Decadent indeed! These Peanut Butter Chocolate Decadence Bars will have you swooning! Rich, creamy and oh-so-dreamy!
I love the month of June!
It’s the month I married my husband.
It’s the month my brother was born.
It’s when we celebrate our fathers.
It’s when summer begins and when mornings are foggy.
Last weekend, my husband and I shared an incredible dessert the night of our anniversary.
It was so great that the next day, I had to guess as to how it was made and create my own rendition of it.
l o v e
You will want to make this. Today. Or tomorrow. Then you too will love June!
Decadent indeed! These Peanut Butter Chocolate Decadence Bars will have you swooning! Rich, creamy and oh-so-dreamy!
- 3 cups rice cereal (I like Erewhon's Crispy Brown Rice)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1-1/8 cup small marshmallows
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups creamy salted peanut butter
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Fleur de Sel
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Line a 8 X 8 X 2-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Cut slits at the corner seams to help it fit, and use a large enough piece that it goes all the way up the sides of the pan. (This will help you lift the dessert out of the pan when it's done.)
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Use a food processor to grind the cereal into a fine powder. You can also do this by placing the cereal in a large zip-lock bag, and then going over it with a rolling pin.
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In a medium-sized saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter with the marshmallows. Mix in the cocoa powder and salt and stir to blend. Then pour in the ground cereal and mix just until all of the cereal is coated. Very quickly add this mixture to the prepared pan and flatten it out to cover the bottom completely. It will be about 1/8-inch thick. (If it's hard to work with and isn't spreading out easily -- which can happen as it cools off -- then you can place the entire mixture between two sheets of plastic wrap and roll it flat with a rolling pin. Then, carefully transfer this to the pan and fix the edges to fit properly.) Set aside.
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In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix the peanut butter, powdered sugar, cream and vanilla together until it's very smooth. Set aside.
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In a small saucepan, over low-medium heat, scald the cream with the vanilla. Tiny bubbles will appear on the edges of the pan and it should be very hot, but not boiling. Then pour the cream over the finely chopped chocolate. Wait about 4 minutes and then, use a wooden spoon and gently stir to combine. It will take a few minutes of mixing before you’ll see it come together. This is essentially a very thick Ganache. Let this cool to room temperature.
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Once the chocolate mixture has cooled to room temperature, evenly spread the peanut butter filling over the prepared crust, making sure there aren't any air gaps. Then pour the chocolate mixture on top, using an off-set spatula to smooth it out if necessary.
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Place the dessert in the refrigerator, uncovered, for at least 2 hours. Then let it sit at room temperature until you're ready to serve.
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Use the parchment paper to help you lift it out of the pan, and then cut into approximately 18, 1-inch, rectangular slices. Sprinkle each serving with Fleur de Sel.
I use Erewhon's Crispy Brown Rice cereal -- it's gluten-free.
Of course you can cut these any size you like, I only make suggestions for serving sizes. 😉
Happy Anniversary! Wish I had one of those peanut butter chocolate things right now! Thanks for the recipe!
*faints*
Those look devine and are definitely in my future. Maybe next Wednesday, my birthday, another reason I love June !
Happy almost birthday, Diane! 🙂
So I guess 10 years is the Peanut Butter Anniversary. Way better than Year One: Paper (though I see you have that covered too!) GREG
I love June too! It is just right temperature before hot summer comes and the anticipation of summer loaded in it!
This would make things easier too. Looks rich 🙂