peanut butter and chocolate rice crispy delights

one evening, before a party, i decided i wanted to make something quick and tasty to share with the host and fellow party goers. i looked in the pantry for ingredients on hand...rice crispies...marshmallows...peanut butter...chocolate chips... hmmm. i wanted to make something a little more original than rice crispy bars, so i searched the www. i found this recipe and sent my h.a. to run to the store for the heath bars.

So far, I have made these twice, and both times they were a big hit for adults and kiddos alike. they are chewy, they are chocolate-y, they are peanut butter-y...how could you go wrong?!

2 (1.4-ounce) chocolate-covered toffee candy bars
2 cups rice crispies -i only use about 1.5 cups, i never got the pb marshmallow mixture to fully coat otherwise
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter - i used regular pb, and once i chopped peanuts to add
16 regular-size marshmallows
1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips - i ommitted this the second time
canola oil

leaving candy bars in wrappers, use a rolling pin to pound and crush bars into small pieces. i use my h.a. to help with this part. he prefers a hammer to the rolling pin. place rice crispies in a large bowl and set aside.

place peanut butter in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl; microwave on high until hot, about 45 seconds. add marshmallows and microwave on high until softened, about 30 seconds. (alternatively, place peanut butter and marshmallows in a heavy saucepan. stir over low heat until melted, 2 to 3 minutes.)

working quickly, stir to combine mixture with rice crispies. stir until evenly coated. add crushed candy bars and chocolate chips. stir until combined. coat your hands with oil (v important!) and shape mixture into spheres the size of golf balls, making 16 treats.

mini butterscotch pecan delights!

oh mini delights...so tiny, so full of deliciousness. i am a big fan of pecan pie, although sometimes i find them a bit too sweet (shockingly, there is such a thing!). i saw this and was intrigued. i was afraid that it would be over the top sweet, but oddly, it tastes less sweet than your traditional pecan pie.

i first made the pie a couple of weeks ago. i then became midly obsessed with it. mild obsession turned into agonizing obsession when i thought of creating mini pies. i've always wanted a mini tart/pie pan and shaper, and this was just the motivation i needed to purchase one. i enlisted the help of my h.a. (handsome assistant) and he promptly scoured the world wide web and found a great deal on ebay. (he'll do nearly anything for a baked good!)

the original recipe is here, my modifications are below. i made 24 mini pies and used the remaining filling for a normal-sized pie.

butterscotch pecan perfection pie

preheat oven to 350ºf

2 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell (i used the grocery store brand)
12 oz package butterscotch chips (again, store brand)
3/4 cup light corn syrup
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups pecan halves, coarsely chopped

make sure pie crusts are at room temperature. spray mini pie pan and pie pan with nonstick spray. unroll one pie crust directly over pie pan. flute the corners if you wish. unroll remaining pie crust on lightly floured surface. use 3" round device (my tasting glass from the Sam Adams brewery tour worked perfectly) to cut out mini pie crusts. place flat on top of mini pie pan and use one gentle push of the pie shaper. voilà!

melt chips in microwave. start with one minute, stir, put in for an additional 20 or so seconds. stir just until chips are melted.

add corn syrup, eggs, flour and salt to melted chips. beat on medium until smooth. stir in pecans. pour/spoon pecan mixture into pie shell. i was trying to figure out a brilliant way to add the filling to the mini pies, but i definitely fell short. funnel: coarsley chopped pecans were too big for the opening. liquid measuring cup: ho-hum, the filling came out too fast, and there were little drips everywhere. i ended up using a combination of pouring from the measuring cup/spooning. use remaining filling in the large/normal pie.

bake mini pies for 18 minutes; large pie for 35 minutes. cool on baking rack and remove mini pies from pan after about 5 minutes. all but one of my minis easily came out of the pan. i think there was a crack in the bottom of the crust and the filling sort of glued itself to the bottom.
(makes 1 pie plus 24 mini pies)