These chocolate crispy bars are a modern, abstract rendition of scotcheroos—the treats printed on Rice Krispies boxes in the 1960s. If you squint a little bit, the pecans might remind you of butterscotch.
You could call these sort-of scotcheroos, or mostly-naturally-sweetened scotcheroos, or just plain delicious. Somehow, I landed on Chocolate Peanut Butter Crispy Bars.
I always get a hankering for Reese’s peanut butter eggs around Easter time. They’re my favorite. This crispy-crackly, honey-sweetened, peanut butter-and-chocolate recipe is fully satisfying my Reese’s craving.
These no-bake treats are easy to make, and they’re ready after a two-hour rest in the refrigerator. If you have a box of brown rice crisps (or Rice Krispies, for that matter), you’re in luck!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Crispy Bar Ingredients
You’ll only need 5 ingredients to make this simple recipe:
- Brown rice crisps (found in the cereal aisle)
- Pecans (or another nut, or none at all)
- Creamy peanut butter (or almond butter or sunbutter)
- Honey (or maple syrup)
- One 9-ounce bag of chocolate chips (at your preferred sweetness level—I used semisweet)
I top my bars with a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt (or kosher salt) for some irresistible, salty crunch!
Craving some more pantry-friendly treats? Try one of these:
- Monster Cookies or Peanut Butter Oat Cookies
- Amazing (Vegan!) Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Coffee Chocolate Chip Blondies
- Mini Peanut Butter Cups
If you own my cookbook, Love Real Food, try the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (page 203) or Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (page 204).
Please let me know how your bars turn out in the comments! I hope they brighten your day.
PrintChocolate Peanut Butter Crispy Bars
- Author:
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes (plus 2 hour chill time)
- Yield: 16 treats 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
These chocolate peanut butter crispy bars are like modern-day scotcheroos! This recipe is easy to make with wholesome pantry ingredients, and it’s naturally sweetened with honey instead of corn syrup. Keep in mind that these no-bake treats require 2 hours in the refrigerator to set. Recipe yields 16 small treats from one 8-inch square pan (or double the recipe to fill a 9 by 13-inch pan).
Ingredients
- 3 cups brown rice crisps*
- 1 ¼ cups whole pecans, chopped, divided
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter (plus a pinch of salt if your peanut butter is unsalted)
- ½ cup honey
- 1 ½ cups (9 ounces) chocolate chips*
- ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt or ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Line an 8-inch square baking dish with a strip of parchment paper, cut to fit neatly across the base and up opposite sides. In a large mixing bowl, combine the brown rice crisps and 1 cup of the chopped pecans (reserve the rest for sprinkling on top). Set both aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the peanut butter and honey. Warm the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring often, until it’s steaming or you catch a bubble or two forming on the bottom, about 5 minutes. (We don’t want this mixture to come to a boil or the peanut butter could scorch.)
- Pour the warm mixture into the bowl of rice crisps. Using a rubber or silicone spatula, stir until the mixture is completely combined. Transfer it all to the lined baking dish. Press down with the spatula to spread it fairly evenly, then switch to a large, sturdy glass with a flat bottom (maybe a working jar or mason jar or what-have-you) and press down firmly all over, including the corners. You really want to pack it down (it’s ok if you hear some crunching noises). Lastly, use your hands to ensure that it’s evenly compacted.
- Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments, stirring after each one. Don’t overdo it. The chocolate is done when it’s about 90% melted—keep stirring off the heat and the pieces should completely dissolve. (Alternately, you can use melt it in a heat-proof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water.)
- Pour the melted chocolate over the peanut butter-crispy mixture. Use a clean spatula to spread it evenly all over. Make some pretty chocolate swooshes if you’d like. Sprinkle the remaining pecans on top, followed by the salt.
- Place the baking dish in the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours, or up to a day. To slice, carefully grab both sides of the parchment paper and lift it out of the baking dish. Use a sharp chef’s knife to make 4 even columns and 4 even rows—to minimize the risk of cracking the chocolate, carefully apply even pressure from above the knife to press straight down, rather than sawing from one edge across.
- These bars will keep well at room temperature for up to 1 week, or for several months in the freezer. Store in an air-tight container either way.
Notes
*Ingredient notes: I used Whole Foods 365 brand of brown rice crisps (found in the cereal aisle) and Guittard’s 46% semisweet chocolate chips. I usually love dark chocolate, so I was surprised that bittersweet chocolate seemed a bit too intense here.
Make it gluten free: Double-check that your ingredients are certified gluten free.
Make it dairy free: Use dairy-free chocolate chips, such as Enjoy Life brand.
Make it vegan: Use dairy-free chocolate chips, such as Enjoy Life brand, and substitute maple syrup for the honey.
Make it nut free: While I haven’t tried, I believe you could substitute sunflower seed butter for the peanut butter, and omit the pecans.
Change it up: You could substitute maple syrup for the honey, substitute another type of nut for the pecans, or omit them altogether. You could also use almond butter or even pecan butter instead of peanut butter. If you love salty chocolate, you could double the amount of salt provided.
Megan Richardson
OMG! Thank you for this recipe!! This is going to get me through!!!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! I hope you are going to love them.
Jamie
Not supposed to indulge .. but okay, just this once or twice. Salt on top… roger that!
★★★★★
Kate
I hope you love them, Jamie!
JT
Hi,
Could I use another topping? My daughter doesn’t eat chocolate….
Kate
Hi JT! I’m really struggling to think of an alternative. You could skip the chocolate, but it provides some structure that holds together the peanut butter mixture.
JT
Maybe write chocolate. She doesn’t like cocoa
Kate
Yes, white chocolate would be delicious. Just be extra careful when you heat it. It burns more quickly than regular chocolate, in my experience.
Hayley
I saw this recipe in my email and immediately took a break from work to prep them because I needed a treat. They’re chilling in my fridge right now and look nicely set already. Can’t wait, thanks Kate!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Hayley!
Lurline Isaacs
These cookies look wonderful if I can find Brown Rice Crispies here in Australia.
Your dog is gorgeous, looks such a happy friendly dog. Blue Heelers have always been a favourite breed of mine.
Stay home, stay safe, be well, God bless.
Kate
I hope you can find the crispies! Thank you for the compliments on Cookie. She is the friendliest of pups! She’s snoozing next to me now. All my best.
Jackie
Google Koala Krisps (like a healthy cocopop) and the organic Australia website will bring them up for you – Big bag costs around $18 and a smaller box is about $9. Non-GMO, vegan, not high in sugar and all organic. I order all the time
★★★★★
hilary
these look SO good. have you considered adding ingredient weights to your recipes? i’m all about getting a few less measuring cups dirty, and when i weigh ingredients i can do just that :)
Kate
Thanks, Hilary! I have thought about it, and I’m really hoping to find a solution for metric weights sometime soon. With hundreds of recipes containing thousands of ingredients, it would be a giant project to do by hand!
Jaclyn
Yum! I can’t wait to try this with the box of Rice Krispies I have sitting around! Will this work with natural peanut butter?
Kate
Perfect! Yes, it should! Just try to stir it very well before using.
2pots2cook
So comforting one during isolation ! Thank you so much !
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome!
Mariya Zafirova
They look so yummy!
Mariya /
Sue
Ooh…if only I had rice crispiest. (Sigh) These look delicious.
Kate
Next time you do! Thanks for commenting, Sue.
Angela
It took me 30 seconds to realize I had all the ingredients for this recipe and it was snack time. These are awesome! My 7yo and 2yo loved them. I used a 9×9 instead of an 8×8 and the ratio of crispy bottom to chocolate topping was perfect. Don’t skip the step of pressing the crispies with a jar to make them really compact before pouring on the chocolate. It holds the bars together and keeps them from crumbling.
★★★★★
Elisabeth
We used to get those peanut cereal bars at middle school when I was a kid. Only ours were made with corn flakes, no chocolate. Soooo good!
Jane Rees
The Chocolate Peanut Butter Crispy Bars are so good! I give them 5 stars and am sharing the recipe with my daughters who are home with kids during the time of isolation. I’m taking some to my neighbors!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for letting me know, Jane! I’m happy you tried them already.
Diane
Made these for tonight’s dessert. They’re totally scrumptious! Thanks, Kate!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome Diane!
cathleen holbrook
Have you ever thought about using metric measurements? I would love to see that. I love my scale and it makes baking so much more successful.
Kate
Hi Cathleen! Yes, I have thought about it a lot. I haven’t found a great tool or plug-in that I love yet. Here is a good chart, though.
Kristin
These look great, been searching for a recipe like this. Was going to make them for my 1-year old – do you think they stay together etc without the chocolate on top? Can they be frozen fine or how long do you think they keep in the cupboard?
Kate
Hi Kristin! The chocolate does help it stay together some. You might get some more clumps when you cut it without the chocolate. If that makes sense? These bars will keep well at room temperature for up to 1 week, or for several months in the freezer. Store in an air-tight container either way.
Kristin
Yep worked out fine! She loves them – along with my husband. Didn’t have pecans so blitzed up some sunflower seeds, which I think helped bind too.
★★★★★
AK
Made it today. But adapting. Did not have rice crispy so we used rice chex. Turned out good. Yum
Chantal
Let me just start by saying I love all of your recipes, I dont think there is one I’ve tried which I didnt enjoy.
These were great. Quick and easy and I already had all the ingredients at home. A yummy little sweet treat
★★★★★
Sydney
We absolutely loved this recipe but ours was super crumbly. Is it because I didn’t press it well enough before hand? Or is it possible that I used the Trader Joe’s brand crisp rice cereal? Do you think it matters which brand you use? We use your website weekly! Love everything!
Kate
Hi Sydney! I’m sorry to hear yours turned out crumbly! I think you probably need to press more firmly next time. I also found it important to heat the peanut butter/honey mixture on the stove (tried once without warming, and the results were not so good). Whole Foods actually changed their house brand of crispies during the making of this recipe but it worked with either variety. Can’t say I’ve tried every brand, though!
kathy rogers
These are amazing!! My two favorite combinations…chocolate and peanut butter! Just can’t go wrong..only problem is that they are addictive and too hard to stop eating!!!! i used the dark chocolate chips to add a little more umph and also sprinkled unsweetened coconut on top!! Delish!!
★★★★★
Kate
Right! You can’t go wrong with it. I’m happy you loved them! I appreciate your review, Kathy.
Katherine
Yummm can’t wait to make these as an isolation treat here in New Zealand. I only have crunchy peanut butter- will that be okay or should I reduce the pecans?
Thank you!
Kate
I’m not sure you will get them to stick together with the peanuts in the peanut butter. Let me know if you try it!
Sharon Hansen
Well I did make some changes to accommodate my diet but it worked out wonderfully. I couldn’t find anything edible in the cereal section of my supermarket so I ordered puffed quinoa on Amazon instead. I used 100% cacao chips and added 1/4 C of maple syrup to sweeten that up a bit. The puffed quinoa smelled so good, I poured some into a bowl added some strawberries and poured on some almond milk and had my first bowl of cereal in a very long time. I made this dish to send to my grandchildren. They are sugar addicts and I wanted to give them something sweet but without sugar. This seemed to be perfect. The quinoa puffs were huge so I cut them in half. Next time, I will just grind them up into a powdery mix so I will be able to cut them better but what I made was really really good. I had two extra pieces and that’s what I tasted and gave one to my husband. He liked them too. I will definitely make these again. Mailed them to my grandkids this am. We’ll see if they prefer this to their sugary cereals. Oh, I hope so.
★★★★★
Paul
Hi,
Love the flavor but parts were crumbly. Still would gladly make it again. Also used a mix of chocolate dark and semi-sweet. 5 stars for flavor and 4 stars for holding up to cutting. thanks and all the best.
★★★★★
vivian
Great, easy, and delicious dessert (with bonus leftovers!). Just what is needed during these strange and stressful times. Thanks for a great recipe!
★★★★★
Chris L
Hi Kate, tried this recipe today and they turned out delicious and got rave reviews from the family. I had a little Brown Rice syrup I needed to finish up so I used that first and topped the rest up with honey. Worked great! Not too sweet. Thanks for the great recipe.
★★★★★
Sue Love
Thanks for another winner Kate! I wasn’t sure what brown rice crisps were but I used Cocoa Krispies (store was sold out of regular Rice Krispies) and they were great. Had less peanut butter on hand than I realized so I used 1/2 cup Nutella (yum) to make up the difference. Also, added a scant teaspoon of vegetable shortening to the melting chocolate chips to ensure it stayed smooth and creamy (trick from Dorothy with Crazy for Crust). They were a hit!
★★★★★
Toni
These were divine! I made them Friday night and have been snacking on them all weekend. My husband actually crumbled one up this morning and added it to his coconut greek yogurt, yum! Very easy to make & a pleasure to eat :)
★★★★★
ANGELIA RAMOS
These are amazing! This will be one of my favorite go-to quick dessert bars! I used half honey/maple syrup and found the brown rice crispy cereal at Sprouts. I love it’s a yummy sweet made with healthier ingredients. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m excited you love them! Thanks for sharing, Angelia.
Christine
I LOVE your recipes. You are becoming a common name in our household. I used to get compliments on food and say, “Thanks, it’s from Cookie and Kate.” Now someone will say, “Is this from Cookie and Kate?” If I still lived in Kansas City I bet we could be fast friends. Keep up the good work!!!
Madison Smith
This is amazing! I have a bunch of brown rice crisps laying around, which is just perfect for this. Thank you for the amazing recipe!
★★★★★
Patricia
I have a peanut allergy, so I made up a batch of almond butter, (using your fabulous recipe!) and substituted that for the peanut butter. These were fantastic, but my husband wanted less chocolate, so the second time I made them, I just mixed in some mini chocolate chips and they held together very well for me and didn’t fall apart at all. That did in my brown rice crispy supply, so I went to the store and discovered all the brown rice crispies were sold out! I’m guessing everyone is reading Cookie and Kate. I went back a few days later and bought up several bags. Now, I guess I’m a hoarder, but these really are a great treat!
★★★★★
Kate
I love you made this with homemade almond butter Patricia! Thanks so much for sharing. I don’t know if they were sold out of crispy cereal for this recipe, but I will take the compliment. :) Thanks for your review!
Lauren
These were just absurdly delicious and so easy to make. Thank you for bringing this into my life!!!!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re very welcome, Lauren. I can’t get enough of them myself! :) I appreciate your review.
Debbie
These look perfect for two of my twenty-something sons! (I have three of them.) One is gluten free, the other loves PB and chocolate.
Would agave work in place of the honey? Thank you.
Kate
Hi Debbie! How fun. Yes, agave should do the trick. I love the flavor that honey or maple syrup adds, though.
Debbie
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly! If I don’t plan on cheating and trying some, honey or maple syrup will be okay. Both give me headaches. :(
Now I know agave is an option. Thanks again. Stay safe and healthy.
Lindsey
This is seriously my new favorite dessert. I made it with a little shredded coconut and almonds the first time and the second time I added toasted oats, almonds, and my kids insisted on marshmallows! I practically ate the whole thing myself both times…
Thanks so much Kate!
★★★★★
Kayla
Love this super simple recipe. I used course sea salt as I didn’t have flaky sea salt and that worked well too. Another recipe that I love, thanx Kate!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m happy you loved it, Kayla.
Hayley
The second time I’ve made them! These are really delicious. I waited exactly 2 hours to cut them & they crumbled a tad, but not really. I was happy the chocolate did NOT crack at all (thank-you for the tip). I have been working from home & doing very little baking (this is the first time in a couple weeks) & these are a much appreciated, healthier little treat to have on hand. Thanks Kate!
★★★★★
Joyce L
Just made these yesterday and they are so yummy (and mildly addicting)! I have a very similar recipe that my mom made when I was growing up but I avoid it because it uses karo syrup (which I rarely use and don’t have on hand). This recipe is the perfect substitution for that blast from my past! So good! Thanks!
★★★★★
Fahri
BIG hit at the office and at home. I tried a batch with Cocoa Rice Crisps, placed a scattering of butterscotch chips on top of the rice and peanut butter layer before pouring out the chocolate, and added toasted coconut because, well, coconut… AWESOME!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Fahri! I appreciate you sharing and for your review.
Debbie
I rarely comment about recipes, but this one needs a review. It was perfect as written. No changes. Everyone loved them (family). The chocolate did crack a bit when I cut them, but it just made them more home made-ish. GF son was very happy. Thank you for this one!
★★★★★
Sneha
Oh my…this is very good and is SO addictive. The Guittard chocolate is really decadent! I used almond butter instead of PB but made no other changes. I will likely lessen the amount of chocolate next time.
Thanks for another great recipe.
★★★★★
Terri
Unfortunately, my bars turned out pretty crumbly. I used natural peanut butter (no added oils, salt or sugar) and subbed maple syrup for the honey. I spent a lot of time pressing them down/compacting them in the pan as instructed. I’m wondering if it was the maple syrup since it isn’t as thick as honey? They were also difficult to cut and often the chocolate made the bars break when cutting. I promise that I didn’t saw cut them! :) I used the Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate chips. I know they won’t go to waste and my kids will eat them, I was just hoping the bars would turn out like the photos. They still taste really good but are a bit messy. ;-)
★★★★
Kate
Hi Terri! I’m glad they taste good, sorry to hear they were tricky for you! I have successfully made this recipe with maple syrup and natural peanut butter (though not with the Enjoy Life chocolate chips), so I’m not entirely sure what to suggest next time. Perhaps our measurements differed slightly. Hope your next batch turns out perfectly!
Elaine
These Chocolate Peanut Butter Crispy Bars are our new favorite sweet treat and they are perfect to add to care packages that are destined for my kids and nieces and nephews while they are home in self isolation. I have discovered a great way to cut them without having the chocolate topping crack. Remove them from the fridge and allow to stand at room temperature until they warm up. Then flip them over on a cutting board and cut them through the bottom so that you are cutting through the crispy layer first. Then put pressure on the knife to cut straight through the chocolate layer. It works every time (and I have made several batches of these squares over the past 6 weeks!)
★★★★★
ines
absolutely loved this bars! so delicious! me and my mom are huge peanut butter fans, always looking for delicious things to do with it…this is the best we`ve done so far!
★★★★★
Brook
These are so delicious and easy to make..
★★★★★
Debra Frasher
I made this! Kinda. So I couldnt find brown rice cereal so I used rice chex. I think I had too much cereal or not enough PB mixture. Either way Ill either use less cereal or more PB. I used vegan dark chocolate as well. I think it was good but next time I’ll use crushed peanuts instead of pecans.
Lynette
Super yummy, (as always) Kate!
★★★★★
Jennifer
Yum these are so good!! I couldn’t find brown rice crisps so I just used plain old rice krispies. They came out great! I’ll definitely be making these for future events!
★★★★★
Vanessa
Drop what you are doing RIGHT NOW and either run to the store for these ingredients or march right into your pantry to gather what you need to make these sinfully delicious bars! I used dark chocolate for the topping and I could barely contain myself the two hours they needed to set. We preferred them cold right out of the refrigerator right at the two hour mark because why wait? Thank you for sharing such a delicious recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m so happy you love them, Vanessa! Thank you for sharing your excitement and that you loved these.
Divya
hi
I dont get rice crisps in india
may i use puffed rice or rice crackers ?
Kate
Hi Divya, You may be able to try puffed rice. But I’m not sure how it would hold up without trying it.
Mary
Love the recipe! Made with my granddaughter and we sort of “fudged” and accidentally mixed the chocolate chips into the rice crisps and it was actually really good! I also used karo syrup because I had some to use up and put pecans on top of half the cookies and not the other (little ones don’t appreciate the nuts like we oldsters do!) What a fun easy and yummy treat! I will make next time with maple syrup for sure. Then we couldn’t wait, so popped into freezer or 10 minutes and dug in! What do you think would happen if I mixed a 1/4 c. of whey protein or collagen protein into the melted peanut butter? Might try that next time to up the protein.
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Mary! I’m glad it ended up turning out. I’m not sure if you would get the same result by adding in the protein powder. Sorry!
Nicole
These were delicious! I used about 2/3 honey 1/3 maple syrup and 70% chocolate. I didn’t find dark chocolate too intense here, although I didn’t have enough (roughly 0.5 cup short), so maybe that’s why. I didn’t have a square pan and so used 2 standard loaf pans, and it turned out great!
★★★★★
Meredith
These are so yummy! The salt on top definitely adds some depth of flavor. I always worry with vegan rice crispie-style treats that they’ll be rock hard. These stay nice and chewy! So easy to make my 4yo helped with each step.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m delighted you think so, Meredith! Thank you for taking the time to review.
Mary
Made these to share with family on this beautiful Christmas Day! After the melted chocolate layer, I topped them with Butterscotch and White Chocolate morsels, with a sprinkle of chunky salt!I can hardly wait!!!
MacMui
The flavours in these are great! I’ve made them twice now but, despite significant effort compacting, the base still crumbles when cutting and moving to a storage container. Any tips to help with this? Also, I would aprreciate ideas on what I can use instead of honey to make them a little less sweet.
Thanks!
★★★★★
Kate
Hi! Sorry to disappoint about the sweetener, but changing that will impact how they hold together. As for them falling apart. Are you pressing them down firm and letting them chill long enough?
Dorothy
Thanks for the reply. I’m definitely pressing them down firmly, very firmly. I also let them chill overnight before cutting. I guess using the honey is the best bet so I will stick with that. They are incredibly yummy so thanks for sharing this recipe!
Gretchen Patel
This is the first cookie & kate recipe that wasn’t a slam dunk for me. The end result was very crumbly and really couldn’t be eaten as a bar. I ended up using it as a topping on yogurt, which was delicious, just not what I was looking for. The only sub I made was to use natural almond butter (peanut allergy). I wonder if that made it less sticky? I was sure to press down very hard in the pan and chilled as directed. I probably won’t make this one again.
Kate
I’m sorry to hear that, Gretchen. The almond butter shouldn’t have been an issue. Did you mix it well prior to using it? How large of pan did you use?
DAVE
What the heck..??? These are phenomenal! I was looking for a quick and easy dessert option and these seemed like a good fit. They have a lovely peanut crunch. The sea salt and pecans are a perfect addition. I toasted the pecans first for a little more richness. WOW! YUM! I will definitely make these again.
Dave
I forgot to rate last time. I just made these again…perfectly sweet and scrumptious…so I give 10 STARS..!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for coming back, Dave!
Amanda
These are really tasty!
I was so excited to see this recipe! I made it almost immediately. I did find the cutting part to be a bit difficult to do – do heed Kate’s advice with the even pressure on the knife so the chocolate doesn’t crack.
Of note, I tried this with maple syrup because my honey was running low. The bars were a bit crumbly even though I did press firmly and multiple times with a glass. I’m wondering if the crumbling was due to the maple syrup, which does appear to be less viscous than honey.
Anyway, I love all your baking recipes because they aren’t buttery/oily and make me feel good even though I’m having something sweet :)
★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing your experience, Amanda! I appreciate it.
MOT
Unfortunately this recipe didn’t work for me at all. I used natural creamy peanut butter and it just wouldn’t melt to the consistency needed, so I had clumps of peanut butter and rice crisps.
★
Kate
Hi Mot, I’m sorry to hear that. Was there any oil that needed to be mixed into your peanut butter? I find it can settle out sometimes if not mixed well.
Griff Neilson
I loved this sweet treat! As a former sugar addict I always gauge and compare the healthy versions like this one to the versions I ate as a kid and young adult. This did NOT disappoint! The only thing I did differently is I used Adam Natural Peanut Butter Crunchy and it turned out great! Thank you for satisfying the sweet tooth with this one. It is a keeper for sure. :)
★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved them, Griff! I appreciate your review.
Sherry
Hi Kate,
Would crunchy PB mess with or enhance the recipe, in your experience or opinion?
I see pecans are not toasted…the ones on top will become toasted, of course, but do the ones in the batter have as full a flavor or as nice a texture if not toasted in advance?
Finally, what size pan do you recommend if doubling or tripling the recipe!
Thank you for being such a go-to for great sweets and savories!!
Kate
Hi, I recommend creamy for the right texture and consistency. I prefer this recipe as written, but toasting the pecans may still work. See the recipe notes for doubling, 9×13 will work.
Karen
Made these for my chocolate – peanut butter obsessed Niece two weekends ago. They were delicious , but too crumby. I had too many crumbs left at the bottom of the pan (which were still devoured after the bars were eaten). I imagine I didn’t press down hard enough when I was making them (but I thought I did!) It may have been that my organic peanut butter did not have enough oil in it, as I store it upside down. So next time I’ll make sure I have enough oil in my peanut butter. I also only had a quarter cup of honey so I used half honey and half maple syrup. I may add a little bit more honey next time if I find it’s not moist enough. My niece LOVED them so much (actually everyone did!) that I will make these again and wrap them up for her as a gift for Christmas! Thanks Kate. Loved having this healthy alternative for her when she visited! Ps couldn’t find brown crisps, used Trader Joe’s organic rice crispies.
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Karen, I’m sorry you found them crumbly. Let me know when you try them again! I’m glad you were still able to enjoy them.
Shelley
Just bought some rice crispies and was looking for a low sugar option, yum, made these for my daughter and her friends, but could not stop eating them myself :) I found them a tad sweet so may cut back on maple syrup next time. Thanks Kate!
Lisa
Any tips on not having the bottom get a touch soggy when storing in the fridge?
Kate
Hi Lisa, I’m sorry to hear they are getting soggy. That wasn’t my experience. Are you adding too much honey or is your peanut butter really oily/not mixed well?
Isaac
Amazing!
★★★★★
Melinda Watts
Will these freeze well?
Kate
It should freeze ok, although I haven’t tried it. Let me know what you think if you try it!
Elle
I made these bars as a Christmas treat and they were delicious! My husband loves chocolate peanut butter balls but they are made with cocoa Krispies and lots of powdered sugar, both of which I try to stay away from, and my husband felt these bars hit the spot. I have to agree with Kate in regards to the type of chocolate to use. Kate suggested semi sweet chocolate but I love dark chocolate and felt that it would offset the sweetness of the bars, however the dark chocolate is too rich. Next time I make these I will use Guittard’s semi sweet chocolate chips. Yummy simple recipe! Thanks Kate
★★★★★
Johanna
These were AMAZING!!! I cannot thank you enough for this recipe – I am entirely useless as a baker, but was able to make these and they just blew us away. Thank you so much from your new followers and biggest fans in Norway!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Johanna! I appreciaTe your review.
Kristie
I will never make them any other way! I also put some candied pecan halves on top as I had some left over! So yummy! Thank you!
★★★★★
Helen Cave
WOW. These are incredible.
I toasted the pecans in an air fryer first, and I substituted 1 cup of FiberOne cereal for 1 cup of the rice crisps. These may be my new go to dessert for my Whole Food appreciating friends!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear, Helen!
Dorcas Nepple
My husband and I love to have one of these in the evenings with a glass of milk. I’ve made them so often that I pretty much have it all down. Pull out the ingredients, line the pan with parchment, warm peanut butter and honey, warm chocolate chips in double boiler, etc. Last night I made them after dinner. By 9 o’clock, we each had one. :-) The hard part is not getting a second one. So far, we’ve maintained our honor. Thanks alot.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! Thank you for your review.
Shara
So good, and not too sweet! We toasted the pecans and used bittersweet chocolate, which we prefer. Thank you!
★★★★★
Sue C
Oh my, these are AMAZING! I couldn’t find brown rice crispies, so I used plain Rice Crispies (I will search them out next time). They were super easy to make. Tight packing into the pan is the key to prevent crumbling…I spent more time packing the edges/corners and had a few crumble when I cut the center. TIP: I did find that if I cut one column and remove it from the batch before cutting that into squares, they cut easier/cleaner. Didn’t matter to me, I would lick them off the counter if necessary – they are that good.
DiB
❤️❤️❤️
I used dark chocolate chips- sugar free
ThaNk you
Kate
You’re welcome!
DiB
My chocolate did not turn out. All still tasty but not a pretty presentation.. will have too eat them by myself
I microwaved chocolate chips on high- is that correct?
I add a little water~ problem?
I may just your prepared chocolate frosting next time~ opinion?
The overall taste of the bars.
Kate
Hi! Adding water would impact your results. I hope you try it again.
Serenity
I really wanted to love these, but unfortunately they fell apart.
★★★★
Kate
Hi, I’m sorry to hear that. How long did you let them set up?
Kati
Wow. This recipe was an awesome base! I used what I had: subbed puffed millet and quinoa for puffed rice, used half and half honey and maple syrup and replaced peanut butter with tahini to make it nut free. I also omitted the pecans. The result was still great! Thank you!
Meg
I make this recipe regularly(sans pecans) for my coworkers and my Dungeons & Dragons group, and it’s a big hit with both!
★★★★★
Susan Dolson
First of all, congratulations Kate (and to your hubby as well) on your baby girl! I hope you are enjoying the roller coaster ride which is motherhood and fatherhood.
I love your recipes because they are not too sweet. These crispy bars are fantastic! The second time I made them, I mixed things up. I substituted half puffed rice and half puffed millet, I used a whole cup of homemade almond, walnut and pecan nut butter, I used 1/2 dark and 1/2 semisweet chocolate and sprinkled roasted pumpkin seeds on top. These are so addictive that I cut them up and froze them so I would not eat them all. I grab one out of the freezer when I head out for a hike.
Kate
Thank you, Susan! I’m so delighted you are enjoying my recipes.
Stacy
Could I use puffed quinoa? That’s what I have on hand and I kinda want to make these right now. Thanks
Daphne Shipowitz
These are great (and addicting)!
★★★★★
Kelly
These are SO good, they were a big hit with my family! They remind me of scotcharoos but seemed easier to make. I’ll definitely be making these again. I used regular Rice Krispies since that’s what I had.
★★★★★
TL
I made these squares twice so far and enjoyed them very much. The second time I added dried cherries. MMmm! You and Cookie’s bond in the kitchen reminds of beautiful memories making canine safe versions of meals and treats for my favorite little dog – you two have a beautiful story! I always enjoy your recipes!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, TL!
Michelle
We had these at cookbook club and didn’t even wait for the refrigerator part. We loved them just as they were. It meant they didn’t stick together as well at first but we ate them with a spoon. Amazing!
Kate
Great to hear, Michelle!