Peanut Butter Crunch Bars

By Chef Eddy Van Damme

Prep Time:

1h 30m

Yield:

20 bars

If you’re a fan of the Little Debbie® Peanut Butter Crunch Bars, this homemade version is going to make your day. Creamy peanut butter filling surrounded by rich chocolate and crispy rice cereal for that snap, crackle, and pop! Just 4 ingredients and no oven required.

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Products Used

Confectioners Powdered Sugar Poly Bag

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups smooth unsweetened peanut butter (can be natural or organic)
2 cups Imperial Sugar Confectioners Powdered Sugar
1 cup crispy rice cereal
2 chocolate flavored melting wafers (10 oz each), dark or milk chocolate

Directions

If peanut butter has oil on surface, pour extra oil in a cup as you may use it later. In a bowl combine peanut butter and powdered sugar.
Mixture needs to be pliable and firm enough to hold its shape well. Peanut butter brands differ in consistency, but it is easy to bring to a firm pliable consistency by adding either a touch of peanut or vegetable oil or additional powdered sugar.
Press mixture into a square using an 8 or 9-inch square pan lined with parchment paper. Turn out of pan onto cutting board and slice into 18 bars (3 rows of 6 bars).
Place about 1 cup chocolate melting wafers in microwave safe bowl. Heat in 10 second increments until melted. Make certain it stays lukewarm and not warm/hot.
Spread a few tablespoons chocolate coating on top of peanut butter bars and immediately sprinkle surface with crispy rice cereal. Repeat until all coated.
Wait 20-30 minutes before proceeding. In areas where chocolate was covered thinly, peanut butter may pop through coating and create small peanut bubbles. If so, melt some chocolate and using a finger dot these areas to fully seal.
Melt 2 cups of chocolate wafers either in microwave or over very low simmering water just until melted and lukewarm in temperature.
Place a peanut butter crunch bar in melted chocolate and using a fork, lift out of chocolate. Place on plastic food film lined counter.
Once chocolate coating has hardened lift plastic food film up from counter. (Instead of pulling peanut bars off from plastic.) This is a safe method to release bars and prevent breakage.
If desired, peanut butter crunch bars can be dipped an additional time or drizzled with remaining chocolate for a thicker chocolate coating.