Peanut Butter Cup Rice Krispies Bars

Peanut Butter Cup Rice Krispies Bars

My mom sent me this recipe from Baking Bites the other day and requested that I make it for Sunday dinner. Rice krispies and a layer of peanut butter sounded really interesting to me and I LOVE peanut butter, so it didn't take much convincing.

I'm gonna be honest with you. This was probably the second time I've ever made rice krispie treats. The first time I made them was like 10 years ago at a roommate's request. I don't even remember if they came out good. I actually love rice krispie treats, I just never had the urge to make them.

This is a simple dessert that you don't have to bake, so this would probably be a great summer recipe. Even though there's three layers, it doesn't take much time much time to prepare either... you just have to wait for the chocolate topping to cool and harden before you cut them into squares.

I ended up adding about 1/8 tsp of salt to the peanut butter mixture because the peanut butter mixture was a little sweet for my taste and I didn't want the peanut butter flavor to get lost. I wanted the bars to be sweet and salty, so I added salt to the mixture. It could be the type of peanut butter I used. So taste the mixture first to see if it meets your tastes.

 This is probably another recipe that you can play with the flavors. Maybe add a layer of bananas before you add the peanut butter layer? I'll probably talk about peanut butter and bananas a lot, it's one of my favorite flavor combinations. :-)

Rice Krispie layer

Next, the peanut butter layer

Last, the chocolate layer

The finished product!

Peanut Butter Cup Rice Krispies Bars
Slightly adapted from Baking Bites

For the Rice Krispies:
2 Tbs butter
5-oz marshmallows (1/2 large bag)
3 c. Rice Krispies cereal

 Peanut Butter Filling:
1/2 c. butter, room temperature
3/4 c. peanut butter
1 1/2 c. confectioners’ sugar
1-2 Tbs milk
1/8 tsp. salt (See note before you add this)

Chocolate Topping:
1/4 c. butter, room temperature
1 c. semisweet/dark chocolate chips

Lightly grease a 9×9-inch pan.

In a large, microwave safe bowl, combine butter and marshmallows. Heat until butter is melted and marshmallows are soft. (I just did this in a saucepan and melted it on low on the stove.) Stir to combine. Fold in rice cereal with a spatula, then pour mixture into prepared pan and press into an even layer. Allow to cool and set at room temperature.

For the peanut butter layer, combine all filling ingredients in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. The consistency should be like frosting. If it is too crumbly (consistency may vary slightly by type of peanut butter used), add an additional tablespoon or two of milk until filling is spreadable. (Note: I also added 1/8 tsp. of salt to the mixture because it seemed too sweet for me, but taste your mixture before you add any salt. Again, this depends on the peanut butter you use.) Spread onto cereal layer.

For the chocolate topping, melt chocolate chips and butter in a small, microwave-safe bowl. (I also did this on the stove, on a very low heat.) Stir until smooth. Pour over peanut butter layer and, using an offset spatula or regular spatula, spread chocolate to cover entire surface. Let chocolate set up at room temperature before slicing.

Makes 20 rectangular candy bars. (I cut them into 16 squares.)