It’s late and you’re hankering for something that’s the perfect blend of sweet and salty. Maybe a little chocolate, a little crunch, and a little peanut butter. It’s hot as Hades, though, and you loathe the idea of turning on the oven to bake something to satisfy your craving. That’s where these little gems come in! O’Henry Bars are the perfect snack!
Wait…what are they called?
I’m not surprised if you’ve never heard of O’Henry Bars. I learned how to make these in my middle school Home Economics class. It was our “Cooking” lesson and I suppose the teacher figured it was pretty fool-proof for a bunch of goofy kids. Once class was over, we were free to take our goodies with us. Anyone who didn’t make them BEGGED for a chunk…and the next thing you knew, there were nothing but crumbs left in your sad little aluminum foil wrapper.
Without further ado…let’s get started!
Here are the ingredients and things you’ll need:
The ingredients.
O’Henry Bars Recipe
Makes: 9×9 pan; Units: US
- 1 Cup granulated white sugar
- 1 Cup light corn syrup
- 2 Cups creamy peanut butter
- 6 Cups corn flakes (4 cups for an 8×8 dish, 6 cups for a 9×9 dish)
- 1 (12 oz) package chocolate chips
** You’ll also need:
- a medium-sized sauce pan
- an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish or pan
- a couple sandwich bags or waxed paper (optional)
- a rubber spatula
- a rather large bowl to mix things in
- a glass measuring cup, or microwave safe bowl
Okie-dokie! We’re going to prep a few things before we start to make life easier. The corn syrup and sugar will boil up quickly, so it helps to have things ready to go. Don’t be scared – it’s super easy! *You can do it!*
Measure out 6 cups of corn flakes and place them in the large bowl. Set this aside – we’ll get to this later.
6 cups of cornflakes
If it’s a new jar, open the peanut butter (creamy is so dreamy, but crunchy is munchy too.) You don’t have to measure your 2 cups now, but you can if you have an extra measuring cup handy. Set this aside as well.
In the medium sauce pan, measure 1 cup of light corn syrup, then stir in 1 cup of granulated sugar. Make sure all the sugar is coated with the syrup. Cook over medium heat – we want to bring it to a boil. Don’t wander off – we need to stir it occasionally to make sure it doesn’t get scorched. **This will get VERY hot – be super careful not to burn yourself! Hot sugar = no bueno!**
Combine the corn syrup and sugar until it boils.
When the mixture comes to a rolling boil, keep stirring and lower the heat (if you have a simmer or “Lo” setting that’s perfect). Stir in your peanut butter now – 2 cups is generous; you can adjust this to taste.
Peanut butter mixed into the hot sugar.
Once that is mixed together, carefully pour it over the corn flakes in your large bowl, and stir with your spatula. As tempting as it is to snitch right now, please, PLEASE be patient! It’s still mucho caliente! *Seriously, sugar gets VERY hot when you melt it…please be careful. We don’t want Nurse Buffalo to be inundated by campers with burns!*
Coat the corn flakes with the peanut butter mixture.
When the corn flakes are coated pretty well in peanut butter goodness, press them into your dish/pan. This is where the waxed paper or sandwich bags come in handy. You can try that, or you can use the rubber spatula to keep your hands from getting messy. Set the dish aside when you’re done. You might have some left over…that’s OK! Its perfect for late night snacking! *Chances are it’s still really warm – I’d opt for the spatula, but I’m a weenie.*
Press the corn flakes into the pan.
In the microwave-safe bowl (or glass measuring cup), pour 12 ounces (one regular package) of chocolate chips. Microwave, keeping a CLOSE EYE on them and stir occasionally until they’re nice and melty…about 30-45 seconds. *Fun fact, not all the chips have to be melted; as you can see in the picture, there are quite a few chunks. Stir the chocolate around to melt the other chips – the chunks will realize all the cool kids are melting and eventually they’ll join in. DON’T over-microwave them though – they’ll burn and nothing is sadder than burnt chocolate.*
Mmm….chocolate….
Spread this over your corn flakes… *drool*
Add the chocolate!
Cut into these bad boys with a knife and let the peanut butter and chocolate party begin! Oh, and you can totally lick the spatula now.
If you decide to make O’Henry Bars, I’d love to know about it! Find me on Twitter @ThePeachMartini and use #ohenrybars!
Peace out, home slices!
*jumps in pan full of O’Henry bars*
*jumps in pan full of O’Henry bars*