Butterfingers Rice Krispies Treats

Can we talk about deliciousness?

I keep a container dedicated to Butterfingers, which I buy in bulk from Orson Gygi. I used the the Butterfingers to make the deliciousness. 

My supply is getting low! I need to stock up again soon.
I took these treats to an impromptu family lunch yesterday.

I couldn't wait to try them and had to sneak a taste before I took them to my mom's house. 

I thought a sliver missing would be less noticeable. 

The "frosting" is actually this stuff. 

Everyone who tried them loved them. I know I really loved them! I don't think I'll ever be satisfied with a normal Rice Krispies Treat again. Ever. 

Butterfingers Rice Krispies Treats 

1/2 cup candy corn

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

3 T butter

10 oz. miniature marshmallows

5 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Skippy Natural Peanut Butter Spread with Dark Chocolate

Crushed Butterfingers (about 2 cups, divided)

Measure out the Rice Krispies cereal into a large bowl. Grease a 9x13-inch pan (I lined mine with a Silpat instead, and then cut the bars carefully). 

Place the butter in a large saucepan and melt over medium-low heat. Meanwhile, put candy corn in the microwave and heat on 50% power until melted. Stir peanut butter into the melted candy corn. Once the butter is mostly melted, add the marshmallows to the saucepan and reduce heat to low. Heat until marshmallows are almost completely melted but still have several marshmallows holding their shape. Add peanut butter mixture to the marshmallow mixture. Stir to combine. Add the cereal and stir quickly. Pour half of the mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle about a cup of crushed Butterfingers onto the cereal mixture. Add the remaining cereal mixture. Press down on the cereal lightly- don't compact it! After the treats have cooled for about five minutes, spread the peanut butter spread over the treats until they are covered as thick or thin as desired. Immediately sprinkle remaining Butterfingers over the top and cool completely.  

Butterfinger PB Rice Krispies Treats

For the past two years, my husband and I have been serving a mission at the local employment center for our church. Today was our last day. Again. That part is a long story, so let's just say that this time it was really, truly our last day. 

Whenever it is someone's last day, treats are brought. My friend, Kathy, brought oatmeal raisin cookies, which happen to be my husband's favorite cookies! Perfect! But I wanted a little more oomph to the treats on our last day. I went home at lunchtime and decided to use our last day as an excuse to try something out that's been nagging at me for a few weeks. These guys, right here. 

It only takes a few minutes to throw these guys together. Let me tell you how much you want these in your life. A lot! Unless you are on a sugar-free, peanut butter allergy kind of lifestyle. Then I would avoid them.

(Edited 4/23/14- I've updated this recipe to be a little more exact on the peanut butter frosting.) 

Butterfinger Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats (adapted from Your Cup Of Cake)

6 cups Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal

12 oz. miniature marshmallows

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter (I used Skippy)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Peanut Butter Frosting (adapted from Your Cup of Cake)

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

4 tsp milk 

Chocolate PB Ganache

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1 cup milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Topping

crushed Butterfingers (about 1/2 cup)

Reese's Peanut Butter chips (about 1/4 cup)

Frosting-

You want to make the frosting first because the rest of this comes together so quickly. Add peanut butter and butter together in your mixing bowl. Blend for two minutes. Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar and beat for one minute, then add the milk and beat until smooth.

Treats-

Prepare a 9x13 pan by lining it with a sheet of parchment paper, allowing two of the edges to hang over the sides of the pan so you can lift the treats out before cutting them into bars. In a medium bowl, measure cereal and set aside. In a large microwaveable bowl, heat the marshmallows, vanilla and peanut butter for 30 seconds and then stir. Depending on how fresh your marshmallows are, it will need up to one minute more of heating time. Quickly add the cereal and stir to coat. Pour coated cereal into prepared pan and press to fill the pan (see photo- I like to make mine a little short of the pan size so they are thicker). 

You can either put water or butter on your hands to keep the cereal from sticking to you. Frost treats with the peanut butter frosting and either place it in the refrigerator while making the ganache or don't, depending on your preference. 

Ganache-

In a small to medium microwaveable bowl, heat the chocolate chips for 30 seconds. Stir well, and if needed, heat for an additional 30 seconds until chocolate is completely melted. Add the peanut butter to the melted chocolate and stir until smooth. This melts the peanut butter and cools the chocolate at the same time. Pour ganache over peanut butter frosting layer (this shows how thick the ganache is when adding it to the treats), 

smoothing gently so as to not disturb the frosting beneath the ganache. 

Immediately sprinkle smoothed ganache with the crushed Butterfingers and peanut butter chips. Refrigerate for about 10-20 minutes to harden the ganache a little bit. 

Remove treats from the pan by lifting up on the parchment paper overhanging the edges of the pan. Cut into bars and serve. I cut mine into 5 rows and 5 columns. 

You can even eat these for breakfast because the main ingredient is cereal!

People are starting to curse at me for bringing these to different events, but they always curse with a smile on their face and a treat on the way to their mouth! 

Tweaked

I was tempted last week by this container. Peanut butter filled pretzels. I'd sampled them before and liked them, but in the back of my mind, I knew they needed a little something to bring them to their full potential.

I drizzled them, front and back, with three kinds of chocolate. Now we're talkin'!

Since it's my turn to host game night tonight, and since everyone (except Bud) seems to be on a diet, I'm not really serving dessert. We're having fruits and veggies, but even with trying to be good, you need a little treat to go with it, right?

Now You Can Eat Twice As Much!

I've posted my caramel popcorn recipe on here before, but I now have a new and improved recipe that uses half the butter so you can eat twice as much!

"Diet" Caramel Popcorn
1 cup popcorn kernels, popped
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2 cups brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 T vanilla extract
Pre-heat oven to 275°F. Pop the popcorn and remove any un-popped kernels. Spray a large pan (I use my turkey roasting pan) with non-stick spray. Place popcorn in sprayed pan. Set aside. In a large saucepan, melt the butter and then add the brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat while stirring constantly. Once mixture boils, stop stirring and boil for four minutes. Remove syrup from heat and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. Pour syrup over popcorn and stir until well coated. Place coated popcorn in oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes.
Remove from oven and dump the popcorn onto parchment or wax paper. Spread the popcorn out so it isn't all clumped together. Let popcorn cool and eat away!  I promise you won't miss the extra stick of butter or the extra calories!