Actual conversation I had with my four-year-old a few weeks ago:
J: Mom, I like cupcakes, but I don’t like icing. Me: So you like muffins? J: Yeah! I like muffins!
She had me rolling with laughter! But it also got me thinking about what else I could top cupcakes with – and these cupcakes were born out of that experiment.
These rich chocolate cupcakes are topped off with a layer of marshmallow and then covered with a crunchy, chocolate-peanut butter topping. You won’t miss the icing with these candy-topped treats!
I really love seeing the blog series my friends do – and one of my favorites every year is The Spiffy Cookie‘s #PBChocSat. It’s a nod to her favorite college football team – the Buckeyes – and while I have no real interest in college football, I love anything that involves peanut butter and chocolate.
When she said she was getting a group together to kick off this year’s series, I just had to jump in on the fun.
Today we’re celebrating Valentine’s Day a little early with some #FoodBloggerLove and I’m so thrilled to introduce you guys to Nicole from For the Love of Food.
I was so excited to get to know her blog over the last few weeks – she and I are super similar! She also has two little ones that help her out in the kitchen, family meals are her bread and butter, and she’s crazy for anything chocolate peanut butter.
Yeah, I know – it was like looking in a mirror!
I knew I wanted to make a treat Nicole would love – and I also wanted it to be something her girls could help with. These Crispy Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars are the perfect fit!
My little helpers helped with the measuring and stirring. These treats are no bake, but they do need a few minutes on the stove top to melt the ingredients together so I handled that. They only take about five minutes to prep – perfect for a toddler attention span! – and they’re so, so good. If a peanut butter cup and a crunch bar had a baby, this would be the result.
Nicole, I know you’ll love these! I hope you and your girls get a chance to make them soon! Happy #FoodBloggerLove!
If you’re looking for some more blogger love, check out the #FoodBloggerLove linkup here:
Crispy Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars (slightly adapted from The Big Man’s World) Makes 20 Bars
3 cups crisped rice cereal
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment and set aside.
Add cereal to a large mixing bowl, set aside.
Add the chocolate chips, peanut butter, coconut oil, and maple syrup to a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring continuously, until all melted together and well combined.
Pour the chocolate mixture over the cereal and stir until combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, smooth out, and refrigerate for several hours.
Once cooled and solid, use the paper to lift out of the pan and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container in a fridge.
So, I’ve gotten pretty good at time managing holiday prep with Jake around. I didn’t offer to make anything overly ambitious – a fruit tray, a veggie tray and some cupcakes. I planned out things a few days in advance and figured out how to get everything made with plenty of time to spare. What I didn’t account for? How much two days of Easter parties would mess up the poor kid’s schedule. He’s currently taking his first decent nap all week, which is why I’m finally getting around to a blog post.
I debating not even posting these because I feel like they’re too simple – I just added some mint extract and chocolate chips to the classic recipe. But, I’m appreciating simple things more and more – and for not a lot of time or effort, these make a mighty addicting dessert.
Mint Chocolate Chip Krispie Treats (adapted from Kellogg’s) Makes 1 9×13″ pan
3 Tbsp. butter
1 10 oz. package marshmallows
1/2 tsp. mint extract
Green food coloring
6 cup Rice Krispies
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Grease a 9×13″ pan and set aside.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add marshmallow and stir until melted. Stir in mint extract and enough food coloring to reach desired color until well combined. Stir in Rice Krispies until well coated. Stir in chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
Press the mixture into the pan evenly and let sit for several hours before slicing and serving.
