Salted Peanut Chews
53 comments » 
Usually all it takes is me seeing the words “peanut” or “peanut butter” in a recipe title to get me to save it immediately. And sometimes it takes even less time for me to get my butt in the kitchen and whip it up. For some reason, however, these beauties slipped through the cracks. Part of it is probably due to my habit of saving recipes in multiple locations – doggy-eared magazines, binders with clipped recipes, Google Reader, regular ol’ bookmarks, and who knows where else. I don’t remember when I saved this recipe, but I was doing a purge of my bookmarks last week when it jumped out at me. A cookie bar topped with marshmallows and then a layer of goodness that can only be described as a cross between a Rice Krispy treat, peanut brittle and peanut caramel. So in essence, only the most fabulous things ever!
This is a pretty easy recipe to throw together, with positively amazing results! The one caution I have is that when you make the peanut topping, you really need to work a bit quickly. It’s key to only heat the mixture until the chips are melted and everything is smooth; if you overcook the mixture it will start to thicken and harden (much like caramel). So, cook only until everything is melted, and then move swiftly with getting it smoothed out on top of the marshmallows.
Then pop it in the fridge and try to restrain yourself for about 45 minutes while it chills and sets. All of that willpower will be worth it, though, when you have a whole pan of these babies sitting in front of you. Totally delicious and addicting – consider yourself warned!
One year ago: Easy Vanilla Bean Buttercream
Two years ago: Blueberry Crumb Cake
Salted Peanut Chews
Yield: 36 bars
Prep Time: 30 minutes (active), 45 minutes (inactive)
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
For the Base:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
3 cups miniature marshmallowsFor the Topping:
2/3 cup light corn syrup
¼ cup unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 bag (10 ounces) peanut butter chips (1-2/3 cups)
2 cups crisp rice cereal
2 cups salted peanutsDirections:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat all the base ingredients except the marshmallows with an electric mixer on low speed until crumbly. Press the mixture firmly in the bottom of an ungreased 9x13-inch pan.
2. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately sprinkle marshmallows over the base. Base 1 to 2 minutes longer or until marshmallows just begin to puff. Cool while preparing topping.
3. In a 3-quart saucepan, mix all topping ingredients except cereal and peanuts. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, just until the chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in the cereal and peanuts. Immediately spoon the warm topping over marshmallows; spread to cover. Refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes. Cut into 36 bars. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
(Recipe adapted from FabulousFoods.com)
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I am the same way about saving peanut butter recipes! This looks like a winner:-)
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Oh MY goodness, these look fantastic!!
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Oh my peanut butter is my weakness but this looks divine!
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Too early for these?
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I thought your one caution was going to be that you may eat the entire pan. These look amazing.
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We make these every year for the holidays! They kind of remind me of a Pay Day. Soo good!!
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Speaking of too many bookmarks, I’m adding this to my list right now. There is a certain peanut butter lover in my family who would go crazy over these – I can’t wait to try them!
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It’s a good thing I don’t have all these ingredients or I’d be chomping away already. These are really calling out to me. I definitely have to try them sometime soon.
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I cannot wait to try these! Thank you!
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Yum! These bars look fabulous! I’m so glad you didn’t accidentally throw this recipe out when you were getting rid of your old bookmarked recipes!
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The top of these remind me of PayDay bars. They look so good – can’t wait to try!
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I have a weakness for peanut butter as well. But I have a suggestion to remedy lost recipes. Whenever I find one online, I use CutePDF Writer (free software which can be downloaded online if you don’t have a PDF writer already) to “print” the recipe as a PDF. I then save it in a “Recipe” folder with subcategories already set up. All organized AND allows for searching within the folders, yay!
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omg..I seriously just made these yesterday to post today..ugh!! Great minds…guess I will save that post
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Peanut butter goodies! They look so easy to make and scrumptious too.
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Those look SO GOOD! I need to find an excuse to make them ASAP!
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Loving these bars!!
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These look great, especially for a peanut butter lover like me.
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this looks amazing!
I’m the same, book mark anything with peanut/peanut butter in the title. It’s worst when it’s a mix of peanut butter and chocolate.
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I don’t think that I could wait 45 mintues for these :/ I wish my computer was an online vending machine! YUM!
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Ok…there were 100+ new unread messages in my inbox this morning…and this is the first and only thing I read before calling it quits. Mostly because I immediately checked for and made a list of ingredients, to be made as soon as I get home from work. These look perfect!!
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These look so good, I love salty peanuts with sweet stuff!
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Only one word needed – YUM!
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I bet cashews would be great too!
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These taste like Payday candy bars–I’ve been making these for a few years and I love ‘em’!
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Oh My Gosh…..these look like heaven. I am headed to my kitchen to see if i can make these NOW!!!!
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This looks like such a delicious combination! Yum!
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These look great! I would definitely be tempted to dip them in chocolate
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Delish–another great dessert!
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Stunningly wicked. Great shot. You’ve done it again! Amazing.
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Oh my goodness. I need to have several pieces of this in my tummy right now.
This recipe is right up my alley and I can’t wait to give it a try.
Thank you so much!
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goodness gracious…yes, I have a total weakness for peanut butter. These looks so amazing and would not last very long in my home.
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Saw the picture on your Facebook page before I read it in my RSS Feeds and ran to my kitchen to see if we had any peanuts. Alas, we’ll have to wait until I get all the ingredients. Looks too marvelous to wait.
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These look and sound amazing! Lovely pictures. I’m having a MAJOR craving now!
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Wow these chews look amazing! Love how simple the recipe is too. Yum!
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That looks great.
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These look so good. I am looking forward to trying this recipe.
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okay- I am sold. I have to make these! looks crazy good!
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These are over the top, 100 percent up my alley! I will be making these really soon. Thank God for peanut butter chips and marshmallows.
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These look really delicious!
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Quick question–I can’t get peanut butter chips where I live. Do you know if replacing the chips and the corn syrup with regular peanut butter would do? Thank you!
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Michelle on April 1st, 2011 at 3:12 pm
Hi Mariah, That’s a tough one, I am not sure about mixing peanut butter with corn syrup, if that would give the same consistency. It might, let me know how it turns out if you try it!
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Wow! These look heavenly! I’m gonna be thinking about them all night!
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hi! these look great – i hpoe you don’t mind if i put them on my april 7th round up of copycat recipes:?
last month was at http://www.buttercreambarbie.com/2011/03/copycat-club-march-2011.html
thanks!
Tia
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Michelle on April 1st, 2011 at 3:14 pm
Hi Tia, Sure you are more than welcome to include them.
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These look fantastic! Yum!
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Your Salted Peanut Chews so remind me of the flavors of one of my favorite candies when I was a kid – Pearson’s Salted Nut Rolls (http://www.pearsonscandy.com/nutroll.aspx)! I’m bookmarking this one!
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It seems to be we are all about peanuts and pb! I made and posted Peanut Butter Cupcakes with PB&J Buttercream…yes really buttercream that tastes like pb&J, today. I want to try these bars…they look / sound goooooood!
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This looks so yummy! I can’t wait to try it. I shared this recipe on my Must Try Tuesday blog post.
http://therickettchronicles.blogspot.com/2011/03/must-try-tuesday-march-29-2011.html
Thanks!
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I made these for my family this weekend and they are sooooo good!! I can’t wait to make them again. Thank you so much – - from ALL of us!
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Holy heck! These look amazing!!! Can’t wait to make them! Thanks!
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I’ve been making this exact recipe for oh…years and years…they’re so yummy
I got the recipe from a Betty Crocker Baking Book, just FYI. I always make two pans of them at Christmas…one pan goes out as gifts, the other pan stays home with me 
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WOW these Salted Peanut Chews look totally yum to me I so want to try them!
Daniela
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Yummy looking bars. I love baking with nuts but can’t do it that often – my son is allergic. So, when I know he won’t be around for a few days, I bake something like this. Thanks for adding to my collection of recipes my son can’t eat! And I can!
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