It’s easy and fast to whip up a batch of these delicious peanut butter crispy treats, making them perfect for potlucks, bake sales, and all-hours-of-the-day snacking. I mean, cereal’s fortified, right?
When I tried brown rice syrup for the first time, I could not get over how much I hated the taste. Of course, I abhor food waste, so the sticky caramel-colored liquid was condemned to the shadowy depths of my pantry for months. And when I spotted this recipe, I figured it would be a fine way to get rid of that loathsome half jar of brown rice syrup.
As it turns out, brown rice syrup mixed with peanut butter is straight-up magical. Combine the two and you end up with a rich, peanut-flavored caramel. It’s almost too bad that I like them together so much, because where I live, brown rice syrup is kind of stupid expensive to justify purchasing regularly, considering I pretty much only like it in one or two applications. But honestly, it’s worth it to have it on hand so you’re always prepared to whip up a batch of these awesome bars. They’re dense and chewy, just like regular rice crispy treats — except better, obviously, because they involve peanut butter. Duh!
This recipe is versatile, so here are a few words on substitutions. You can use corn syrup (or another mild liquid sweetener), which is cheaper than brown rice syrup, but it will lack the special something that I think really makes this recipe. If you’re using light corn syrup, you may want to add an extra teaspoon of molasses for extra flavor. It will taste different, though, so I really do recommend trying out the brown rice syrup version first. You can also try making these bars with chocolate crispy rice cereal, oat o’s, or crispy corn cereal. Though I prefer my crispy treats to be thick and toothsome, you can make them thinner by pressing them into a 9″ x 12″ pan instead. And if you’re feeling fancy, these squares can be easily dressed up with a thin layer of chocolate ganache on top.
- 6 c crisp rice cereal
- 1 c brown rice syrup
- 1 c sugar
- 1 tsp molasses
- 1 c creamy peanut butter
- pinch of salt
- Lightly grease a 9×9″ dish.
- Pour cereal into a large bowl.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together sugar, syrup and molasses until sugar is just dissolved and beginning to bubble.
- Stir in peanut butter and salt and bring to a boil.
- Pour hot peanut butter mixture over cereal and stir to combine.
- Press firmly into prepared baking dish.
- Allow to cool fully, ~15 minutes.
- Cut into squares & serve. Do not refrigerate.
5 comments
Madeline says:
Mar 8, 2013
Thanks for the recipe! I’m giving them a go at the moment. I’ve been reluctant to try crispy squares, after my last attempt, because I too cannot stand the taste of brown rice syrup.
claryn says:
Mar 9, 2013
I hate the taste of brown rice syrup on its own, but I think it pairs awesomely with peanut butter. YMMV, obviously, but I hope you like them!
allison says:
Sep 14, 2013
Did you use natural PB or something like skippy/jiff?
claryn says:
Sep 15, 2013
I use sweetened creamy peanut butter, but unsweetened would work fine, too (they’d just be a little less sweet!).
Nadia says:
Dec 23, 2013
Is there a wsy to make these with out using peanut butter?