Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip Rice Krispie Treats

Something about Halloween always has me reaching for a nostalgia-laden rice krispie treat. My version however, is founded upon a love of rice krispies, rolled in peanut butter - a quick, simple process that left a trail of crumbs through the peanut butter and produced a perfect amount of crunch to balance out the saltiness. This may explain my life-long love of puppy chow and mini-Krackel candy bars, though nothing ever truly satisfied my inner-5 year old's craving until I stumbled upon this recipe.

For a super easy dessert, mix the corn syrup (Karo is a standard brand and works well) and sugar in a pot on the stove and turn the heat on medium-high. Stir the mixture to help the sugar dissolve instead of sticking to the bottom of the pan and remove from heat when it starts to boil. Add your peanut butter (there is a long-standing debate on what kind of PB to use when baking/cooking and I find this article helpful) and stir until combined.

Next, pour the mixture over the rice krispies (a large mixing bowl will give you enough room to mix comfortably), stir until the pieces are evenly coated, and let cool for a few minutes (if you add the chocolate and marshmallows now, they will melt).

 

Once the mixture has cooled slightly, stir in the marshmallows, waiting until the last minute to add the chocolate chips (stir quickly as some of them will melt in the process).

 

Now comes the easy part (because the rest was SO hard, right?!). Butter a 13 x 9 pan (either glass or metal will work), pour the mass of peanut buttery goodness into the pan, and press flat.  At this point, the recipe suggests you sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top of the treats. I did this but also added more marshmallows, pressing them into the top of the treats with a piece of aluminum foil (didn't want them sticking to me).

 

Let cool, cut into 2" squares, and serve! For a more Halloween-ish look, you can use orange and black colored chocolate chips.

Ingredients:

- 6 c Rice Krispie cereal

- 1 c corn syrup (I use Karo)

- 1 c white sugar

- 1 c creamy peanut butter

- 1 1/2 -2 c marshmallows (I used 2 c, plus additional for the topping)

- 1/2 c mini-chocolate chips (Ghirardelli is my go-to)