Good Morning Sunshine Bars

I am so obsessed with this cookbook. It's sick. I know we just talked about something chocolatey and peanut buttery and invented by Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito last week, but, well... we ate all of those scones already. So it was time to try something else. I don't really have anything else to say about my chocolate + peanut butter addiction (we've covered that extensively), just, you know, quick reminder: it's serious. Serious in a gay-cowboy, I-just-can't-quit-yew, type of way.

I wouldn't want to quit yew, even if I could. I'd rather celebrate that love with scrumptious treats. Duh. In Baked Elements, the guys describe these as a perfect breakfast treat, and so I made them with that intent. Let's be real, though, these babies are sweet. If you have littles, it would probably be best to give these to them as a dessert item, rather than in place of their morning sustenance. But really, your call. I trust your judgement.  

If you have no littles, then you should definitely eat these for breakfast--with black or sugarless coffee. And, like, I don't know, use obscenities loudly, and without parental guilt. Yeah, dude. Black coffee, sweet morning treats, and bad words. That's a #$*& of a trifecta. 

In any regard, you should enjoy these. Either with your morning coffee and naughty language or with your littles after a meal. Just enjoy!

Good Morning Sunshine Bars 

from Baked Elements 

Ingredients

   6 cups crunchy, plain cereal (Rice Chex or something similar works best)
   1 1⁄4 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
   1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
   1 cup light corn syrup (I used an asian rice syrup)
   1 cup smooth peanut butter
   1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
   1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
   6 ounces good-quality milk chocolate, chopped (I subbed Nutella)

Directions

1. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13- inch baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper so that the paper overhangs the pan on two sides. Butter the parchment.
2. Place the cereal and peanuts in a large bowl and use your hands to toss together until mixed well.
3. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the sugar and corn syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil for one full minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the peanut butter, vanilla, and salt. Stir until the mixture is combined.
4. Pour the sugar mixture over the cereal mixture and use a spoon or well-greased hands (be careful as the liquid may still be very hot) to toss until the cereal is completely coated with the sugar mixture. Turn the mixture out into the prepared pan. Grease your hands and press the mixture into the bottom of the pan, being careful not to crush the cereal. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature (if you wish to speed this process, you may place the entire pan in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes).
5. Melt the chocolate in a microwave or double boiler. Use a spoon or piping bag to decorate the tops of the bars in a stripe or zigzag pattern. Allow the chocolate to set. (You can omit this step by simply drizzling Nutella over the top--which I did, because I am a Nutella addict) 
6. Lift the bars out of the pan using the parchment paper overhang, cut them into approximately 3-by-11⁄2-inch rectangles (i.e., candy bars)
7. The bars can be stored at room temperature, in an airtight container, for up to 3 days. If the weather is hot and humid, you might want to keep them in the refrigerator instead.