Peanut Butter Crunch Rice Krispies

So my Facebook friend, Lorena posted this link for these Peanut Butter Crunch Rice Krispies Treats. I really wanted to make them that day, because I had everything already in my cupboards, but I knew that if I made them I would eat the whole batch myself (it only makes an 8x8 dish, if that makes me sound any less of a piggy). My hubby was away on a fire, so I couldn't take the bulk of these sweets to him at the station. So, I was good and I waited.
  Almost a week later and I finally broke down and made them. And yes, I sent most of them to the station with my man. (I'm only human, I can't resist a sweet temptation forever.)  These treats are a nice change up from your traditional Rice Krispies Treat, with the additions of peanut butter, chocolate and corn flakes. The recipe also called for the whole thing to be made in the microwave, which intrigued me. I don't use my microwave much except to warm up left overs or melt chocolate.  Full disclosure, I did change the recipe a bit, but not much.
   I ended up making two kinds of Rice Krispies Treats on this same day. The other version (Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Krispies Treats) I have had pinned for a couple years and never got around to making it. It calls for pretzel pieces and chocolate chips right in the mix (instead of the layered look like these ones have). While I really enjoyed both kids of treats, the original (with browned butter) is still my absolute favorite. If you want to stretch your Rice Krispies Treat making wings, then I highly recommend both peanut-buttery treats. Super easy, and really tasty.

Here's how it starts:

Generously butter an 8x8 dish

In a microwave safe bowl, add 1/2 cup of peanut butter (I used crunchy) and 10 oz of marshmallows (I guessed that was a little more than 1/2 of my 16 oz bag of mini marshmallows). The original recipe called for only 1/4 cup of peanut butter, but I found that the marshmallows didn't have enough liquid to thin out. The marshmallows were too gooey and stuck together in a large sticky mass. The extra 1/4 cup of peanut butter helped to smooth things out a bit.

Microwave for 1 minute. The marshmallows will grow A LOT, but don't be afraid. (If you have a bigger bowl than I did I recommend using it. All my large mixing bowls are made of metal, so they are not microwave safe. This is all I had to work with, and it worked o.k.)

While the peanut butter and marshmallows are getting happy in the microwave, measure out the rice krispies cereal into a large mixing bowl. -5 cups please

Mix the melted peanut butter and gooey marshmallows together. (I used a spatula that I sprayed with no-stick cooking spray.) It's VERY sticky!!

Pour the peanut butter/marshmallow mixture into the cereal, and stir.

It will take a few minutes. And you may think to yourself, "There's no way that these are going to come together." But if you work quickly and persistently they will - I promise. 

Dump the whole mixture into the buttered 8x8 dish and press down into an even layer. (The best tools for this is always your hands!)

Now for the second layer. In a microwave safe bowl or Pyrex measuring cup, add 3/4 cup peanut butter and 2 Tbsp butter. (If I make these again, I might omit the butter completely because the final product was a little soft for my taste.)

Melt them together in the microwave for 30 seconds and then stir.

Add 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips,

and stir until all the chocolate is coated with all the peanut butter mixture. Then microwave for 30 seconds, and stir again.

The chocolate should be melted and your mixture should look something like this. (If your chocolate is not melted after 30 seconds, then stir and microwave for another 20 seconds and stir again.) Remember, I used chunky peanut butter, so there are little nuts in my chocolate.

Next comes the corn flakes. 2 cups. Just add it right into the chocolate mixture,

and stir until every flake is coated.

Spoon the mixture out on top of the rice krispies you made earlier and spread the chocolate layer evenly over the top.

Set this aside to firm up for a couple hours (you can refrigerate it to make it go faster).

When they are set up, just remove them from the pan and cut into squares.

 Here's the recipe:
adapted from Something Swanky Peanut Butter Crunch Rice Krispies Treats

Peanut Butter Crunch Rice Krispies Treats

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
10 oz mini marshmallows
5 cups Rice Krispies Cereal

3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
2 cups corn flakes cereal

Generously butter an 8x8 dish. Place the peanut butter and the marshmallows in a large microwave safe bowl, and heat for 1 minute in the microwave. Stir until smooth. Mix the melted marshmallow/peanut butter mixture into the Rice Krispies Cereal. Stir with a spatula (sprayed with no-stick cooking spray) until the cereal is completely coated. Gently press into a buttered or lined 8x8 baking dish. Set aside.
For the topping: In a microwave safe bowl, heat together the butter and peanut butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Add the chocolate chips and stir to coat. Microwave for another 30 seconds and stir. (If the chocolate is not yet melted, you can heat it again for another 20 seconds.) Add the corn flakes and stir to coat. Spoon the chocolate/corn flake mixture on top of the rice krispies treats you made earlier and spread into an even layer. Set aside to cool for 2 hours. (You can refrigerate them to make them set up faster.) When they are set, remove from pan and cut into squares.