Peanut Butter Crispy Treats

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.