Peanut Butter and Chocolate Monster Crunch Bars

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If you love rice cereal bars but are looking for something with a little Halloween flare, you’ve gotta check out these Peanut Butter and Chocolate Monster Crunch Bars. These things are seriously next level.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Monster Crunch Bars are great for Halloween

As easy to make as regular rice cereal treats, these things have all kinds of extra goodies included. The chopped pretzels, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, Reeses Pieces, and more are just what you need for a monstrously delicious flavor profile. And when you cover these bars with candy eyes, they look like oogly googly monsters that are sure to make people giggle.

These Peanut Butter and Chocolate Monster Crunch Bars are super fast and easy to make. So if you have kids, be sure to keep lots of supplies on hand just in case some last-minute Halloween emergency occurs. You know, like a Halloween party or after school treat or because you are just really dying for peanut butter and chocolate right now and the kids aren’t home to judge you. Emergencies like that.

More great Halloween treats to enjoy with your family and friends:

• Monster Eyeball Donuts
• Zombie Brain Bark
• Pumpkin Spice Negroni
• Pumpkin Cheesecake Bar Cookies
• Nightmare Before Christmas Quesadillas
• Pumpkin Yogurt Bites shaped like Witch Hats
• Hocus Pocus themed Sugar Cookies

Ingredients you need to make Peanut Butter and Chocolate Monster Crunch Bars

• 3 cups miniature pretzels, coarsely chopped
• 10 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 (10.5 ounce) package miniature marshmallows
• 3 cups crisped rice cereal  – we used Rice Krispies, but store brand works great
• ½ cup light corn syrup, divided
• ¾ cup peanut butter chips
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• ¼  cup dry roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
• ½ cup Reeses Pieces candy
• ¼ cup candy corn
• Candy eyes in assorted sizes

How to make No Bake Peanut Butter and Chocolate Bars

1. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a large microwave-safe bowl, microwave 6 tablespoons butter until melted.
3. Toss marshmallows in the butter and return to the microwave, cooking 1 to 2 minutes or until marshmallows are melted, stirring in 30-second intervals.
4. Add cereal and 2 ⅔ cup of the pretzels, mixing until combined. Immediately press into prepared baking dish. 
5. Prepare the peanut butter layer by combine 2 tablespoons butter and ¼ cup corn syrup in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in the microwave, uncovered, for 45 to 60 seconds or until butter is melted, stirring halfway.
6. Add peanut butter chips and stir well. Return the bowl to the microwave and cook for another 30 to 40 seconds or until the peanut butter chips are melted, stirring halfway. Spread the peanut butter over the cereal layer. 
   

   Spread the peanut butter layer over the Rice Krispies mixture.

7. For the chocolate layer, combine the remaining corn syrup and remaining butter. Cook in the microwave for 45 to 60 seconds or until butter is melted, stirring halfway. Add the chocolate chips to the bowl and stir well. Return the bowl to the microwave and cook for another 30 to 40 seconds or until the chips are melted, stirring halfway. Spread the chocolate over the peanut butter layer. 
   

   Add a layer of chocolate to the crunch bars.

8. While the chocolate is still warm, arrange the remaining pretzels and candy eyes over the top and sprinkle with peanuts and Reeses Pieces candy. Press down gently so the candy adheres to the chocolate. 
   

   Add the candy mix to the peanut butter and chocolate monster crunch bars. If you make this for another season or holiday, you can swap out the peanut butter chips for seasonal M&Ms for a different color scheme.

9. Cover and refrigerate until completely set. Cut into bars and serve.

Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Can I serve no bake peanut butter crunch bars with different candy?

Yes, you absolutely can use different candy toppings on our crunch bar recipe. You will want to make the recipe the same through step 7. Then you can add the candy toppings of your choice.

And if you’re making them for Halloween, the Candy Corn is optional for those of you who don’t enjoy it.

We like to make these with seasonal M&Ms too. When there are special colored M&Ms for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, and even the 4th of July, we like to make a batch of chocolate and peanut butter crunch bars. Since they are no bake, it’s a great option to make when I don’t want to heat up the kitchen with my oven or if my oven is busy making other items.

So if I’m using seasonal M&Ms in place of the Reese’s Pieces, I often mix in some peanut butter chips (I especially like the minis for this) so we still have peanut butter flavor in the topping.

try it and share!

Please let us know how you enjoy our Peanut Butter and Chocolate Monster Crunch Bars recipe. If you make it yourself, please let us know on Pinterest that you tried it and tag us with #theawesomemuse on your Instagram photo. If you haven’t had a chance to make it yet, be sure to save the recipe on Pinterest so you’ll remember where you found it.

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Let’s celebrate Choctoberfest!

Join me and several other bloggers who have created some fun new chocolate recipes for you to enjoy. Be sure to check for new recipes each day this week.

There’s also a Choctoberfest giveaway. You can find that in our Welcome to Choctoberfest post.

Yesterday, we shared our new recipe for Oreo Fudge, aka Cookies and Cream Fudge.