Chocolate Peanut Butter Kit Kat Crunch Bars
Try this Chocolate Peanut Butter Kit Kat Crunch Bars recipe
Try this Chocolate Peanut Butter Kit Kat Crunch Bars recipe
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- base:
- 1 heaping cup creamy peanut butter (use jiff, skippy, or similar; do not use natural or homemade peanut butter)
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup (light-colored not lite)
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 3 cups rice krispies cereal (or similar crispy cereal)
- chocolate topping:
- 1 heaping cup dicedâ kit katâ pieces (i used three 1.5-oz bars diced)
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (use jiff, skippy, or similar; do not use natural or homemade peanut butter)
- 1 cup rice krispies cereal
- Carbohydrate 21.5866916715774 g
- Cholesterol 3.7375 mg
- Fat 9.41505708532248 g
- Fiber 1.4186666852616 g
- Protein 2.42907791766247 g
- Saturated Fat 4.6308772920729 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (41g)
- Sodium 52.324500001967 mg
- Sugar 20.1680249863158 g
- Trans Fat 0.538235291766769 g
- Calories 170 calories
Step-by-step
- Base – Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil leaving overhang, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine peanut butter, corn syrup, sugars, and heat on high power for 1 minute to melt.
- Stop to stir. Mixture will be on the granular side, this is okay.
- Return bowl to microwave and heat for 1 more minute on high power.
- Stir in the vanilla.
- Stir in 3 cups cereal.
- Turn mixture out into prepared pan, packing it down somewhat firmly with a spatula and smoothing the top; set pan aside.
- Chocolate Topping – Dice the Kit Kats; set aside.
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips, peanut butter, and heat on high power for 1 minute to melt.
- Stop to stir. Chips may not be completely melted. Return bowl to microwave and heat in 15-second bursts until chocolate can be stirred smooth, 15 seconds is likely all they’ll need.
- Stir in 1 cup cereal.
- Pour chocolate mixture over base, packing it down somewhat firmly with a spatula and smoothing the top.
- Place the Kit Kats in about 10 evenly and tightly spaced rows over the surface, with about 1/4-inch space between each piece (does not have to be perfect). By the time you get all the pieces on and in rows, the pieces you placed on first will likely have started to melt at the base. Push them down lightly so they embed into the chocolate-crispy layer. Go back over and push on all the pieces with your finger to ensure they’re all embedded and will stick as the bars cool and set up.
- Cover pan with a sheet of foil (to prevent fridge smells), and place pan in fridge to set up for at least 2 to 3 hours, or overnight, or until chocolate layer is completely set before lifting out with foil overhang, slicing, and serving.
- Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Dense, chewy peanut butter nougat meets the shatteringly crisp bite of puffed rice and candy wafers in this layered confection. Texture dictates success here, relying entirely on the contrast between a pliable, sugar-bound base and a snappy chocolate topping. Commercial emulsified peanut butter like Jif or Skippy contains stabilizers that prevent oil separation, keeping the binding matrix cohesive when heated with corn syrup and sugars. Natural peanut butter releases free oils that disrupt this bond, resulting in a crumbly, greasy mass rather than a cohesive slab. Microwave heating must be monitored closely in one-minute intervals to dissolve the crystalline structure of the sugars without scorching the peanut solids. Packing the cereal mixture firmly into an eight-inch foil-lined pan compresses air pockets, yielding dense, uniform squares that hold their shape under a knife. When melting the chocolate and secondary peanut butter for the topping, utilize fifteen-second secondary bursts to prevent seizing; cocoa butter scorches rapidly above gentle heat thresholds. Pressing the diced wafer bars into the warm chocolate layer while it remains molten ensures they anchor properly as the fats recrystallize during the two-hour refrigeration phase. Storage requires an airtight container to block ambient refrigerator moisture from softening the cereal matrix, preserving the crunch for up to two weeks.
