About This Recipe
This delightful recipe for Peanut Butter Krisp Marshmallow Bars is a riff on Rice Krispie Bars, with the addition of chocolate, cocoa Rice Krispies cereal, and peanut butter. And, of course, frosting! This no bake bar cookie, like Special Kay Bars, is spectacular.
I love this recipe because it is so flavorful. While I also love Rice Krispie Bars, they don’t have a lot of flavor. This bar recipe is also a lot chewier than the classic no bake bar. It’s the perfect after school treat, and it’s also delicious to tuck into lunchboxes.
The cocoa flavored crisp rice cereal is essential to this recipe. Ordinary Rice Krispies just don’t work. And you have to use two kinds of marshmallows. The big ones are melted with chocolate and butter to form the base of the bar along with peanut butter, while the mini marshmallows are folded in along with the cereal to provide visual and textural contrast.
How to make the best Peanut Butter Krisp Marshmallow Bars:
- Know your microwave oven! The marshmallows need to be microwaved until they are soft enough to melt and combine, but not so much that they become hard.
- Work quickly when you add the peanut butter and cereal to the melted marshmallow mixture. This mixture does firm up more quickly than your average Rice Krispies mixture.
- Press the cereal mixture into the pan firmly, but don’t press down too hard or the bars will be too hard.
Why this recipe works:
- The addition of peanut butter really brings out the chocolate flavor in these bars. Most people add coffee to chocolate – yuck! I think that peanut butter adds more roundness to chocolate and enhances the flavor.
- The combination of crisp cereal with soft mini marshmallows and rich chocolate chips is irresistible.
Steps
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1
Done
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Grease a 13-inch by 9-inch pan with butter and set aside. |
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2
Done
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In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine 1 cup milk chocolate chips with the large marshmallows and butter. Microwave on 50% power for 1 minute; remove from microwave and stir. |
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3
Done
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Continue microwaving for 1-minute intervals, stirring after each interval, until the mixture is melted and smooth. Stir in 1/3 cup peanut butter until blended, and then stir in the cereal. |
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4
Done
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Then stir in the mini marshmallows and remaining 1 cup milk chocolate chips. Immediately spoon into the prepared pan and press down lightly. |
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5
Done
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In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the semisweet chocolate chips and remaining 1/3 cup peanut butter. Microwave on high power for 1 minute; remove and stir. Continue microwaving for 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until the mixture is melted and smooth. |
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6
Done
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Immediately pour the chocolate mixture over the bars and spread to cover. Let stand until set, then cover and store at room temperature. Cut into bars to serve. |
