Marshmallow Crunch Brownie Bars...

I think it's safe to say we are going to dig deep and satisfy any chocolate desires in this week's Wednesday Treat Day. We smashed not one, not two, but three types of decadent chocolate into these insane Marshmallow Crunch Brownie Bars!

The first two types of chocolate, unsweetened and bittersweet, are combined by heating them together with butter until the mixture has become smooth and combined. We did this on the stove over medium-low heat, but I don't see why this can't be zapped in the microwave - just be sure to stir often so the ingredients are evenly heated. To bring the chocolate a little more to the forefront, I did spike it with a half teaspoon of instant espresso once it was melted, but you can leave this out if you like. This dark, slick business needs to be set aside to cool briefly - how come? You'll see!

Granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla are the second half of the wet ingredients, which are then combined with the above melted chocolate. This is why it is allowed to cool for a few minutes - no one wants bits of scrambled eggs in their brownies! With the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and a bit of salt) stirred in, the brownie batter gets one more hit of chocolate... in the form of chopped chunks! Yes, chips are fine too, but I used a large bar (rated about 60% for bittersweet) we had in the pantry.

As soon as the brownies come out from the oven, the top is scattered with miniature squishy marshmallows, then slid back into the heat to melt the 'mallows together. The final funky addition to these bars is made simply from chopped milk chocolate, melted together with creamy peanut butter and a knob of butter, followed by an overflowing cup of Rice Krispies. This mixture is fairly loosey-goosey (nothing like the Rice Krispie Bars), so it is best to spoon this over the top, then gently spread it all together - if you just dump it in the middle and hope to spread it around, you'll be left with a sticky mess as it will sink and start to combine with the soft marshmallow layer below.

There are a couple hours of misery that happens with these bars as you need to chill the entire precious flat until it is set and firm - tough, believe me I know as it was hard to resist the overwhelming chocolate scent that floats off these. Besides making it easier to cut, giving them the time to rest in the fridge allows the layers to bond and become cohesive. It will be worth the wait! Not only do these bars get an A+ for taste, but the contrast between the dense, fudgy brownie base, light, gooey marshmallow center and the creamy, yet crunchy peanut butter-laced chocolate krispie concoction on top deserved an award by itself! Make them as large or small as you want, but we found 24 to be good compromise - enough to feel indulged, yet not so much you feel like going comatose. 12 would be good for those extreme chocoholics, while 36 would give you a small, two or three bite treat.

If you have a favorite boxed brownie mix and you're in a rush, you could always take that short cut and hasten this along, picking up the recipe at the point you add the marshmallows.

Recipes
Marshmallow Crunch Brownie Bars