The Story:
I make really fancy things most weeks. Cupcakes with fillings and ganches and buttercreams and blah blah blah. But guess what, I just like the simple treats the best. Rice Krispy Treats have always held a special place in my heart, but these peanut butter bars are just out of control. I took them to a party and they disapeared before had time to cross the room.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats
Ingredients
1st Layer: Cereal
- 3 cups Crispy Rice cereal
- ½ of a 10 oz bag of marshmallows
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2nd Layer: Peanut Butter Fudge
- Peanut Butter Fudge
- ½ cup butter softenend
- ½ cup smooth peanut butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 ¼ cup mini peanut butter cups
3rd Layer: Cereal
- 3 cups Crispy Rice cereal
- ½ of a 10 oz bag of marshmallows
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 1/3 cup peanut butter optional
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
4th Layer: Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
- 2 cups chocolate chips
Instructions
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1. Prep a 9 X 13 pan, or something close to that, by greasing the bottom and sides with butter or a butter spray.
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2. 1st Layer: Measure out your 3 cups rice cereal and set aside. In a large microwave safe bowl, put in your ¾ cup marshmallows, butter, peanut butter and vanilla. Melt in the microwave for around 45 seconds, take out…stir…put back in for a few more seconds. Do this until the mixture is smooth. Stir in your rice cereal and dump into pan. Spread it out evenly and press firmly.
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3. Peanut Butter Fudge: Measure out powdered sugar and set aside. On the stovetop (or microwave) melt butter and peanut butter until smooth. Remove from heat, add powdered sugar and vanilla and stir until smooth. Dump over 1st layer of cereal and spread evenly. Spread out your mini peanut butter cups (Reese’s Pieces would work too) and gently press into the fudge.
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4. Let the fudge set for a few minutes before you add the next layer of cereal. I popped my pan into the freezer for a few minutes.
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5. 3rd Layer: Prepare this layer as you did the first. Only add the peanut butter if you really want a strong peanut butter flavor, which I did J Then pour oven the fudge and spread it evenly and press firmly. Make sure you try to cover up all the peanut butter cups, so that the next layer doesn’t hit the fudge.
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6. 4th Layer: On the stovetop, melt peanut butter and chocolate chips until smooth. Stir constantly to avoid the chocolate from burning. Let cool for a few minutes, the pour evenly over the cereal layer and gently shake pan to evenly distribute chocolate.
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7. Carefully cover with plastic wrap, and place in the freezer or fridge to firm. Cut into bars and enjoy death by chocolate and peanut butter!
Based on Liv Life’s Recipe
I used Trader Joe’s Mini Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Wow, these pack a lot of flavor into a tiny little cup
Spread out the fudge layer…
Drop on the peanut butter cups…
Press the peanut butter cups into the fudge…
3rd layer goes down…
The finished product.
My grandsons love peanut butter cups and rice krispie treats-they will love these. Thanks Lizzy. Love the way you have updated the site. Beautiful
Love the new look!! 🙂 These look great. I love things that remind me of childhood…but are just a little more special.
Love the new look Lizzy! And these rice crispy treats look divine. I too believe that sometimes the simple desserts are the best. But I love your filings, buttercreams, ganache’s blah blah blah too!:)
I love these! I made this recipe a few months ago, and it was a huge hit!
These look absolutely amazing…and I was thinking, “I knew I should have ordered those mini pb cups from King Arthur” and then saw that TJ’s has them…thanks!
You have outdone yourself, however the Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter cups are highly addictive. I speak as one who has had to detox and go through rehab.
You made a pregnant woman’s dream come true (I am due any day)! I follow your blog and knew I had to make these once I saw them! Especially since they contain peanut butter cups (my fav). They are currently firming up in the freezer, can’t wait to try them.
Once the squares are firmed up, do you keep them refrigerated or should they be kept on the counter?
Either is fine. I believe I kept mine just on the counter.
Can I substitute PB with Nutella?
In the rice crispy layers, yes! But I can’t promise about the fudge layer. Though I am pretty sure it would turn out just fine.
Lizzy, i am in AWE!! these look TO DIE FOR! my boyfriend would go nuts over these. can’t wait to make them!
These are awesome! I have made them twice in less than a week. So yummy!!
Ive never seen this recipe before. I will be making them soon.. It looks great.Thanks!
I’ve made these a couple of times and it really is hard to resist them once they are made. I took two to my personal trainer (the guy who doesn’t care for sweets nor high carb things) and was astonished when he confessed to devouring both of them before he left the parking lot. Makes it a double winner right there.
Ummm, I just made these and they are RIDICULOUSLY good! OMG, dangerous! Bringing the rest of the pan to work tomorrow!!!!!!
Looks so good! Any tips on cutting? I can never get a clean slice like your picture. Thanks!
Yes, use a fairly large knife that has a smooth edge and run it under hot water for just a second or 2, wipe it off, and cut!
Thanks! That did the trick! I did run into a little glitch in the recipe though. Your 1st layer instructions say to use 3/4 cup of marshmallows, but the ingredient list says half bag. My bottom layer crumbled off, but it’s still so tasty! 🙂
thank you for sharing this delicious treat! our re-creation did not come out quite as pretty as yours! http://www.twentysomethingstella.com/2012/07/peanut-butter-chocolate-rice-krispie.html
Hi, Lizzy. I was just wondering if I could freeze these? I’m going to a family vacation in a week, and I won’t have time to make them besides this weekend. So do you think they’d still be good after a week of being frozen?
I honestly don’t know for sure, but as long as they are sealed air tight, i dont know why it wouldn’t work.
My daughter has severe nut allergies so I got creative using Sunflower seed butter and chocolate covered sunflower seeds (also found at Trader Joes) in place of the peanut butter cups. The result, superfantabulous! Thanks for the base recipe. It’s always fun to play with food and try to make it “Roo safe”!
Have just finished making these. No mini pb cups in Scotland so used crumbled full size ones and some Reese pieces. Can’t wait to try it out. My boyfriend loves Reese so should be a fab treat for him! 🙂
These look so good – they should be illegal!
These are right up my alley – beautiful!
I ran into the same issue with the bottom layer coming off, but these were great! Everyone loved them.
Hi Lizzy Mae!!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! My son didn’t want cake for his birthday, and he is a huge Reese’s fan, so I made these bars in place of his cake. He and his friends loved them. Great recipe!!
I admittedly have a moderate obsession with the chocolate/peanut butter combo, but oh my YUM!! These are amazing!!! So delicious they brought tears of joy to my eyes…literally. 🙂 I’d like to make them for my BFF’s birthday since she shares my obsession, but there’s a WordPress recipe plug-in message where the recipe used to be. Please help! I looked at the source recipe, but the fudge layer looks a little different and I don’t want to take any chances messing with perfection. Thanks!
Fixed! Sorry, we have been having a few tech glitches
Oh my word these look amazing! i want to sink my teeth into them right now!
How many serves did it do?
About 30!
This has become my “Go To” party recipe! I get rave reviews on these bars every time and I can’t remember how many times I have been asked for the recipe. I have probably made them 15-20 times and they always come out perfect!! Thanks for the great recipe!!
These were absolutely amazing!
Just a note… I saw one other person mentioned this but I just wanted to clarify:
For the first (bottom) layer, you use 1/2 bag of marshmallows, NOT 3/4 cup.
Check out my post about them here:
http://toomanycraftstoolittletime.blogspot.com/2016/03/remember-me.html
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Thank you, author, for taking the time to share your valuable insights.