I’m sorry for doing this to you.
I really am.
But see, last Friday while I was on a 10-hour road trip heading for vacation, I received this recipe from a reader named Liz.
Liz, I love you. That’s all I have to say.
I was tortured by this recipe for a full 8 days before I could make it. I wanted to make it while I was on vacation, but couldn’t drag myself up off the couch to do so.
So it was the first thing I made when I returned home.
These are an absolute sin.
I really don’t have any words, other than you must try them. They will change your life.
They may also change your waistline too.
But that’s okay.
It’s all in the name of chocolate.
Better-Than-Crack Brownies
1 batch brownies (boxed mix or oooey gooey brownies)
1/2 cup salted peanuts (if don’t have salted, add sea salt)
1 cup chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups
1 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies Cereal
Mix brownies according to directions, and bake for 20-25 minutes in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Remove and top with peanuts and peanut butter cups, and bake for 4-6 minutes more.
While they are finishing baking, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Stir in cereal. Remove brownies from oven and evenly pour chocolate mixture over top.
Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
Mr. How Sweet says these are healthy since they have peanuts for protein and good fat, and since the back of the Rice Krispie box says the cereal is a “healthy snack.”
I love the way this man thinks.






I’m Jessica and this is where I share my stuff. You will find a balance of healthy recipes, comfort food and indulgent desserts.
Yum, that’s a whole lotta lovin’.
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I completely agree with the mister. I mean, we’re constantly hearing how chocolate has antioxidants and will improve our sex lives. What could be wrong with that?
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Are you kidding me??!! Those are all the best foods in the world thrown into one treat. I am making these on the next special occasion FOR sure.
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wow. these look awesome. almost like brownies & scotcharoos in one. except way better.
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Just looking at the ingredient list I can already tell that I will love these. Thanks for sharing :)
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Woah. I am going to make sure I have SunButter in the cupboard and try these. I just need to figure out what to sub for peanut butter cups. I’m thinking…more chocolate. ;-)
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Oh dear heavens, there should have been a ‘WARNING’ label on this post! Those brownies look a-maaaaaazing!
I just read your “About Me” section and see you live in Pittsburgh! I just moved here last summer from Texas after my husband and I got married:) That’s so cool! I just started a blog two weeks ago documenting my journey to the bikini competition stage and have to say, your blog is such a tease to me with these amazing recipes and beautiful pictures! My comp diet leaves a lot to be desired, so when I see these pics I’m sucked in to “If Only Land” HA! I’m going to need to bookmark this page so that I can make these in Novemeber! WOW!
Talia:)
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Mr. How Sweet is a genius.
This IS cruel, cruel, cruel – we can look, but can’t touch!! ;)
Holy crap, delish.
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This is my first time commenting. I’ve made something like this before, and they are SOOOO good. Mmm, definitely better-than-crack.
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Oh wow! These look awesome. I’m not a huge fan of brownies, but throw in some pb cups and rice krispies and I’m SO there!
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just the top layer of those would be off the chain…my grandma used to make me chocolate PB rice krispie treats and i can imagine these things just ROCK…girl.. nice work!
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I am a new reader and I lovve your blog! You are hysterical and your recipes look sooo yummy! I made your enchilada lasagna last night for dinner and it was amazing!! So simple yet so yummy. Cant wait to keep reading!
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Drooling on my keyboard as I type…keys are very sticky.
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oh my sweet jesus! These look like the best thing ever! All those goodies packed into one delicious bar! awesome job!
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Oh. My. Goodness.
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Holy freakin’ moley!! Those look unbelievable!! Mmmmm!!!!!!
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HOLY MOLY they look great!
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Wow!! One of these and a latte’ and I’m set for the first half of the day! Looks decadent, delicious, indulgent, all good things. Very nice!
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this is the “spend all your money until you live in ur car” kind of bar! and even then id probably sell off my car just to have more of these <3 lol FABULOUSLY AND ENVIABLY DELICIOUS :P mmmmm
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whoa!
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I love everything about these brownies…every. single. thing. YUM!!!
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Oh my god! These look AMAZING!
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Lol!!! Better than crack! I love it…mostly because I am known by my friends and family to refer to oopber delicious treats as “crack”. Perfect description, cant wait to make these!
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Everytime I read another ingredient in these I gasped a little. These sound amazing!
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I love the way Mr Sweet Thinks too :D
Those brownies look AMAZING. I would totally ditch my diet if I would get my hands on those!
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You are killing me with this recipe! These look pretty damn good!
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Haha I love his interpretation of healthy! But healthy or not, I am making these VERY soon!
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PLEASE—-is there a way for you to include a print button, or whatever it is called for your recipes? I find that I am using so many of them that an easier way to print them off would be absolutely wonderful.
By the way, my baby son (25 years old) is a gym freak and complains like mad when I whip up one of your decadent delights—but I find he gets into them big-time after I go to bed. (I love it)
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Jessica — August 10th, 2010 @ 6:20 am
Working on it!
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I have made the chocolate cobbler not one, not two, but three times now. And I’m thinking about making these.
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Oh my goodness! I am definitely making these soon!
Hey Jessica, I was in Pittsburgh over the weekend and I swore I saw you in Forever 21 at Ross Park Mall. I guess you have a twin, because when I asked the girl if she was you she looked at me like I was crazy :)
We had a fantastic time – went to a Pirates game, shopping & eating way too much!
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Jessica — August 10th, 2010 @ 9:51 am
LOL! Oh my gosh, seriously no one has ever recognized me before. But I do love Ross Park and you can be sure to find me there. :)
Your weekend sounds like a blast!
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Hol-Y…umm, can I swear on your blog? I can hardly contain myself. These look DELICIOUS!!! Serious food-gasm happenin’ over here!
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Those are some amazing things all mixed together there. I cannot WAIT to make these. Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing!
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Total LOL: they may change your waistline as well :-D heeeee
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Oh dear, these are deadly!! I made them last night…everyone at work today is SOOO thankful for the recipe! =)
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Jessica — August 12th, 2010 @ 10:47 am
Glad you like them! They are dangerous.
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Must…..make….must…..nosh…
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These look and sound delicious. I’m going to make them this weekend and surprise the wife. Thanks
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That is pure unadulterated evil. GOOD evil of course, but evil all the same. :-)
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Ohh!! I am drooling. Only thing, any ideas to make this without the PB? Not too many people around me like it, and my weight will triple if I eat it alone :P
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Jessica — August 13th, 2010 @ 8:16 am
Instead of PB cups, you could use another candy and either another nut or no nuts, then just double the chocolate on top, leave out the PB, and add the rice krispies?
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Kate — September 3rd, 2010 @ 11:18 am
I was actually thinking these would be really good with soft caramel candies instead of the pb cups…I thought they might stand out a little more against the pb in the chocolate/rice krispies mix. Definitely going to try them that way after I finish the ones I just made!
Hubby’s co-irkers LOVED these. I’m actually in the middle of making another batch for the kids when they come this weekend. (Hope I can stay out of them until they get here!)
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I have done a similar recipe with the recipes and the same topping of cereal/chocolate, but instead of nuts and peanut butter, I have used marshmallows on top of the brownies (and then bake longer). You can spread them around a bit after they bake, and then top the same way. It is so delicious! This one also looks good. :)
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those brownies are incredible…I bet they are addictive!
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Wow… I am slightly wishing that I had never seen this. Now I have no choice but to make some for myself.
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Oh no – this is not the post I should be looking at after a week of eating crap while camping :-) Hehe – they look SO good!
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I just wanted to say that I made these brownies for a girls weekend and they were indeed better then crack.
I loved that the brownies are underbaked; I had no peanuts on hand so I used Oh Henry bars (of course using enough so there was 1/2 cup of peanuts and completely disregarding the extra chocolate :) and honestly, it was perfect with the caramel AND peanut butter from the Reese’s cups. I used dark chocolate for the topping as well.
Thank you so much for always having the best recipes. Between the 3 of us, we ate the entire pan over the weekend and we couldn’t be happier. :)
Thanks Jessica!!!!
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Made them this weekend. Super easy and everyone loved them.
Thanks
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I made these yesterday to “share.” While I’ve never had crack, these brownies make me want to be both a user and a dealer.
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Jessica, HI!! Just came across your website.. Love your recipes and those brownies are like the sexiest specimens of chocolate I’ve ever seen. I know what I”m bake’n the next time I wanna woooo somebody!! xoxo
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Love the site! Liz and I must have been rolling through the same mini cookbooks at the end of the grocery isle! Made these delicious little treats for my husband while he was away at training a few months ago and I wanted to report in that they ship fantastically! I love the name you gave them way better than the one I gave them!
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Oh my freaking LORD ALMIGHTY! I got behind in reading my blogs and just stumbled across this post. It’s 9:30 in the morning and I now know how I’ll be spending the afternoon. YUMALICIOUS!
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best drug ever! im speechless.
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