Crunchy Chocolate Peanut Butter Pops

4 Servings  35-45 Minutes

320 Calories per serving

Sometimes the presentation and "fun" factor for a dessert can be just as important as the actual dessert itself.  Well, not 100%, but lets be real....everyone loves desserts that come on sticks:  cake pops, lollipops, popsicles, banana pops, roasted marshmallows, fruit kabobs...you get the idea.  So why not do a rice crispy treat covered in chocolate with some peanut butter mixed in and put it on a stick?  That's exactly what Plated did here with their crunchy chocolate peanut butter pops with malden salt.

These were super easy to make, tasted great, and were just big enough to give you a treat without feeling like you totally over-indulged, which means you can have more than one!

Ingredients

  • 1 packet peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup roasted salted peanuts
  • 1 cup crispy rice cereal
  • 1 packet unsalted butter
  • 1 cup mini marshmallows 
  • 4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 teaspoon Maldon sea salt
  • 12 lollipop sticks
  • 1 parchment paper

Directions

  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Set peanut butter aside at room temperature to soften slightly.  Roughly chop peanuts and add to a medium bowl.  Add rice cereal to bowl with peanuts and stir to combine.  In a medium pot, combine butter and marshmallows.  Place over medium heat and cook, stirring until marshmallows have melted, about 4 minutes.  Remove from heat.
  2. Add cereal and peanut mixture to pot with marshmallows and stir vigorously until fully combined.  Spoon mixture onto prepared baking sheet in an even layer to cool slightly.  Once cooled, break off tablespoon-sized pieces of dough, roll between your hands to create 12 balls, and place on parchment-lined baking sheet.  Place baking sheet in refrigerator to chill while you prepare the topping.
  3. While pops chill, place chocolate in medium heatproof bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals until melted.  Alternatively, create a double boiler:  Bring 2 inches water to a bowl in a separate medium pot over high heat.  Place bowl with chocolate over pot and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth, 2-4 minutes.
  4. Add peanut butter to bowl with melted chocolate and whisk until very smooth and pourable.  If mixture is stiff, microwave for 1 minute more to reach a smooth, pourable consistency.  
  5. Remove rice cereal balls from refrigerator and gently insert 1 lollipop stick into each ball, pressing mixture around stick to fully adhere (this is a great task for an eager kitchen helper!).  Dip each rice cereal ball into the chocolate peanut butter mixture, rotating the stick over the bowl to allow excess to drip off.  Return to parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle over Maldon salt.  
  6. Return baking sheet to refrigerator to allow chocolate to set and harden slightly, about 10 minutes.  Once set, remove crunchy chocolate peanut butter pops from refrigerator and serve chilled.  

There may seem like a lot of steps, but I promise you these are so easy to make, and well worth it.  Who doesn't like rice crispy treats in a pop form?  You can be creative and tweak this recipe to reflect flavors that you enjoy if peanut butter isn't your favorite.

<3 P.S. This is a great recipe for kids to help out with.  They typically love hands on recipes, so rolling the balls or inserting the sticks and dipping them into chocolate are the perfect steps for participation.  

TasteDanielle Santanarice, crispy, pops, chocolate, peanut butter, dessert, salt, bake, platedComment