On Regrets {chocolate crunch bars}

I try to live regret-free.  I don’t spend much of my time wishing things that didn’t happen, happened. But. I walked by this cookbook on sale at Anthro post-Christmas, and didn’t pull the trigger.  I know that its price on Amazon is likely equal to or less than its reduced price at my favorite store, but there’s something about feeling like you caught something on sale, isn’t there? It is most-gorgeously designed, and I’m a sucker for cookbooks, especially pretty ones.  But I already have a lot of cookbooks.  And our house isn’t that big.  And so I had to keep walking. My general rule of thumb when purchasing a cookbook is I have to know I’m going to actually cook from it.  I’ve purchased too many books that have gone untouched to think about anything else.  If I don’t know for sure I’m going to make food from a cookbook, I do not buy the cookbook.  Usually.  And I don’t know much about these Mast Brothers and their chocolate.  I mean, I love chocolate.  But just who are these guys and what makes their chocolate so special? When Jessica linked to Meg’s Chocolate Crunch Bars, I knew they were happening during my weekend this weekend.  They had to.  They are made of 6 ingredients I keep on hand at all times, and don’t require baking.  And when I looked closely at the recipe, I saw that it had come from the cookbook I passed up those few weeks ago.  Coulda.  Woulda.  Shoulda. These bars are beyond anything I’ve made in quite some time.  They are the perfect bite of chocolate after any meal (breakfast included).  One of my goals this new year was to give away pretty much all of what I bake, save for a taste here or there for me and my husband.  But I do not want to do that with these.  I want to hide them in the depths of my refrigerator and not tell anyone they live there.  I want to sneak little pieces of them after meals for the rest of my days.  I want them forever and always. To make a 9 x 9 panful of chocolate crunch bars, you will need:

• 1 1/2 pounds good dark chocolate (though I cobbled together some semi-sweet and dark chocolate I had in my baking drawer)
• 1 stick butter, cut into several pieces
• 2 T peanut butter
• 1 T honey
• 4 C Rice Krispies
• sea salt

Melt chocolate and butter in double boiler.  Off heat, add peanut butter and honey.  Stir in Rice Krispies.  Pour mixture in parchment-lined, 9 x 9 pan.  Sprinkle with sea salt.  Place in refrigerator or freezer till completely firm.  Slice into manageable chunks and enjoy all alone.  Don’t share if you don’t want to!