Chunk

When I was a kid my mom used to make this yummy dessert called "O'Henry Bars." It was these crunchy, chewy, chocolate-y bars and they were totally rich and addictive. When I went off to college this became a periodic treat I would make for myself and my roommates. It was always a winner, the star of any pot luck or buffet table.

In 1995 I went to spend my second summer in Jackson Hole, Wyoming to perform at The Grande Teton Mainstage. We were doing The Pirates of Penzance and Fiddler on the Roof . I was playing one of the General's Daughters ("Kate") in Pirates... and "Chava" in Fiddler... The summer was chock full of good times. We were at the foot of the Grande Teton National Park, only an hour's drive from the entrance of Yellowstone and a stone's throw from the Snake River. The cast was a bunch of young, loud "theatre people" all living together in a 4-bedroom apartment right next to the theatre. It was one of the best summers of my life. While I was there I met Christie and Kirt. We became fast friends, and they are still two of the most important people in my life today.

Seeing as we were all young, with fast metabolisms, most of us gave no thought to the idea of counting calories or watching our weight that summer. It was common to find several cast members in search of a midnight snack after the shows. We would walk over to the only late night grocery store (a.k.a. the gas station down the street) to buy a pint of Häagen Dazs ice cream, one for each of us. They would all be completely consumed in one sitting, and right before bed no less! How we didn't all gain 20 pounds that summer, I'll never know!

In addition to our Häagen Dazs habit we also gained a "Chunk" habit. That's what my mom's O'Henry Bars were dubbed that summer. It was called "Chunk" because it's like a big chunk of gooey goodness on your spoon, we wouldn't wait for them to cool, so you had to eat them with a spoon. And it was also called Chunk because it made you chunky, as in jiggly thighs chunky. Still, to this day, the cast members from that summer call my mom's O'Henry Bars, "Chunk."

So, this is the recipe for my mom's famous "Chunk." I'm not sure where she got it from, but it was probably some nice Mormon woman from Relief Society in the Raleigh First Ward.

O'Henry Bars

1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup white corn syrup
3/4 cup peanut butter
3 cups Rice Krispies

1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

Heat the sugar and the corn syrup in a saucepan until dissolved. Boil for one minute, and remove from the heat. Add the peanut butter. Once the peanut butter is fully incorporated, then stir in the Rice Krispies. You don't want to wait too long for this step or the corn syrup mixture begins to harden and it becomes very hard to mix in the Rice Krispies. Pour into an 8"x8" square pan, or if you don't have that size pan you can shape it into a 2" flat disk on a dinner plate. That's what we did in Jackson.

Melt the chocolate chips and the butterscotch chips together either in a double boiler or in the microwave. In the microwave, cook them for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each round until the chips are just melted. You don't want to overcook the chips or they get little crunchy burnt bits in them and your delicious creation will be ruined. Spread the chocolate mixture over the bars.

The recipe then says "Cool and cut into small squares." But you can also immediately take a spoon to it and begin gnoshing. Warning! These are addictive! Hope you enjoy!

Kim