So last Wednesday I was feeling a little guilty that we were not able to do anything for Jeff's co-workers, since that is known as Treat Day around his office now. I knew I wanted to do something, but I didn't want to do any plain-jane treats (which can be mighty tasty on their own - nothing wrong with that). We then started to think what we could do to funk-ify some treats.
I ended up making two recipes using that not-so-great
burner in the middle of the living room. The first,
Chocolate Peanut Butter Krispie Bars, is just your basic krispie bar recipe execpt I used cocoa krispies and added creamy peanut butter to the melted marshmallows. To add a fun festive touch, I dropped a dab of melted chocolate on each bar and placed a candy pumpkin in the center. Hard to go wrong with a crunchy chocolate bar that has a background of sweet peanut butter flavor in each bite.
Who says you have to use marshmallows to make krispie bars stick together? The next recipe,
Caramel-Toffee Crunch Bars, uses the little caramel cubes you can buy in the store that would normally be used for caramel apples (or, of course, eating them by their tasty selves). The cubes, butter and a touch of water are slowly (thanks crappy burner!) melted until smooth. You then add plain ol' rice krispies with a 1/2 to 3/4 cup of crunchy toffee bits. I found this comes together a little easier than with melted marshmallows and you had more time to work with the mixture before it begins to set. After they are patted into a pan, I scattered the slab with additional toffee bits and gently pressed to adhere them. These are obviously a little more rich and have a wicked chew to them compared to the chocolate ones.
Being a little silly, I thought it would be fun to bring a "display" of them with the rest of the cut bars in front... so I skewered the chocolate ones as the caramel-toffee bars were too soft. We busted out the glue gun and added some green floral foam inside of a cauldron we picked up this weekend. After we stuck the bars in, I filled the empty area with some tasty mini versions of Reese's, Milky Way Midnights, Twix, Three Musketeers and Snickers. We had a hard time trying to take a good picture, but here's one anyway to see how the cauldron ended up.
I ended up making two recipes using that not-so-great burner in the middle of the living room. The first, Chocolate Peanut Butter Krispie Bars, is just your basic krispie bar recipe execpt I used cocoa krispies and added creamy peanut butter to the melted marshmallows. To add a fun festive touch, I dropped a dab of melted chocolate on each bar and placed a candy pumpkin in the center. Hard to go wrong with a crunchy chocolate bar that has a background of sweet peanut butter flavor in each bite.
Who says you have to use marshmallows to make krispie bars stick together? The next recipe, Caramel-Toffee Crunch Bars, uses the little caramel cubes you can buy in the store that would normally be used for caramel apples (or, of course, eating them by their tasty selves). The cubes, butter and a touch of water are slowly (thanks crappy burner!) melted until smooth. You then add plain ol' rice krispies with a 1/2 to 3/4 cup of crunchy toffee bits. I found this comes together a little easier than with melted marshmallows and you had more time to work with the mixture before it begins to set. After they are patted into a pan, I scattered the slab with additional toffee bits and gently pressed to adhere them. These are obviously a little more rich and have a wicked chew to them compared to the chocolate ones.
Being a little silly, I thought it would be fun to bring a "display" of them with the rest of the cut bars in front... so I skewered the chocolate ones as the caramel-toffee bars were too soft. We busted out the glue gun and added some green floral foam inside of a cauldron we picked up this weekend. After we stuck the bars in, I filled the empty area with some tasty mini versions of Reese's, Milky Way Midnights, Twix, Three Musketeers and Snickers. We had a hard time trying to take a good picture, but here's one anyway to see how the cauldron ended up.
You are too cute! Very imaginative.
ReplyDeleteI visited Jeff's site and I am very impressed with your new home. Love the yard!
Cool and fun!! And I am always smilling when I read about the new burner! hehe!!
ReplyDeleteAna
I love the idea of taking classics and dressing them up, or even down.
ReplyDeleteI am really salivating over those photos. Must get a napkin. . .
This is SO cute! I've never thought of doing RCT's with the caramels! I'm impressed.
ReplyDeleteThis is brilliant! I love the idea of using caramel instead of marshmallows. I never would have thought of that! And anything on a stick tastes better so the chocolate/peanut butter squares on a stick is great!
ReplyDeleteToo cute!
ReplyDeleteI'm in a cooking funk, so am living vicariously through your escapades. If you lived closer, I'd offer up my kitchen as it's certainly not getting much use from me!
I'm rather enjoying your kitchen-free cooking. Brings me back to my college days :)
ReplyDeleteI can't wait till you start cooking again though. You've been a great source for inspiration since I first came across the site!
Love it! Bet the co-workers really enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteSO CUTE!
ReplyDeleteA-dorable!
Goo.
:-)
Joe, I wish I had 1/10 of your creative abilities! Very cool! Jeff's co-workers must be thrilled you guys moved to MD. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I think the vote was more favored in the caramel direction, but I didn't get any back home... so that's a good sign!
ReplyDeleteI love your blog so much, but my adoration of you is now set in stone, thanks to these yummy treats.
ReplyDeleteI'm comin' to your house for trick or treating on Halloween. Screw the candy, I want THESE.
Lorelei - Wow, thanks! Stop on by! =)
ReplyDelete