Peanut Butter Cup Pretzel Rice Krispie Treats Recipe

I had a LOT of deep thoughts yesterday. Thanks for sticking with me. As a reward, you get a sweet recipe. And I really do mean sweet.

Before I give you the excellent recipe from my mad scientist rice krispie treat experiment, I have to share a secret that I learned from Laura (from Sprint2theTable) the other day.

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) has a TON of health benefits, and I have a big bottle of it right in my kitchen cupboard, so instead of taking certain OTC drugs, I thought I’d give ACV a try … so I took a shot of it before I ran out the door yesterday AM. Then this twitter convo between Laura, Jenn (from Peas and Crayons) and Amanda (from Diary of a Semi-Health Nut) happened (and I apologize for my typos *cider and *desperate):

And of course we managed to drag in Blend Retreat and Lindsay (from Lindsay’s List)’s tequila experience. But to sum it up, ACV is good for you, so if you’re interested in any of the healthy benefits listed on the website I linked to, give it a try.

OK. Enough of that. It’s recipe time!

Are you ready for this?

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have been wondering when the heck I was going to post the recipe for these ridiculous krispie treats I made this week. Chillax. It’s happening. Now.

I used to love to bake. Then I realized my GI issues were caused by gluten. So I quit baking, except my once-monthly cookie experiments that I send to my dad and grandpa, which are typically gluten-free anyway.

Last month’s cookie of the month experience led my curiosity in the direction of rice krispie treats. What flavors can I make? And how much sugar can I really cram into one treat? The answer: this much.

Mark has been working late and I typically like to make him a plate for dinner and leave it in the fridge, or bake for him when he works long hours so he knows that I’m thinking of him. He’d already eaten dinner that night. I opened the cupboard and realized I still had half a bag of crispy rice cereal. Rice krispie treats are Mark’s favorite, and he didn’t get any of last month’s haul. So I made him his own creation (and took a good chunk to work to share too).

peanut butter cup + pretzel rice krispie treats

Ingredients

• 1 16.5 oz bag of mini marshmallows, with about 1/4 the bag reserved
• 4 T butter
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/4 c Peanut Butter & Co.’s Smooth Operator (or smooth pb of choice)
• 1/4 c Peanut Butter & Co.’s Dark Chocolate Dream (or use 1/2 cup of regular pb of choice)
• 1 8 oz bag of Reeses minis (or chop up 8 oz of peanut butter cups — your call. I’m lazy)
• 6 c crispy rice cereal of choice
• (optional — I only put on half) 1 c crushed pretzel bits, reserve some for sprinkling on the top if you desire

Directions

1. In a large, microwave safe bowl, melt marshmallows (except the few you set aside) and butter, stirring every 30 seconds. Mixture should look translucent when ready.
2. Remove from microwave and mix in vanilla and peanut butters.
3. Pour cereal and pretzels in the mixture and stir until mostly combined.
4. Add marshmallows and peanut butter cups and stir to distribute. This needs to happen fast because your peanut butter cups will start to melt.
5. Press into a 9×13″ pan, cool until hardened, and cut into 24-30 squares.

Do you experiment in the kitchen? Have you made any great creations lately? And if I dared you to take a shot of ACV, would you do it?