Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

I know, that last thing you guys want to hear about in the middle of bathing suit season is an indulgent dessert.  But this is DELICIOUS.  Its chocolate and peanut butter.  Its crunchy and creamy.  How could that go wrong?!?  And because this is so rich, you don't need to eat much, just a few bites will do.

This is a 3-layer dessert bar.  It has a crunchy caramel-y crust, topped with a creamy chocolate peanut butter layer.  Then that is topped with a final layer of chocolate.  YUM!

A few things I did change though, when I made it... this was VERY sweet.  I made it with honey instead of corn syrup, so the flavor of the sweetener came through.  I didn't mind it, but Jonathan isn't as big a fan of honey as I am, so he would prefer it without honey.  

I also used corn flakes instead of the rice krispies the recipe called for, mostly because thats what I had in the pantry.  And I didn't cook the caramel "properly" because I don't have a candy thermometer.  I just went by how the caramel looked, and it seemed to work out fine.

These are NOT diet friendly.  But the caramel won't make properly with sugar substitutes, so use real sugar.  And all-natural peanut butter separates and can leave an oily slick on the top of the bars.  Just make them very occasionally and you'll make room in the diet.  So, here you go... Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Serves 16-24

1 3/4 c rice krispies (I used corn flakes)

1/4 c sugar

3 T + 1 t corn syrup ( I used honey), divided

7 T butter (I used salted), divided

8 oz dark chocolate, divided

1 c creamy peanut butter

Grease the bottom and sides of an 8x8 baking dish.  

Add the sugar, 3 T corn syrup, and 1/4 c water to a small sauce pan, and stir to combine.  Try not to get any of the sugar crystals on the side of the pan, as it will cause the caramel to crystallize.  Bring to a boil and cook the sugar mixture until it reaches soft ball stage (235 F), then remove from heat.  Stir in 3 T butter.  Pour the caramel over the cereal and stir until cereal is coated.  Press the cereal into an even layer in the bottom of your prepared baking dish.  Set aside to cool.

In a separate bowl, stir together the peanut butter and 5 oz chocolate.  Heat over a double boiler or in the microwave until the chocolate is melted, then stir together until smooth.  This took me 30 seconds in the microwave.  If you are going to microwave this, start with 30 seconds, then stir.  If you need to heat it further, do this 10 seconds at a time, and stir between each time you heated it.  Pour this mixture over the crust, then put in the refrigerator to chill until set (about 1 hour).

For the top layer, melt the remaining 3 oz chocolate, the remaining 4 T butter, and the remaining 1 t corn syrup together.  Then pour over the peanut butter layer, and refrigerate for 1 hour.  Then slice into 16, 20, or 24 pieces and enjoy!