Chocolate peanut butter crispy bars

I first saw this recipe a couple of months ago on Smitten Kitchen and it has been on my mind ever since.... driving me crazy. I finally made it yesterday for a gathering at my friend's house and the consensus was that they're pretty darn good.... but very, very rich... so a little goes a long way.

It's hard to see the 3 layers in my bars since I used dark chocolate for everything, they all kind of blend in together.

Below is the recipe from Smitten Kitchen who adapted it from
Baked: New Frontiers in Baking... and I noted the changes I made along the way also...

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crispy Bars

Crust
1 3/4 C crisped rice cereal
1/4 C sugar
3 TB light corn syrup ( I used golden syrup)
3 TB unsalted butter, melted (I used salted)
Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer
5 oz good quality milk or semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used bitter sweet from Mon Aimee in Pittsburgh)
1 C creamy peanut butter

Chocolate Topping
3 oz dark chocolate (60 to 72 percent cocoa), coarsely chopped (I used Ghirardelli 60% chips)
1/2 tsp light corn syrup (I used golden syrup again)
4 TB unsalted butter (I used salted)

Make the Crust
Lightly spray an 8" square pan with non stick spray.

Put cereal in large bowl and set aside.

Pour 1/4 C water into small saucepan and gently add the sugar and corn syrup - do not let any sugar or syrup get on the sides of the pan). Gently stir with a wooden spoon or spatula just until the mixture is combined. Place a candy thermometer in the saucepan and cook over med-high heat, bringing to a boil. Cook until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage fo 235° F.

Remove from heat, stir in the melted butter and pour mixture over cereal. Working quickly, stir until the cereal is thoroughly coated then pour it into the prepared pan. Using a spatula lightly press the mixture into the bottom of the pan. (Do not press up the sides) Let the crust cool to room temp while you make the next layer.

Make the milk chocolate peanut butter layer
In a large non-reactive metal bowl, stir together the chocolate and peanut butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula until the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for an additional 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the cooled crust and place pan in refrigerator for an hour or until top layer hardens. This step took several hours for me.

Make the chocolate topping
Combine chocolate, corn syrup and butter in a large nonreactive metal bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth. Remove bowl from pan and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour mixture over chilled chocolate peanut butter layer and spread. ( I took the advise of rolling the pan around and allowing the topping to spread itself over the peanut butter layer and this worked nicely without even touching it!) Put pan in refrigerator for at least an hour or until top hardens.

Cut into 9 (or many more because these are very rich) pieces and serve. The bars can be stored in the refrigerator, covered tightly, for up to 4 days... if they last that long.