Chocolate Peanut Butter Crispy Bars

So, my guess is that you already have a “Scotcheroo” recipe written down somewhere in your home, I know I do.  They are a childhood favorite of mine and I’m positive my children have inherited my love for them.  You may make them with Rice Krispies, you may make them with Corn Flakes.  You may drizzle chocolate on top, you may slather it on in a thick layer.  I love them both ways, I must confess.  But what I do not love in those traditional recipes is what is in the ingredients.  Refined sugar.  Corn Syrup.  Butterscotch Chips (what really are butterscotch chips, anyway?).  This is the version we now make in our home and I tell you what, they are every bit as enjoyable as the ones I grew up adoring.  Still sweet.  Still crispy-chewy.  Still perfectly paired with a freezing cold glass of milk.  With a much better ingredient profile.  Win-win in my book.  I hope your family enjoys these as much as mine…they are, most definitely, tiny-hand approved…

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crispy Bars

Ingredients

3/4 Cup Peanut Butter, unsweetened

1/4 Cup Pure Maple Syrup

1/4 Cup Pure Honey

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter + more for greasing the pan and pressing the bars into the pan

2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

3 Cups Crispy Brown Rice Cereal (any crispy rice cereal will do, this is my favorite)

1/4 Cup Flaxseed Meal

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

2/3 Cup Chopped Dark Chocolate

Directions

Grease an 8×8 baking dish with butter.  In a large saucepan, cook the peanut butter, maple syrup, honey, butter and vanilla until the peanut butter and butter are melted and all of the ingredients are incorporated, whisking often.  In a medium bowl, stir together the cereal, flaxseed meal and salt.  Add the bowl of dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture and stir well until the dry ingredients are completely coated.  Pour into prepared baking dish.  Rub a dab of softened butter onto the insides of your hands and press the mixture down evenly until it is packed into the dish well.  Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments until melted, stirring in between increments.  Drizzle the chocolate on top with a fork.  Set aside and let cool completely.  Cut into bars and serve.