Crispy Peanut Butter Cup Bars

The boys are hungry, the boys are hungry!  My mother and I spent Saturday baking because Dad thinks he might be losing weight a bit too quickly.  So, we set out to make the most calorie- and protein-packed snacks we could come up with.  We had some help from a book about meal planning for hiking the Appalachian Trail.

When you're not walking 15-20 miles per day, these babies are naughty.  I mean, really naughty.  They are also absolutely wonderful.  The texture created by the rice cereal is absolute perfection.

I often wonder about the sick world we live in - where the things we naturally enjoy and prefer are the things that do a body bad.  It probably has to do with the way we humans have deviated from our natural state.  And how we've taken our environment with us.  I laughed to myself this weekend as we were working on our landscaping (progress pics to come!).  I mean, only the human race would put so much time, energy, and currency into grooming dirt.

Guilty.

So, um, back to the naughty peanut butter and chocolate goodness.  I know the boys are going to love these.  I doubt they make it out of the post office before they're all gone.  Hopefully my brother shares.  He's been gaining weight.  Interesting...

After all this talk about how naughty these treats are - I'm gonna go ahead and share the recipe with you!  You can bake them and take them away.  Or you can cut them into very, very, very small bars.  And invite over 50 people to share them with you.  But let's be honest - you're going to cut them into big squares and eat just a few bites of one each night, in the dark.  Because when you eat them in that situation, there are no witnesses, and therefore, it didn't happen.

Crazy thing is - you'll probably do a few extra sit-ups the next day.  Why?  No reason.  Just great ambition!

Crispy Peanut Butter Cup Bars

• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
• 2 cups natural peanut butter
• 3 cups Rice Krispies
• 16 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

Mix the first 4 ingredients together in a large bowl.  Lightly butter a 9x13 baking dish, then spoon in the peanut butter mixture.  Use a spatula to spread evenly.  Melt the chocolate, then layer evenly on top.  Refrigerate for an hour or two, then cut into bars and store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Note:  If using processed peanut butter (Jif, Peter Pan, etc.), decrease sugar by at least 1/2 cup.  Also - use whatever chocolate you like best - anything from milk to bittersweet to something in between!