Cookies and Lipstick

Baked’s Peanut Butter Crispy Bars.

I’m not a religious person but there have been a few times where I think I’ve seen Jesus. One time was when I was 20-years-old living in London and went to Dublin for the weekend, another time was about 12 hours after eating six-year-old maple syrup and most recently, after eating these peanut butter crispy bars. It was a religious experience. I heard voices unlike the ones I usually hear.

These little squares of evil originated at Baked bakery in Red Hook, Brooklyn and the owners were awesome enough to publish the recipe in their first book, BAKED: NEW FRONTIERS IN BAKING. It’s an amazing book that every baker should own because in addition to the peanut butter crispy bar, there are delicious cake, tart, muffin, cookie, brownie and a boatload of other recipes that are just as easy for any amateur baker to make at home. Here’s a teaser recipe. You’re welcome.

Peanut Butter Crispy Bars

From the book BAKED: NEW FRONTIERS IN BAKING by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

For the crispy layer:

1 3/4 cups crisped rice cereal

1/4 cups sugar

3 tbsp light corn syrup

3 tbsp melted unsalted butter

For the milk chocolate peanut butter layer:

5 ounces milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 cup creamy peanut butter

For the dark chocolate top layer:

3 ounces dark chocolate (no more than 72% cacao), coarsely chopped

1/2 tsp light corn syrup

4 tbsp unsalted butter

Make the crispy base layer: lightly spray a paper towel and wipe the bottom and sides of an 8×8 inch square baking pan. Put the cereal in a large bowl and ignore.

Pour 1/4 cup of water into a small saucepan. Gently add the sugar and corn syrup and use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture until combined. Cook over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Using a candy thermometer, cook until mixture reaches 235 degrees F.

Remove from the heat, stir in the butter and pour the mixture over the cereal. Working quickly, stir until the cereal is thoroughly coated, then pour it into the prepared pan. Using your hands, press the mixture into the bottom of the pan but do not press up the sides. Let cool to room temperature.

Make the milk chocolate peanut butter layer: In a large metal bowl, stir together the chocolate and the peanut butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and cook, stirring until the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the crust. Put the pan in the refrigerator for one hour, or until the top layer hardens.

Make the dark chocolate icing layer: In a large metal bowl, combine the chocolate, corn syrup and butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula until the mixture in completely smooth. Remove the bowl form the heat and stir to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the cooled milk chocolate peanut butter layer and spread into an even layer. Put the pan in the refrigerator for one hour or until the topping hardens.

Cut into nine squares. The bars can be stored in the ‘fridge tightly covered for up to four days.