Years ago the words "back to school" sent butterflies to my stomach. My little boy was off for hours without me and I wondered how he would make it, or rather, how I would make it. Then came the years where I couldn't wait to get the kids out of the house so I could have some semblance of peace back in my day. These days, however, I'm somewhere in between those two extremes, I guess I've found balance.
On one hand, this was one of the best summers we've had, we traveled, we swam, we went to bonfires at the beach, we "hung out". I truly enjoyed having the kids home with me as we did daily chores and shopping, and after a few years of being embarrassed to be with me, they actually seemed not to mind so much. On the other hand, I haven't been in my house alone for over two months and my schedule has been everyone's but mine.
Sad as it was to see that first day creep into our lives, I blew a kiss (covertly, so no one else would see), wished them both good luck and somehow I was able to get over any guilty feelings of looking forward to my morning coffee and the rest of the day. With my husband out of town, the pups and I were truly alone with 7 hours stretching out in front of us and all to ourselves. Where is a somewhat sad somewhat elated mom to turn? The kitchen, of course.
PB Fudge studded with TJ's Mini PB cupsStill feeling ever so slightly guilty at the pure pleasure I felt to be alone, I thumbed through my stack of recipes as I enjoyed a leisurely coffee out on the patio searching for something that would make them smile after their first day back to reality. Nothing caught my eye, however my son's request for plain ole Krispie Treats kept nagging at the back of my mind.
He loves peanut butter, and if plain Peanut Butter Treats are good, wouldn't a layer of Peanut Butter Fudge in the middle be even better? The pantry held a mostly full box of Trader Joe's mini Peanut Butter Cups, which seemed to be ready to dive into the Peanut Butter Fudge kicking the whole thing up another notch. Not being able to leave well enough alone (and with a lot of time on my hands), the tops of the treats seemed somewhat plain. Ganache... a nice rich Peanut Butter Ganache would indeed put these guys over the top.
And over the top they were. A layered triple dose of peanut butter treats topped with the peanut buttery ganache was enough to bring cheers of elation from the kids as they arrived home. Grabbing a piece off of the prepared plate, my tired teenager sat himself down at the table, closed his eyes and sighed. My boy is a man of few words and the "Mom... wow... you really are the best," made me smile while the next sigh followed by the comment "These things just might be the best thing I've ever had in my life!" truly had my heart swelling.
As much as I enjoyed my day with the pups (our two Maltese boys), having the kids back home returned our house to its proper balance, and all was good. The Layered Triple Peanut Butter Krispie Treats were a hit, and so was I.
Triple Peanut Butter Treats with Layers.... Yes, please!
Layered Triple Peanut Butter Krispie Treats
Liv Life
1st Layer - Krispe Treat Layer
Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray, or alternatively grease pan with butter.
Measure cereal into a large mixing bowl, set aside.
Melt the marshmallows and butter (along with peanut butter if using) together in a medium saucepan over
medium heat. Pour the melted marshmallow mixture over the cereal
mixture, quickly stirring well to evenly coat the cereal. Pour the
cereal mixture into the prepared pan and press evenly into the pan. Set aside while preparing Peanut Butter Fudge Layer.
From Alton Brown: Combine the butter and peanut butter in a 4-quart microwave-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Microwave for 2 minutes on high. Stir and microwave on high for 2 more
minutes. (Use caution when removing this mixture from the microwave, it
will be very hot.) Add the vanilla and powdered sugar to the peanut butter mixture and stir to combine with a wooden spoon.
Alternatively, prepare fudge on the stove, melting butter and peanut butter over medium heat. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar to the peanut butter mixture and stir to combine with a wooden spoon. If mixture is very thin, add a little extra powdered sugar.
Spread the fudge over the 1st layer of Krispie treats and scatter the mini peanut butter cups over the top, pushing cups into the fudge. Refrigerate
until cool and firm enough to handle second layer of treats, about 1 hour.
After fudge is somewhat firm, prepare second layer of krispies. Measure cereal into a large mixing bowl, set aside.
Melt the marshmallows and butter together in a medium saucepan over
medium heat. Pour the melted marshmallow mixture over the cereal
mixture, quickly stirring well to evenly coat the cereal. Drop the cereal mixture in "dollops" over the prepared fudge, pressing the cereal together and slightly into the fudge.
To prepare the ganache, melt the peanut butter and chocolate either in a microwave, stirring often, or over a double boiler on the stove, also stirring often, over low heat. When the chocolate and peanut butter are fully melted, cool slightly and then pour over the krispie treats, smoothing with the back of a wooden spoon. Give the pan a shake to evenly distribute the melted chocolate mixture.
Allow to cool (for those of us who are impatient - myself included - place treats in the fridge for about 1/2 of an hour until the ganache is set).
Getting the treats out of the pan and still looking pretty is always a bit challenging for me. I usually cut about a 1 1/2 inch slice from the top of the pan (shorter side) and pull that out. (usually I end up eating that before the rest of the treats are fully cut) With the gap left from that slice I can usually get a spatula under the remaining block of treats and using the spatula and my hands I can work the block out onto a cutting board. I then use a warm, dry and clean knife to cut one slice of the treats, cleaning the knife off after each cut and continuing until all the treats are cut into the desired shapes.
Enjoy! My son has asked nearly every day since we made these treats if today was the day I would "treat" him again. Perhaps...
