Clearly, every family has their own form of “crack” when it comes to yummy snacks! If you remember, I shared a recipe mom and I made a while ago that we lovingly called Graham CRACKer Toffee. An addictive little treat that you need to share with others if you don’t want to pack on the pounds! Well, in my friend Amanda’s family their “crack” is Mock Baby Ruth Bars and I convinced her to share with all of us. Share the love!! In between wrangling kids, making amazing custom pieces for her customers (like me) over at Joyful Home Designs, Amanda is busy making crack (the legal kind). So, let’s see what Amanda has to say!
Hey y’all. It’s Amanda, and I’m talking about Holiday Treats today. Besides actually being able to get together with family, special treats may be my one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving and Christmas, and holidays in general. Some treats you can’t help but associate with special occasions and holidays, like the Apple pie my mom made without fail on Thanksgiving, or the chocolate fudge from my Granny, or the hot crab dip that my aunt is required to bring at Christmas every year. I’m sure your family has similar standards.
Today, I’m going to share one of those recipes with you, {Mock} Baby Ruth Bars. After you bring them somewhere, people will beg you for them. I have always shared this recipe, even though my friend S**** (name changed to protect the innocent) says that “Southern Cooks” do not share their recipes…they will either offer to make the item in question for you, OR if they do share the recipe, they are liable to leave out an important ingredient or two, just so it won’t taste like “theirs”. I was raised in Virginia and didn’t learn this secret conduct of southern women until I lived in Georgia. It makes me laugh and shake my head to no end. Southern traditions are special to me, but that recipe stuff is nonsense! So have no fear, I’m not about to trick you. I feel like good food should be shared and passed on to friends and family.
BTW…you will want to save this one on those cute recipe cards Heather shared a while ago.
I got this recipe from my Great Aunt Miriam. She copied it down on a napkin after she brought them to my mom’s funeral in 2002. I’ve been making them ever since. She called them “Baby Ruth Bars”, but I can tell you that the name didn’t stick long in our family. My younger sisters soon began calling them “Crack”, and they have been “Crack” ever since. We have to remember to call them by their proper name when we are around strangers, or other polite company (wink, wink).
Without further delay, here is the recipe for our beloved “Crack”. Run and add it to your family cookbook stuffed with hand-copied recipes falling out here and there (if you are like me). After you make them, you will either love me or hate me….depending on if you are trying to watch your diet. If your family is anything like mine, soon you will know this recipe by heart and always have the ingredients on hand! Go make them…now!
Mock Baby Ruth Bars (also fondly known as “Crack” in Amanda’s family)
Ingredients:
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup white granulated sugar
1-½ cups peanut butter (I love smooth, but use chunky if you love that)
4 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
Combine corn syrup and sugar in a medium sauce pan , over medium-high heat. Stir until combined and sugar is dissolved, and it looks good and bubbly around the edges of the pot.
[iconbox title=”Note” icon=”big_pencil.png”]This can be slightly tricky – if you don’t cook long enough, the mixture will be very soft and not set up well. If you cook it too long, the bars will be VERY hard! My trick is to bring the spoon up out of the mixture and see if it slowly coats the spoon and falls off the spoon in slow drips, not a steady stream of sugar. There’s probably a certain temperature involved, but let me be honest, who wants to make a recipe where a candy thermometer is required? You don’t need it-trust me.[/iconbox]After you get the sugar good and dissolved, remove from heat and stir peanut butter in completely. Then add rice krispies. Press mixture into a greased 9×13 pan. Let them cool. Combine semi-sweet chips and butterscotch chips in a microwave safe bowl, and melt in 30 second increments, stirring until smooth. Spread chocolate mixture over the top, and let them cool. (You can also speed up the process by putting them in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes) Cut into small squares and share with someone you love!
These are one of my go-to; never fail recipes that my family and friends always ask me to make. I hope you enjoy “Crack”! Are you ready to make some crack?
