I imagine that they would become rock solid after a few days (not to mention that weird thing chocolate does when it's been melted and then reformed :/ )

If you must make them in advance, you can make the treats one day, freeze them, and then add the chocolate just before serving.



I hope you have enjoyed this recipe and will try it for yourself!
If you like chocolate and peanut butter you can't really miss with these ;)

See you soon!