A classic caramel this is not, it's quick and easy and doesn't require you to pull out a candy thermometer. Peanut butter is the 'cream' that pulls it all together in a warm, glossy pool of creamy goodness. The Chex cereal is gluten free, and an added benefit of it being rice means it stays crisp when mixed with the peanut butter caramel mixture.
Ribbons of milk chocolate finish off these bars, adding to the whole peanut butter, caramel, chocolate theme. I added nearly a cup of the same milk chocolate chips to the cereal mixture to add little pockets of chocolate in the bars. The hot mixture did melt them, but little pools of chocolate found themselves nestled up against the salty peanuts. It also adds a bit of interest to the look of the bar since the colors of the cereal, peanuts and peanut butter caramel mixture all pretty similar.
The original recipe calls for 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. If you're looking for a real salted caramel effect, add all the salt. Should you be watching your sodium or you don't like that real sweet and salty flavor combo, by all means, cut the salt back. You could add 1/2 a teaspoon of salt to balance the brown sugar and corn syrup and allow the peanuts to pack that little extra salted prize when you bite into one. I'm a fan of the flavor contrast found with all the salt added and made these bars with all of the salt.
A note on storage: You can store these in the refrigerator, but the chocolate finishing will bloom in the cold. You could give them a quick warm-up in the microwave to re-gloss the chocolate, but leaving them at room temperature should pose no problems. Trust me, they won't be sitting on your kitchen counter or table for long!
Recipe: Peanut Butter Caramel and Chocolate Chex Bars (adapted from Baked Elements: Our 10 Favorite Ingredients)
- 6 cups plain rice cereal squares (I used Rice Chex)
- 1 1⁄2 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped (the original recipe calls for 1 1/4 cups of peanuts, I like more!)
- 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips (I used Nestle's)
- 1 cup packed brown sugar (I used light brown, the original recipe calls for dark which would give a deeper caramel flavor)
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (If you want less sodium, reduce the amount of salt)
- 6 ounces milk chocolate, melted.
Prepare a 9 x 13 inch pan. I prefer to line with parchment, but feel free to spray with cooking spray or use butter to prepare the pan. Set aside.
In a large bowl, add the cereal squares, peanuts and 3/4 cup of milk chocolate chips. Mix and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, add the brown sugar and light corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 1 minute. Take off the heat and add the peanut butter, vanilla and salt. When peanut butter is incorporated, pour over the cereal mixture and stir with large spoon or spatula to coat. Turn into the prepared pan and with greased hands, press into pan. Careful--the mixture is going to be hot! Allow to cool to room temperature. If you're in a hurry, you can pop them in the refrigerator until cooled, about 5 minutes.
When the bars have cooled, melt the remaining 6 ounces of milk chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 15 seconds until melted and smooth. Drizzle chocolate over the bars or if you're feeling fancy, put into a piping bag with a small round tip and finish. I prefer to pour the chocolate from a spoon. Allow chocolate to cool before cutting. If you lined the pan with parchment paper, remove the bars from the pan using the overhang as handles and cut into squares.
Store at room temperature for 3 days in an airtight container. May be stored longer in refrigeration.
Approximately 24 bars.
No comments:
Post a Comment