Alchemy

In celebration of Halloween, I'm going to share with you a very secret and very complex recipe. Here is my son, cradling the precious ingredients in the palm of his hand.

This pairing takes the unique and distinctive flavors of two very rare ingredients and upon combining them into one, creates a taste explosion in your mouth and (get this) makes you imagine the presence of another totally absent ingredient – Chocolate! {{Spooky!}}

Here’s the recipe:

1 handful of candy corn

1 handful of salted peanuts

Directions: Combine in the palm of your hand and eat, just like that.

Now tell me if this doesn’t taste EXACTLY like a Baby Ruth bar. Yes, I know you're jumping up from your computer right now to go and check this out. Go ahead, I’ll wait. (insert humming of Jepoardy theme song here)

SEE??? Or am I just crazy, wanting to create chocolate out of thin air? Is this modern day alchemy? Oh ho ho yeah. Merlin had it all wrong: who wants to convert lead into gold when you can create CHOCOLATE! ........ Mwahh ha ha ha ha!

Happy Halloween!

White Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

I was in the mood for a Halloweenie, fallish treat. What says that better than Rice Krispie Treats? Here's a grown up version that is sure to get you in the mood.

White Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats
Makes 20-50 treats

Adapted from David Lebovitz and Kellogg's original recipe

3 tablespoons (45g) salted butter

3 1/2 ounces (100g) white chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup (100g) candied peanuts (I used salted, honey roast peanuts)

10 ounce (300gr) bag marshmallows, snipped in half

6 cups (200g) Rice Krispies

1. Spray or lightly-oil a 13 x 9-inch (approx 30 x 22cm) rectangular pan.
2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the white chocolate and stir until melted.
3. Add the marshmallows and stir constantly over the heat until completely melted. (If they start to scorch on the bottom, remove from heat and continue to stir, placing the pan back on the heat occasionally, and stirring until smooth.
4. Remove from heat and add the candied peanuts and Rick Krispies until well combined. A rubber spatula or flexible pastry scraper works best. I used salad tongs and did the fluffing method to stop the rice krispies for getting smashed and the hot marshmallow from burning my fingers.
5. Scrape into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Let cool.
Serving and storage: Cut into neat bars or squares with a sharp knife. These are best enjoyed the day they're made, although they can be covered snugly with a sheet of aluminum foil and stored at room temperature for 2 to 3 days longer.

Cooks Note:
DO NOT top with milk chocolate drizzle like I did on these in the pictures. Totally changes the flavor and the white chocolate part is shunted to the background :(