Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars

As a proper Midwestern girl, I love my Scotcheroos. Anything that combines sweet and savory with some crunch is right up my alley, and this is the kind of comfort food-sweet that I grew up with. 

In a continuing attempt to clear out our pantry in some fun and creative ways, I experimented with a bar that uses both Rice Krispies and crushed peanut butter pretzels, adding some extra texture and flavor. 

It required a little more sticky stuff to bind it all together, but that really just made it yummier. I might try some maple syrup next time for part of the honey, and some chai powder over the chocolate might be good, too. Let me know if you think of some substitutions that work well.

We took these to youth group and to a church fellowship, where they received rave reviews from everyone. 

Ingredients:

3 cups Rice Krispies

1 1/2 cups peanut butter pretzels, crushed

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 Tbsp butter

12-15 mini candy bars, chopped

1. Line an 8x8-inch baking dish with parchment paper.

2. In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine honey, peanut butter, and butter. Stir until melted and completely combined.

3. Combine Rice Krispies and crushed peanut butter pretzels in a large bowl. Pour melted honey mixture over the dry ingredients and fold to combine.

4. While still warm, press the mixture firmly into the prepared dish.

5. Sprinkle the chopped chocolate over the top of the bars, spreading it out as it melts to create the topping. If necessary to completely coat the bars, chop more chocolate and melt it on top in the microwave at 30-second intervals.

6. Refrigerate for at least an hour, until the chocolate has set and the bars are completely cool. Lift out using the parchment paper and cut into bars.