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Peanut Butter Crispy Bars

February 19, 2009 By Laura 21 Comments

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Deb, over at Smitten Kitchen, has a lot to answer for. First she made those breakfast raspberry bars. Then she made the peanut butter bars. So I bought the darn book. And made the brownies. And now I have made the peanut butter bars and oh my lord are these good. And so evil.

But she did warn us when she posted about them. As I mentioned earlier we have a house guest coming in, so I made these in anticipation of that. Maybe it is my inner Italian mother, I don’t know, but the idea of people coming to my home and me not having food just wigs me out. So despite the peppermint patty brownies I finally got right this week (I was inspired by my sister to try again) and served during the playdate and the allspice muffins for playgroup and the chocolate chip cookies, lemon meltaways and Espresso Chocolate Chip Shortbread I baked for our soldier for Operation Baking Gals on Tuesday (that last I want to make again before blogging about them–mine came out a bit dry sadly enough), I found myself in the kitchen again tonight, up to my arms in butter and sugar (but no flour this time). I’ve probably gained 10 lbs this week just from sampling.

It is hard to say that these bars were the best thing I made this week given how I feel about that NY Times chocolate chip cookie recipe, but they were definitely the second best thing. Ironically, when I saw them on Deb’s blog I thought they were gorgeous but I was not sure how I felt about Rice Krispies and peanut butter and chocolate.

It turns out I feel mighty fine about that combo.

So, like Deb, don’t say I did not warn you how sinfully addictive these things are, but also don’t say I didn’t tell you that yes you absolutely should try them.

My main changes–both from the original and from Deb–were to add salt (although Deb used salted butter so clearly we were on the same wavelength) and also to line the pan with foil and slice the bars before they completely hardened. Some people had complained about crumbling and I hoped this would fix that. Whether it was the reason or not, my bars sliced beautifully.


Peanut Butter Crispy Bars

Adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

For the crispy crust:
1/4 cup water
1 3/4 cups crisped rice cereal
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 small pinch sea salt

For the milk chocolate peanut butter layer:
5 ounces good-quality milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup creamy peanut butter

For the chocolate icing:
3 oz semi-sweet chocolate (60ish% cacao), coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon light corn syrup
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) unsalted butter
2 small pinches sea salt

Line an 8 inch square baking pan with foil; make sure that the foil overhangs on at least 2 opposing sides and is pressed securely into all corners. Lightly spray a paper towel with nonstick cooking spray and use it to rub the bottom and sides of the foil lining.

Put the cereal in a large bowl and set aside.

Pour 1/4 cup water into a small saucepan. Gently add the sugar and corn syrup (do not let any sugar or syrup get on the sides of the pan) and use a small wooden spoon to stir the mixture until just combined. Put a candy thermometer in the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat and bring to a boil; cook until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage, 235 degrees F.

Remove from the heat, stir in the butter and salt, and pour the mixture over the cereal. Working quickly, stir until the cereal is thoroughly coated, then pour it into the prepared pan. Using your hands, press the mixture into the bottom of the pan (do not press up the sides). Let the crust cool to room temperature while you make the next layer.

In a large nonreactive metal (I used glass) bowl, place the chocolate and the peanut butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and melt, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for about 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the cooled crust. Put the pan in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the top layer hardens.

While the bars are chilling, make the chocolate topping: In a large nonreactive metal bowl, combine the chocolate, corn syrup, salt and butter (I did the salt to taste–it was fabulous after 2 pinches; the original recipe does not call for any salt in any stage but I think it really adds something).

Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the chilled milk chocolate peanut butter layer and roll it around until it evenly and smoothly coats the entire peanut butter layer. Put the pan into the refrigerator for 1 hour.

When the 1 hour is up, pull the pan out and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then remove the sheet of bars by using the foil overhang. Slice the bars (handling gently–the tops will still probably be soft but it will be easier to slice at this point) and return them to the fridge to let the top harden completely. Then remove again and store however desired (I did 2 layers, separated by wax paper, in a tupperware container) in the fridge.

Filed Under: bar cookies, chocolate, peanut butter

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Comments

  1. Elyse says

    February 19, 2009 at 8:00 pm

    I have yet to make a recipe from Baked that I haven’t adored. Their brownies–amazing! Their chocolate cake with caramel chocolate ganache–amazing! I can’t wait to work my way through the book, and you’ve just shown me the next recipe I have to try. These Krispie bars look soooo good!

    Reply
  2. HoneyB says

    February 19, 2009 at 8:31 pm

    omg, you are killing me. I JUST bought Rice Krispies. lol.. These look totally yummy but I have got to not make any more sweets that I cannot stop eating…I’m going to have to stick with my original use for rice krispies although your post really makes me want to reconsider. I just don’t want to gain 10 more pounds. 😉

    Reply
  3. Sharon says

    February 19, 2009 at 8:46 pm

    Oh boy…those look so decadent and yummy! I’m sure we could polish off a batch of those in no time.

    Reply
  4. Nate-n-Annie says

    February 20, 2009 at 12:36 am

    beautifully done, and so enticing!

    Thanks for adding us as a friend on Foodbuzz. We welcome you to come visit our site.

    Reply
  5. Robin Sue says

    February 20, 2009 at 8:29 am

    I think I need to buy that book too! These look amazingly great! Thanks!

    Reply
  6. creativecarryout says

    February 20, 2009 at 9:57 am

    I just posted about peanut butter bars too, so your tastespotting photo caught my eye. Mine had no krispies though. But, my they are mighty delish.
    I have a favorite family recipe that we call peanut butter balls which includes rice krispies. They are awesome – especially really fresh from the freezer. It’s a great combination.
    Michelle
    http://oneordinaryday.wordpress.com/

    Reply
  7. noble pig says

    February 20, 2009 at 10:54 am

    Okay that topping of chocolate is beautiful! Good work lady!

    Reply
  8. Grace says

    February 20, 2009 at 12:22 pm

    refrigerate one hour? no way.
    let sit ten minutes? ain’t gonna happen.
    store leftovers in fridge? not a chance. 🙂

    Reply
  9. What A Dish! says

    February 20, 2009 at 12:25 pm

    I definitely need to make these really, really soon! They look delish!

    Reply
  10. Maria says

    February 20, 2009 at 1:25 pm

    I am craving PB and Chocolate now!! YUM!

    Reply
  11. pigpigscorner says

    February 20, 2009 at 3:17 pm

    Oh my…there goes my diet!! They look so delicious! One is not enough!

    Reply
  12. finsmom says

    February 20, 2009 at 4:33 pm

    These are favorites at our house! I really love anything with peanut butter and chocolate!

    Reply
  13. Jenn's Baking Chamber says

    February 21, 2009 at 1:58 am

    Those look perfect, I’m very impressed with the even and nice layers. These would be great for my next girls night, thanks

    Reply
  14. Flash says

    February 21, 2009 at 5:40 pm

    This recipe has been around for years. I first tasted them in the mid-1970’s at a baby shower. We called them Crispy Crunch bars.

    Yes, they are very addictive.

    Reply
  15. Donna-FFW says

    February 21, 2009 at 11:08 pm

    GORGEOUS!! Love them. Perfect for my children, not too hard to make, guesss what we will do tomorrow. Thanks!!

    Reply
  16. StickyGooeyCreamyChewy says

    February 22, 2009 at 12:31 am

    OMG! I’m dying here! Those bars look incredible! I am definitely making these TOMORROW!

    Reply
  17. Jennifer says

    February 25, 2009 at 6:44 am

    Nothing beats peanut butter and chocolate paired together! Great bar recipe!

    Reply
  18. Olivia says

    February 27, 2009 at 3:13 pm

    These look so perfectly cut. This is basically how I wish all my rice krispies looked when I cut into them. Great idea to use the aluminum foil.

    Reply
  19. Springtime says

    March 8, 2009 at 1:20 pm

    I keep meaning to say… I tried this recipe the other day. Wow. I’m finding it hard to think of anything more delicious than these…

    The only slight problem I had was that they stuck to the foil. I think I put the cripsies in the tin too quickly, so the syrup subsequently sank to the bottom slightly and stuck. I will let it set a little longer in the bowl next time before I put the mixture in the tray to set.

    But really, wow.

    I think I’m right in saying that the British don’t really use peanut butter so much in baking. We haven’t realised what we’re missing out on!

    Reply
  20. Laura says

    March 8, 2009 at 1:31 pm

    Suzi (springtime): I wonder if your ratio got off–i.e., too much caramel? Or not enough oil to grease your pan? Because really these are meant to be put into the pan quite quickly. And I don’t think the syrup should sink to the bottom. Anyone else have this problem?

    Reply
  21. Leah Duquette says

    October 15, 2009 at 2:20 pm

    I've made these 3 times and they are amazing. They are one of those foods that cause you to say, "oh my god" after each bite. So good.

    Reply

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Hi! I’m Laura and I am a recovering history major who has re-channeled all of my passion for learning about the history of different countries to learning about their food culture. That doesn’t mean every dish on here is strictly authentic, but it does mean that even my adaptations are not undertaken lightly. My goal is to show you–by doing–that these dishes are possible in your kitchen. Including desserts because I have quite the sweet tooth! Read More…

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