Peanut Butter Cup Rice Krispie Treats

I love Rice Krispie treats, but I think they are just about the biggest pain to make of any of my favorite treats. Every time I've made them Rice Krispies end up all over the place and marshmallow is stuck to every surface within five feet of me. It's one of those recipes that is so easy but I get so much anxiety in the process it's not even worth it. Baking shouldn't be stressful.

Alas, thankfully I never gave up on making Rice Krispie treats entirely. I've only done this with a few foods (ahem, lemon curd). I saw these on FoodGawker and knew it was fate. I needed to brave the Rice Krispie/marshmallow duo once again. It was so worth it. These aren't your ordinary RKT, they have peanut butter in them! And not only do they have peanut butter, they also have peanut butter cups AND chocolate. They remind me of the better than crack brownies I used to make all the time, but I think they might be better. Better than the better than crack brownies..that's pretty darn good right there. 

You'll notice that there are multiple steps to this recipe, but the good news is they are all very easy steps. Melting the marshmallows in the microwave takes a huge pain out of the process. You'll also be able to reuse a lot of the bowls because you're using the same ingredients. My advice is just to set everything out first and make it a smooth process. I made them twice in 24 hours (didn't get to take pictures the first time), so they obviously can't be too tedious! 

Enjoy! 

Peanut Butter Cup Rice Krispie Treats

Recipe adapted from Sweet Tooth

For the 1st layer rice krispie treat:

3 cups Rice Krispie cereal

1 cup mini marshmallows

3 tbsp butter

1/3 cup peanut butter

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

- Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x9 pan.

- Measure out the 3 cups of rice krispies and set aside.

- Put the marshmallows, butter, peanut butter, and vanilla in a large microwave safe bowl.  Melt in the microwave for about 45 seconds, and stir until smooth.

- Stir in rice cereal and spread evenly into pan.  (keep out the bowl, you can reuse it!)

For the 2nd layer peanut butter fudge:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1-1/2 cup powdered sugar

1-1/4 cup mini peanut butter cups (not the ones wrapped in foil, the new kind with the smaller cups)

- In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter and peanut butter until smooth.

- Add powdered sugar and vanilla and stir until smooth.  Spread evenly over first layer of rice krispies.

- Sprinkle your mini peanut butter cups on top of the fudge and press them gently into the fudge.

- Transfer pan to the fridge to let the fudge set as you prepare the next layer.

For the 3rd layer rice krispie treat:

3 cups Rice Krispie cereal

1 cup mini marshmallows

3 tbsp butter

1/3 cup peanut butter

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

- Prepare rice krispie mixture like the first layer, then spread evenly over the peanut butter cup layer.  Set aside.

For the 4th layer chocolate PB ganache:

1 cup peanut butter

2 cups chocolate chips

- Place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth, stirring in between each round.  Mix in peanut butter.

- Pour ganache over rice krispies and use an offset spatula to evenly spread the chocolate.  

- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ganache is firm.  Cut into bars (I made mine small because they are super rich!)