Chocolate rice crispy treats

Do you like "rice krispies"?  Since I didn't arrive in the States until the age of eight, I came into rice crispy treats a little later in life.  I think I've been relatively ambivalent about them.  They're good but I thought they were a bit too sweet straight out of the packet.  But in the last year or so, I feel like I've been re-introduced to the simplicity and tastiness of simple American ingredients like peanut butter and crisp rice cereal. 

So I recently asked my six-year old if he thinks he'd like rice crispy treats with chocolate (he hasn't really been a fan of the plain version).  I told him I was thinking of making some and he said to me:  "I don't know but I think I'll like it since I like everything chocolate."  Well, that's true for both of us and it was my thought exactly.  This recipe comes from Martha Stewart  and it basically takes a cocoa-bittersweet chocolate spin on the classic.  You've still got that lovely gooey, chewy crispiness we know and love, but on top of that is the bonus chocolate flavor from unsweetened cocoa powder stirred into the mix and melted bittersweet chocolate poured over the top. 

This is a nice little treat to make with and for little ones.  But frankly, adults (like my husband and I) couldn't stop eating them.  They are goood.  I love the classic crisp/chewy texture and the cocoa-chocolate flavor in these.  I threw in a pinch of salt to liven things up just a little, and the result is not too sweet.  Should you want to make things even easier and skip the chocolate drizzle over the top, you could stir in some mini chocolate chips with the cereal instead, but I like how these looked and tasted.   

I recommend making up a batch and sharing with both young and old(er).

Peanut butter crispy bars

The guys behind Baked are known for their creative and delicious spins on some classic American desserts.  I don't know who grew up eating these peanut butter crispy bars but I was not lucky enough to be one of those people.  I may be more of a Nutella person in general but very often, a peanut butter sandwich just hits the spot.  I think the Baked cookbooks have given me a new appreciation for peanut butter (I'm thinking about their very yummy monster cookies).

These peanut butter crispy bars are another recipe from their cookbook.  The bars are made up of three layers: a crispy, basically candied, rice crispy crust at the bottom, a prominent middle layer of soft peanut butter and milk chocolate, and a thinner coating of dark chocolate on top.  I love the way these bars look, the contrast in colors between the chocolate layers, as well as the textural difference between the crispy bottom and the other two creamy layers.

These bars were easy to make and come together relatively quickly.  There's no baking involved and the two chocolate layers only need about an hour of chilling time apiece.  I think the only technicality is you should have a candy thermometer since you need to boil some sugar for the bottom crust.  Since I had everything on hand, I literally made these on a whim one morning, went out to run an errand, and they were ready to be sliced.  I cut these into small servings and gave the majority away so I could share the calories (I mean, love) among friends. 

You know how you know you made something good?  You keep thinking about it and wanting more, as thought you're not convinced you've got a proper taste and need to make sure.  That's how we feel about these.  I have a feeling I'll be making more of these.  And while I'm tempted to play around with say a Nutella version and sometimes I think maybe, just maybe, the bottom layer would be better if it was just a tad softer and not quite so crunchy, it's hard to mess with a good thing.  And these are good!

Consider trying these out if you know some peanut butter lovers and want to mix up the usual cookie rotation.  I think it's hard to find this kind of distinct, multi-layer bar recipe.  My six-year old tasted these and started placing dibs on what we had left and my husband could've used a few more pieces as well.  You see why I keep thinking I need to mix up another batch?  The writing's on the wall...