This kid-friendly, no-bake dessert seemed like it was easy enough for anyone to make, but it has been the first recipe I ended up making twice before writing about it. Good thing I only made half a batch, although that could have been at the root of the problem. The first time, it fell apart when we cut it - not enough of the chocolate topping to hold all the mini marshmallows and peanuts in place. It tasted good, though, my kids thought. These nut goody bars were worth a second try.
Here's the recipe:
In my second attempt, the goal was is to keep the mini marshmallows and the peanuts in a single layer on the bottom of the pan. I also slightly increased the chocolate and butterscotch chips so there was more topping to hold it all together.
This is how I successfully scaled it down:
Butter a 6 x 10-inch pan. Place a single layer of miniature marshmallows in the buttered pan, about a cup and a half. Sprinkle about 1 1/2 cups of lightly salted peanuts among the marshmallows. The more you keep it to a single layer, the better.
Place the following in a microwavable bowl: 3/4 cup chocolate chips, 3/4 cup butterscotch chips (that's 4 ounces each), 1/4 cup butter, and 1/4 cup peanut butter. Heat and stir in about 30-second increments until completely melted. Spread this chocolate mixture evenly over the marshmallows and peanuts. Chill till firm and then cut into bars.
My recipe testers have never turned down one of these bars. I think they may be a bit too sweet and would probably prefer them if I nixed the butterscotch chips and doubled the chocolate chips. Bittersweet chips may be even better.