Payday Candy Corn Rice Krispies Treats

If you are anything like me, holidays catch you by surprise. Now we both know that they come the same time year after year, but even knowing this fact never seems to matter to me; I'm always operating a week or so behind. If you find yourself in a situation that is similar, and are in desperate need of a tasty treat for the trick-or-treaters who will be knocking on your door tomorrow night, I have a sweet solution: Payday Candy Corn Rice Krispies Treats. These come together in a flash, and don't tell me that you don't have candy corn stashed away.  The mere making of this is comforting, and will take you back to your youth and memories of the Rice Krispy treats of your mother's kitchen.  One taste of these, however, and you will find that these are not your momma's Rice Krispy treats, these are simply amazing.  A darned close clone of a Payday bar, these are dense, chewy, and sweet, with the perfect hint of peanut butter. Try not to eat them all yourself.

Payday Candy Corn Rice Krispies Treats*

From Dessert Mash-Ups by Dorothy Kern

Sometimes you come across some food combinations that totally blow your mind.  Candy corn, a seemingly boring and too-sweet Halloween treat, becomes a magical food when mixed with certain things. When you eat candy corn together with peanuts, the flavor becomes just like a Payday candy bar! By adding those flavors, along with some peanut butter, to Rice Krispies treats, you get a dessert that actually has the taste and texture of a Payday . . . it’s kind of amazing!

Yield 24 squares

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Cool Time 1 to 2 hours

5 cups crispy rice cereal

1 cup peanuts

1 cup candy corn

1⁄4 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

6 cups mini marshmallows

1⁄2 cup creamy peanut butter

Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.

Place the cereal, peanuts, and candy corn in a large bowl. Set aside.

In another large microwave-safe bowl, place the butter, marshmallows, and peanut butter.

Microwave on high power in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until everything is melted together. Remove from the microwave and pour the cereal mixture into the marshmallow mixture. Stir gently. Pour into the prepared pan. Press to fit. Be careful, the mixture will be hot and sticky. It helps to spray your hands with cooking spray, so the treats won’t stick to you.

Let sit at room temperature until cool. Cut into squares and serve. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.  Tip! Try to use fresh candy corn. The older it is, the harder it is to cut.

*Recipe from Dessert Mash-Ups by Dorothy Kern, and courtesy of Ulysses Press.  For a review of this delightful volume, click here.

This post is linked to:

Full Plate Thursday

Foodie Friday

Friday Favorites

Dessert Mash-Ups, a Tasty Review

Are you a dessert fantasist?  Someone who, like me, imagines what it would be like to combine two favorite sweets like pumpkin pie and deep butter cake only to ponder the end result? Dorothy Kern is a dessert fantasist too.  Unlike me, she turned her dessert “wonderings” into a delightful book, Dessert Mash-Ups, filled from cover-to-cover with 52 inspiring recipes for the most wondrous desserts imaginable.  Not only are her creations truly inspired and lots of fun, but they are delicious, too.  The Carrot Cake Coffee Cake is a favorite of mine, but then anything that manages to, essentially, grant permission to have cake for breakfast suits me.

Her baking interests began at her mother’s side, eventually resulting in the creation of her blog Crazy for Crust, that led to this clever book. Divided into categories such as, Breakfast but Better, Pie Surprise, and New Takes on Cheesecake (Oh, yeah!), you will find lots of inspiration here.

It's a slim volume, meaning that, yes, indeed, you do have room for it on your already over packed book shelves, with enthusiastic intros for each recipe along with mouthwatering pictures. You might consider trying the Cinnamon Roll Cookies, or the, brace yourself, Overnight Pumpkin Cheesecake French toast. Hello, breakfast!  And surely she had me in mind when she created the “Sconuts,” and (gulp) Lemon

Meringue Pie Fudge. Can you imagine? Pie in a portable, hide-it-in-your-purse, form. Genius! 

Cinnamon Roll Cookies

Desperate for a treat for Friday’s trick-or-treaters? Come back tomorrow where I'll be providing you with an easy, seasonal, and tasty recipe from the book that will pretty much turn the things you have in your pantry into a treat that nicely replicates a Payday bar!

I highly recommend this book for pretty much everybody. Those who are inexperienced will find a lot to make here, as many of the recipes are relatively easy. Those who like more of a challenge will be satisfied as well. And those who simply enjoy reading cookbooks will find this one similarly enjoyable. What more can one ask? 

Pumpkin Pie Magic Bars

Disclaimer: I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book by Ulysses Press in exchange for an honest review.