Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Bars

This was the weekend of finally’s.  So many times I think of all these things I want to do around the house and when the evening or weekend comes I find 10 others things to do instead.  Well, not this weekend.   I (the hubs helped with the things that involved tools) finally…

• Dusted the light above our kitchen table.  It’s been bugging me for months and only took 2 minutes to really clean.
• Cleaned my office and unpacked the last 2 boxes of crap.  We moved into our house in November 2011, so yea that took a while. 
• Organized our sub-basement storage area. 
• Dusted the shelves in our basement.  They actually weren't very dusty, but felt good to clean them. 
• Hung pictures in our master bedroom that have been leaning against the wall since we moved in.
• Repaired the fallen pole in our guest room closet. 
• Replaced the blade on our mower and did an oil change.
• Installed a new shower head in our master bath. 
• Replaced all the batteries in our smoke detectors.

What better way to end a productive weekend than to make some rice crispy bars.  But not just the norm, but with peanut butter and chocolate.  And, man, are they good!  I used my Chocolate Rice Crispy Ball recipe as a starting point and just added the peanut butter. 

Here are the details….

Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Bars
Adapted from my Chocolate Rice Crispy Balls

5 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp light butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
2 bags (10 oz each) mini-marshmallows
10 cups crispy rice cereal

Topping:
1 cup chocolate chips
½ cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp butter

Lightly butter a 9 x 13 pan and set aside.  Measure out all ingredients before starting – I think this helps when working with things that melt….like marshmallows and chocolate. 

In a large pan, over medium heat, drop in butters, cocoa powder, and peanut butter.  Use a whisk to incorporate the ingredients.  Once combined, add marshmallows.  Stir consistently until melted. 

Turn off heat and slowly add cereal and stir until all cereal is covered. 

Transfer mixture into the prepared pan. Lightly butter your fingers and push the mixture into the pan.  Set aside. 

For the topping: place chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter into microwave safe bowl.  Microwave for 30 second increments at 50% power, stirring after each, until mixture is smooth. 

Pour mixture over rice crispy bars – use a frosting spreader or spatula to cover the whole surface.  Just to be fun, add sprinkles! 

Place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or so for topping to set.  Then, store in an air-tight container.   

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Enjoy!  Thanks for stopping by!