Chocolate Peanut Butter Crisps
Your first bite of these Chocolate Peanut Butter Crisps will have you hooked. A perfect combination of crunch paired with the taste of chocolate and peanut butter that just melts in your mouth!
I tend to make these around the holiday time because they’re always a hit to share with family and friends. During the holiday season, I swap out the regular Rice Krispies for the colourful red, white and green version. They look so pretty this way on a cookie platter.
But certainly these Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars don’t have to wait for the Holiday season to be eaten any Rice Krispies will do even the new brown rice Rice Krispies.
If you’re a cookie hound like me, be sure to check out my Raspberry Jam Cookies that also look amazing on a cookie platter!
With just six simple ingredients, you’re going to see why I love these tasty dessert squares very soon!
Ingredients and Substitutions
All you need are these chocolate peanut butter rice Krispy treat ingredients to get started! It couldn’t be easier!
Natural Peanut Butter – I like to use creamy because it creates a smooth and rich texture. Natural peanut butter is also what I would recommend because it has less sugar and the honey in this recipe makes the squares sweet enough.
Vanilla – Adding pure vanilla extract adds so much flavor.
Rice Krispies – Measure out and add them in. You can even use coloured crispies if you want to change it up.
Semi-sweet chocolate chips – Any type of chocolate chips could be used as an option.
Salted peanuts – Be sure that they’re skinless.
Honey – This is used to mix with the peanut butter and adds sweetness and is also a binding agent to hold other ingredients together. Maple syrup could also be used.
Can I use crunchy peanut butter?
Yes, you can. It’s still going to be delicious, but it will add a different texture to the outcome of the dessert bars.
How to make Peanut Butter Crisps
- Grab a pot and melt the peanut butter and the honey on low heat on the stove. They need to be melted together and blended. Let the mixture cool a bit. The heat just helps the honey melt into the peanut butter to make it easier to mix together.
- Once combined, add the salt and the vanilla. (You are only going to add salt if you use UNSALTED peanuts).
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and then add the Rice Krispies, chocolate chips, and peanuts.
- Mix well to get everything combined and coated in the chocolate and peanut butter mixture.
- Line a glass pan (8″X8″) with parchment paper and spoon the mixture into the pan. Use the back of a spoon to press it down and make it flat and level. Place the pan in the fridge to cool.
- Once cooled, you can remove it from the fridge, and start to cut the chocolate peanut butter rice crispy treats into squares.
Variations
- Use other nut butter – You can use almond butter, cashew butter – or even use a nut-free alternative as well.
- Change the nuts – If you don’t want to add peanuts, you can use almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, or macadamia nuts also.
- Add a topping – Melt some of the extra chocolate chips and then drizzle the chocolate over the top!
- Change the type of chocolate – White chocolate or dark chocolate are both yummy options.
- Get festive – Change the color of the rice Krispies to add a fun holiday flair. During Christmas, they sell red and green ones at the store.
Why are my squares brown and messy looking?
It’s important to be sure to let the peanut butter mixture cool slightly after it’s heated and also not to overmix the chocolate chips. As they melt, they will spread on their own, and if you stir too much, this will create a mess to have to deal with and clean up.
How do I stop the mixture from sticking to the pan?
I always line my pan with parchment paper because I HATE dealing with cleaning up messes. The parchment paper makes it a breeze to clean up because you literally just have to take it out of the pan and throw the paper in the trash.
If you don’t have parchment paper or don’t care to use it, you can also rub butter on the pan before adding the mixture. This doesn’t guarantee that it won’t stick, but it should help.
Is peanut butter Good for you?
As long as you’re eating it in moderation, there are a lot of great health benefits that peanut butter and peanuts can offer.
They’re a great source of protein, which is perfect for fueling your body with energy and also helping you feel and stay fuller throughout the day so that you’re less likely to snack.
Peanut butter is also considered a healthy fat which is just better overall for the health and performance of your body. Healthy fats can help your heart be healthier, which is definitely a great benefit.
The downside of eating a ton of peanut butter is that it’s high in fat and calories. I don’t recommend sitting and eating a jar of peanut butter every day, but having a treat like this with a small amount added in is never a bad idea!
What other ingredients can be added?
If you want to shake things up a bit, you can add in some other ingredients like chopped pretzels or even some fun and festive holiday sprinkles.
Just know that anything that you add that goes off the script of the printable recipe below changes the nutritional value as well.
Leftovers and Storage
Leftovers are a breeze to store! Simply add a lid to your pan, and leave them at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
If you want to freeze them, you can do that as well. Wrap the squares in saran wrap and then store them in a freezer-safe bag. (I do think that these are best eaten fresh!)
Freezing them in serving sizes also helps with portion control and temptation!
More Dessert Bar Recipes
Chocolate Peanut Butter Crisps
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup honey
- 1 cup natural smooth peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 cups Rice Krispies
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup skinless salted peanuts or unsalted and add a 1/2 tsp salt to honey/peanut butter mix
Instructions
- In a large pot heat honey and peanut butter on low heat until they are melted and blended together. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Mix in vanilla and salt (only if using unsalted peanuts)
- Add Rice Krispies, chocolate chips and peanuts and mix well.
- Spoon the mixture into an 8"X8" dish lined with parchment paper. Use the back of a spoon to press the mixture into the corners and level it to smooth out the top.
- Cool in the fridge for about an hour to firm it up. Once completely cooled and set you can remove the peanut butter crisps from pan and cut into squares
Nutrition
Notes
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
For the step-by-step version of this recipe, check out the How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Crisps Story.
Every bite does indeed look amazing! All of the flavors are incredible. And I love these vibrant colors.
I had to laugh because I too live on Peanut Butter. Which makes these crisps/bars perfect for me. These will be made often in my home.
You had me at peanut butter. These look amazing and I will definitely be giving them a try at the weekend.
Let me know what you think Dannii!
Fantastic flavors and it was a big hit I will make these colorful treats again!
So glad they were a success Claudia.
Yum! I’m a huge fan of peanut butter too and these are tasty and satisfying snacks!
Oh yummy, I can’t wait to try this! I also didn’t know all the benefits of peanut butter, thanks for sharing!
Total noob question, but what are the container counts? 1, 1/2, 2 what exactly? ? Many thanks!
Hi Tammi! Thanks for asking. I updated my recipe card and didn’t see that my little coloured hearts to represent the containers dropped off in the process. I have scored these as 1 yellow, 1/2 a blue and 2 teaspoons. I would recommend using these as a treat when following the 21 Day Fix meal plan. I like to make a batch and freeze them. They freeze really well. My family also like them so they are also a great kid friendly treat!
These look lovely. I’m going to make some with almond butter right now! (I’m not a peanut fan sorry?). Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday.
I think these would work fine with almond butter. I find that almond butter can be a little thicker than peanut butter so you may need to add a little more than what is called for in the recipe
I love anything with rice krispies! I am sure I would love these!! Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday party! Have fun! x
Perfect way to jazz up Rice Krispie treats. My grandchildren would love these! Thank you for sharing on Party in Your PJ’s!
Love this kind of treat especially during holiday times, peanut butter, rice krispies. chocolate . Not only kids friendly but also brings out nostalgic memories.
all my favorite combined in one!! this treat looks perfect! I love the photos too looks very appetizing!
Aah those remind me of childhood, used to love rice krispie cakes, especially with chocolate. Love the peanut butter in there!
oh what fun! I didn’t know there was such a thing as ‘holiday rice krispies’. I wonder if they are sold over here
Home made sweets are always the best treats! On our christmas platter we will have some dried fruit and nuts, but maybe I should add some of your cookies also. We love peanuts!
Oh, love the holiday Rice Krispies. This is quick and easy and perfect for my holiday table.