"dnsyl57's Peanut Butter Bars in Dark Chocolate"

I have been making 3 batches of these yummy treats every year for several years now and including them with my annual Christmas "Goody Bags" of homemade treats for friends, family and others who help me throughout the year. I've tweaked the original recipe to come up with this one! These are SO good that they make Reese's Peanut Butter Cups taste like imitations!

1 1/2 cups crunchy Peanut Butter (I use Skippy)
1 1/2 (300g) packages Peanut Butter chips (I use Hershey's)
1/4 cup icing sugar (also known as confectioners sugar!)
1/2 cup crushed peanuts (I use blanched, salted)
1/2 cup crushed Rice Krispies
3/4 to 1 pound (340-454g) semi-sweet or dark chocolate wafers (I've been using Morden's of Winnipeg for over 20 years!) DON'T USE THE CHEAP STUFF OR CHOCOLATE CHIPS - FIND THE GOOD STUFF!!!

Melt the peanut butter and peanut butter chips in a 2 quart microwave safe bowl on medium power, stirring every minute until completely melted. (About 2 1/2 - 3 minutes.) Stir in icing sugar, peanuts and rice Krispies and mix until well coated and evenly mixed. Pour mixture into wax paper lined 8X8 pan and spread evenly. Chill 3 or 4 hours. Carefully remove wax paper and cut into small bars about 110 - 120. Chill on wax paper lined cookie sheet for 2 - 3 hours. (Note: If the peanut butter mixture crumbles when you cut it, you can press it into a log shape with your hands, then even out the sides and edges with the flat side of a knife. Cut the log into small bars and chill.)

In a double boiler, melt about 1/3 of the chocolate, being careful not to allow any moisture or steam to get in the chocolate or it will seize and be unsuitable for dipping. Add more wafers as needed and stir in as melting until smooth before continuing to dip. (Note; Do not melt this chocolate in microwave as it needs to stay warm and melted to dip properly. Reheating it will change consistency and affect final appearance.) For best results, remove only a dozen or so from the fridge at a time. This will prevent them from becoming to soft and melting while dipping. CAREFULLY dip one at a time in chocolate, turning to coat all sides. Place on wax paper lined cookie sheet and chill till set (1 hour).

Trim off any excess chocolate around the bottom and check for any missed spots. You can touch up missed areas with a bit of melted chocolate on a spoon or with the flat side of a toothpick. Chill any touch-ups.

Store in an air tight container in fridge for up to a month or in freezer up to 4 months - if they last that long! Makes 9 - 10 dozen.

Enjoy!!

dn