Cookie Butter Rice Krispy Treats with Butterscotch & Chocolate Chips

"Why can't your feelings taste like rice krispy treats?"

No subtly between friends, right?   So here you go, what my feelings taste like today:  Cookie Butter Rice Krispy Treats, with both butterscotch and chocolate chips.  Add a little extra chocolate on top for some flair, and add some shape for some class.

I'd actually never made rice krispy treats until this past February.  Maybe because it doesn't require an oven?  Maybe because I like to pretend I am super sophisticated and refined and usually rice krispy treats don't sound like they could be either.  I was in charge of treats for a group outing and was too exhausted from life to bake anything so I decided to take a stab at some.  I made the first batch at a friend's house.  I asked if he had peanut butter and he took out a jar of cookie butter instead.  I won't lie; I almost had a heart attack.  I wasn't thrilled at him spooning globs of it into MY treats.  But I allowed it.  And it was a little magical.  Because apparently it is not love (the so-called secret ingredient to all) but cookie butter which makes a good rice krispy treat.

Have you ever had cookie butter?  It is seriously made from COOKIES.  Speculoos cookies.   When I recetly re-made these for the blog, I had to go back 3 times to Trader Joe's because people buy it all up as soon as they restock the jars and then they sell/mail overseas.  I played hooky from work one day and went to TJ's at 10:00AM.  I got the last one on the shelf.  I beat the hoarders!  Hoorah. So I made them as soon as I got home.

As all rice krispy treats are, these are super easy to make but have tons of layers of flavors to them.

Cookie Butter Rice Krispy Treats with Butterscotch & Chocolate Chips

Ingredients:
6 cups Rice Krispy cereal
5 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup cookie butter
10 oz. bag marshmallows
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips (Optional:  1/4 cup more for drizzling)

Directions:
1. In a saucepan over low heat, melt butter completely but do not let boil.
2. Add in marshmallows, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula to prevent sticking.
3. Add cookie butter and stir until combined.
4. Remove from heat and immediately add in rice krispy cereal.
5. Fold in chocolate and butterscotch chips.
6. Scoop mixture into a 9 x 13 pan lined with wax paper. Pat down with a greased piece of waxed paper until smooth and even.
7. Let sit for a few minutes. Then use your choice of cookie cutter to cut out shapes.  (I used a flower.)
8. Drizzle melted chocolate over cut out treat, if desired.
9. The scraps are totally up for grabs.

When you add the chips in, they get a little melty.  It's not too bad with the butterscotch, but a bit messy with the chocolate.  So you may just want to drizzle more chocolate on top.

Now I have half a jar of cookie butter left. I can either make something else with it, or eat it by the spoonful. I haven't decided which of those options I'm going for just yet.

xoxo,
Anna

Banana Chocolate Butterscotch Muffins

Muffins might very well be just ugly cupcakes, but that didn't stop one of my kickboxing instructors from eating three of these things.  To be exact, he ate all three about 18 inches from my face, washing them down with a cup of coffee while somehow managing to add more weight to my machine, spitting out (muffin crumbles) instructions on proper form.

Seriously, that happened.  Couldn't have made that up if I had tried.

The real reason I made these muffins was not to feed my instructor though, it was because I had three bananas staring at me from the counter that I had avoided eating all week long.  I bought a prettier bunch before I finished the first and they looked much more appetizing.  This meant that the poor bananas over ripened before my eyes each day.  I had to do something with the sad fruit, so when I spotted this recipe on my bff (pinterset ) well I knew I had something to work with!

Banana Chocolate Butterscotch Muffins
Makes 18, bake at 350* for 15-18 minutes.  

2 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 medium over-ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 c. chocolate chips
2/3 c. butterscotch chips

Directions:
1. In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside.
2. In your stand mixer on low, mix mashed bananas, granulated sugar and  brown sugar. Beat in egg, vegetable oil and vanilla extract.
3. Add  flour mixture into the banana mixture slowly, 1/2 a cup at a time.  Beat until smooth
4. Scoop batter into pre-lined muffin pan, until 1/3 full.
5. Melt chocolate chips in microwave oven, and while still in liquid form add 1/2 tablespoon to the batter and swirl with a toothpick.  Repeat for all muffins.
6. Scoop more batter into the muffin cavities, this time until 2/3 full.
7. Melt butterscotch chips in microwave oven and while still in liquid form add 1/2 tablespoon to the top of the batter and swirl in with a toothpick.  Repeat for all muffins.
8.  Bake in pre-heated oven until edges start to brown .

I made a few changes here and there, taking out the nuts (surprising, I know) and of course using butterscotch and chocolate chips.

I used butterscotch and chocolate chips on another project a few weeks back and fell in love with the combination.  You will see it again from me, trust me.  But isn't the swirl in the middle lovely and unexpected?

These are NOT overwhelmingly sweet.  The banana flavor comes through right away, too.  They are admittedly not the prettiest thing I have made, but at just under 200 calories a serving, they are not a bad way to start your morning at all.  Plus they come together really quickly and easily.  And if you want more chocolate, add 1 tablespoon instead 1/2 a tablespoon to the batter. Feel free to add the chocolate on top if you'd prefer to see the chocolate swirls there rather than in the middle.  The butterscotch color gets a little lost in these, especially at the top but trust me you can taste it!

I packaged the rest of these up in brown paper bags and gave them out to a few friends.  One advantage to muffins over cupcakes?  Portability.  No worrying about messing up the frosting here!

xoxo,
Anna