If I had to be honest why I love this recipe, it's because hot sugar scares me.
Most cooking involves a minimum level of danger - open flames, knives that are duller than they should be (making it easier to cut yourself), forgetting I just chopped a habanero and touching my eye.
But hot sugar is kind of terrifying. I had a caramel sauce that foamed up and poured over the pan, burning my hand in the process. That super-saturated sugar water isn't forgiving to skin.
But much like the Shetland pony that my brothers and I had growing up, which would run full gallop with us riding her without a saddle, only to stop on a dime and send us flying over her head...well, you can't let a few minor disasters in the kitchen stop you from trying to get it right.
So, get the pony ready, 'cuz we're going for a wild ride. It's another dessert from the Baked cookbook (did you get your copy yet?) - essentially a perfect peanut butter cup set on top of a sweet and crunchy foundation of crispy rice cereal. It's going to make you happy. And there's just a little bit of hot sugar involved. You'll be ok.
recipe | peanut butter crispy bars, from the Baked cookbook
(buy. it. now.)
For the crispy crust
1 3/4 cups crisped rice cereal
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the milk chocolate peanut butter layer
5 ounces good-quality milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup creamy peanut butter (I used Skippy brand)
For the chocolate icing
3 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72 percent cocoa), coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon light corn syrup
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Make the crispy crust
Lightly coat an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Put the cereal in a large bowl and set aside.
Pour 1/4 cup water into a small saucepan. Gently add the sugar and corn syrup (do not let any sugar or syrup get on the sides of the pan. It will burn easily if you do, and you don't want that) and use a small wooden spoon to stir the mixture until just combined. Put a candy thermometer in the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat and bring to a boil; cook until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage, 235 degrees F. It took me longer than I expected. Be patient.
Remove from the heat, stir in the butter, and pour the mixture over the cereal. Working quickly, stir until the cereal is thoroughly coated, then pour it into the prepared pan. Using your hands, press the mixture into the bottom of the pan (do not press up the sides). Let the crust cool to room temperature while you make the next layer.
Make the milk chocolate peanut butter layer
In a large nonreactive metal bowl, stir together the chocolate and the peanut butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for about 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the cooled crust. Put the pan in the refridgerator for 1 hour, or until the top layer hardens.
Make the chocolate top
In a large nonreactive metal bowl, combine the chocolate, corn syrup, and butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the chilled milk chocolate peanut butter layer and spread (actually, I found it easier to just roll it around until it coated smoothly, avoiding the risk of picking up any of the peanut butter layer with it) into an even layer. Put the pan into the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the topping hardens.
Cut into nine-ish squares and serve. The bars can be stored in the refrigerator, covered tightly, for up to four days. But you will want to eat them all at once. Just make another batch tomorrow. No one will know.
Sunday, January 30, 2011 at 10:28PM 
. We promise this is the last of our posts saying how incredible you are, and how we love your creations, and how you own our souls. At least for a while.
