Peanut Butter Marshmallow Squares

I'd like to start this post with an anecdote. Two years ago, around September, I was hanging out in my pajamas just like any other lazy evening. I was sitting on my couch, and I awkwardly reached over to grab something at the other end. I heard a strange noise. Was it my cat scratching something? No, he was sleeping on the back of the couch. I dismissed it. Then the next day as soon as I sit down, I hear the noise again. Alright this is just getting weird. Day after day I continue to hear the noise.

Then one day I'm walking around the apartment and "what is that noise?" turns into "what is that breeze?!". I turn around, look in the mirror, and immediately realize that the noise was the gradual ripping of the seam of the butt of my pajama pants. I had no idea, until it had ripped all the way from waistband to crotch. Thank goodness I live alone. I repeated this story to Jinelle (who cried a little it was so funny), and that Christmas she gave me a new pair of pajama pants.

Fast forward to this past September. I'm wearing the new pajama pants now, and I sit down on the couch. I HEAR THE SOUND. I jump off of the couch and sure enough, I've ripped the bum again. After laughing hysterically for a moment, I text Jinelle and tell her the situation.

Of course I was expecting another new pair this Christmas and she did not disappoint. She decided to go with a fleece pant, with a super durable stitch down the back. Not to mention they are pretty adorable.

Seen here with "Grinch" cookies, and shortbread cookies

On to the recipe! The theme is butter and the result is calories.


INGREDIENTS

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup smooth peanut butter
2 cups butterscotch chips
1 bag of mini marshmallows (multi-colored)


DIRECTIONS

1) Put the butter, peanut butter, and butterscotch chips into a microwave safe dish. Microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until ingredients are combined and smooth.

Don't look directly at it, or your arteries will clog

2) Stir in the mini marshmallows and pour into a 9x9 parchment lined, baking dish. I actually used my silicone one, so I didn't need to line it.

3) Refrigerate for at least an hour, or until firm. Turn out of baking dish and cut into bite sized squares. Store the squares in the fridge until ready to serve to avoid them softening.

After sampling one and finding it to be incredibly rich and sweet, I wasn't sure if they were going to be a hit. Turns out they were probably the most popular treat out of all my Christmas baking. Who knew. 

Adapted from Sweetapolita

Rice Krispies Squares - Jumbo Marshmallow Experiment

So, boyfriend (yes I have one now, claps for me) decides to buy a massive bag of jumbo tutti fruiti marshmallows at the market while on vacation. In what world this is necessary I have no idea. Naturally we come home with the bag unopened and it sits on my counter for a few weeks. The only thing one can really do with marshmallows is make rice krispies squares.


Ask my family about the competition to see how many can fit in your mouth

I hadn't made rice krispies squares, or eaten them since I was a child. I remembered the basic ingredients though, and adapted to accommodate jumbo tutti fruiti marshmallows.

I had no idea the culinary adventure that was about to ensue.


INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup butter
8 jumbo marshmallows, cut into chunks (or 4 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 cups of rice krispies cereal


DIRECTIONS

1) Spray with Pam, a 9x13 inch baking pan. This is going to be too big, but I don't know what else to suggest. Maybe use a loaf pan, like who uses a loaf pan for rice krispies squares? Um, you because you're awesome.

2) Cut your jumbo marshmallows into reasonable sized chunks. Then to a large pot on medium-low heat, add your marshmallows and butter. Once they had started to melt I added my vanilla, which was arguably a bit premature (I got excited), so you may wish to hold off to ensure that it doesn't burn. Stir until gooey.

3) Add your rice krispies cereal to the pot. Now this is where the gong show begins. Half of your cereal is going to stick to the bottom, and you are going to frantically try to scrape it off to salvage these krispies. I do not recommend doing this, as it crushes them into dust. Abandon these bits, the damage is done. Stirring the cereal into the marshmallows is pretty much the worst thing that you will ever do in your life, but I found that swear words were slightly effective.

4) Turn the mixture out into your pan. Wet your hands to avoid sticking, and press the mixture evenly into the pan. Because my pan was too big, it turned out very thin and disappointing.

I thought these were going to suck, but the surprising twist is that they are actually amazing. Not  going to lie, it crossed my mind a few times during the process that I was finally going to ruin something. Saved again by the baking Gods.