Random Recipe Saturday Afternoon: Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats.

I was talking with a friend last week about Rice Krispies Treats. She mentioned she made them recently, and I thought, “Well, gee, I haven’t; maybe I should make some Rice Krispies Treats. Maybe I should make some Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats. Maybe I should make some Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats!!” And so it was.

Whenever I make Rice Krispies Treats, I think of my mom – not because we made them all the time – but because we made them once, and either used way too many marshmallows or way too small of a saucepan. I don’t remember which is was now, but let’s just suffice it to say that marshmallows were all over the place. We laughed then, and both still laugh to this day when we think about it. I’m even laughing now.

Anyway for these, I started off with this recipe, but made a few minor modifications (and used a very large saucepan). My version is below. Enjoy!

don’t you know how sweet and wonderful life can be?

Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats.

What you’ll need:

3 TBSP unsalted butter

1 bag (10 oz) regular sized marshmallows

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

6 cups  Rice Krispies® cereal

1 bag (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips

What you’ll do:

In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the entire bag of marshmallows, and stir until they’re completely melted. Remove from heat, and add the peanut butter, mixing thoroughly. Add the Rice Krispies, and stir until evenly coated. Spray or grease a 9″ x 13″ inch pan, and press the mixture into the pan, with a greased spatula or your (clean) hands. Put it aside. In a medium saucepan, melt the entire bag of chocolate chips. Spread the melted chocolate evenly on top of the treats in the pan. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then refrigerate until the chocolate sets completely - I gave it an hour. Let them warm to room temperature before serving – otherwise the chocolate will be too hard!

 

confessions of a cereal killer.

 

I started this “Small Indulgences” thing because it’s what I believe in – one does not need to eat a large amount of dessert in order to enjoy it. In fact, that often has the opposite effect – we all know the drill – you’re at a party, there’s cake, you eat it. You’re still at the party, there are cookies, you eat them. You’re hanging around the party, the host is yawning and mentioned it’s past her bedtime 7 times, there’s cookie and cake crumbs, you eat them. And they were great going in, but the next morning, you’re full of guilt and regret, as you do the walk of shame over to the scale, hang your head, in a “not again” slump, and vow to never repeat this gluttonous act of over-indulging.

umm, i gotta go...i'll, uh, call you later.

Anyway, having fallen prey to this scenario myself, I realized it was not worth the grief, thus I made a conscious effort never to have a one night confectionery stand again. I also made it my mission to help others achieve the same goal – by making fabulous desserts in smaller portions and proving to the world that it’s not the size that counts; it’s how you eat it.

I have a confession. I do make it a point to never over-indulge in sweets. And I hold myself to that standard on a daily basis.  I said I don’t over-indulge in sweets. I never said anything about cereal. I am, in no uncertain terms, a cereal killer.

my most-loved victim.

I buy a few boxes a week. I keep it to the healthier ones, because I know what’s going to go down. I sit down at night to relax, after having my healthy dinner, possibly with a bowl of ice cream, and then, as if on auto-pilot, I reach for the cereal box. I  open it up, stick my hand in, grab a fist-full of dry, crackly greatness, and start shoveling it in, mindlessly, while doing something else, like blogging, reading, watching TV, etc. Next thing I know, I’ve housed half the box, and still want more, but my self-control finally makes an entrance at this point, and angrily slaps the box away.

It’s the same old scene every time. I kill a box every two days. This is not an exaggeration. Funny thing – for all my love of cereal, I’ve never baked anything that had any type of cereal involved. Probably because I wouldn’t be able to resist it, thus destroying the entire principle on which my baking philosophy is based. Sorry folks – the cereal is mine.