Peanut Butter-Crisp Rice Bars

If you don't want to open your oven or turn on that stove; this is the recipe for you! No baking and super quick. These delicious krispie bars are really a great snack for just about anything. Even though it only asks for peanut butter topping, you are free to add anything else you may want. I have a special someone that loves peanut butter and chocolate so I added a bit of dark chocolate drizzle for him. For myself, I left half of the recipe with just peanut butter. Don't ask me why, but when peanut butter and chocolate come together I get ill. Which makes me sad, because I think Reese's are tasty. Whenever I tell people this depressing fact, they are greatly surprised. I always have to reassure them it's not me, it's my stomach. Of course, there are times when I live through the headache to have those little Reese's Pieces. :)

If you have read previous posts, you have seen that I always want to spend little money when it comes to buying ingredients. I will admit, I can be cheap. At times, it is good to by the name brands, but this recipe does not need those. If the store brand was cheaper, I definitely put that in my basket. Surprisingly, when I went to buy the peanut butter chips, I couldn't find them! The bag you see below is a mix of peanut butter and chocolate. After standing there for about three minutes I found a bag of Reese's peanut butter chips, but they were two dollars more than the combination bag. So I took the extra time to separate the chips, then spend the extra money when really it's just the brand. If you take your time at the store, you can save a lot of money here and there. It all adds up in the end!

This post was a bit delayed because of a little trip I took to visit my soldier over labor day. I knew the weekend would be a fantastic one, but I had no idea it would be one that I would remember till the day I die! Don't worry, I said yes! ;)

**Here is my little tip for you before you begin melting things... Pre-measure! I was so excited to make these (and I can get a little impatient when waiting) I lost track of my measurements and it was a big sticky mess! So, to avoid what I had to go through, take the few minutes ahead of time to pre-measure your cereal and chips, set them aside while you start the peanut butter mixture and everything will go smoothly.

Coat your hands with cooking spray when pressing the mixture into the pan, it gets very sticky!

Who doesn't want to just eat these as they are? Wish I had some vanilla ice cream to garnish :)

Peanut Butter-Crisp Rice Bars (Printer Friendly Version)
Cooking Light Complete Cookbook


Ingredients:
1/3 creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon butter
1 (10 1/2 oz) bag miniature marshmallows
6 cups oven-toasted rice cereal (such as Rice Krispies)
Cooking Spray
3/4 cup peanut butter chips

Directions:

1. Combine peanut butter and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 30 to 45 seconds or until mixture melts. Add marshmallows; microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until smooth, stirring every 30 seconds. Add cereal to peanut butter mixture; toss until well combined. Press cereal mixture into a 13x9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. (Tip: mixture will be very sticky, so coat your hands with cooking spray before pressing it into the pan.)
2. Place peanut butter chips in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 20 to 30 seconds or until chips melt. Spoon melted chips into a small heavy-duty zip-tip bag; seal. Snip a tiny hole in 1 corner of the bag; drizzle melted chips over cereal mixture. Cool slightly; cut into 24 bars. 

Makes 2 dozen.

Nutrition: (per bar) Calories 118; Fat 3.9g; Protein 2.6g; Carb 19g; Fiber 0.7g; Sodium 93mg