Caramel Rice Krispie Treats
Just seven ingredients and a few minutes is all it takes to mix up these ooey gooey delicious Caramel Rice Krispie Treats. These treats are the perfect balance of sweet and crispy and the perfect treat to share at just about any get together!
Rice Krispy Treats have always been a classic treat. They are so simple and delicious and honestly irresistible.
This recipe takes those old classic Rice Krispie treats up a notch with the addition of a little extra sweetness and caramel flavor and of course, extra marshmallows.
If you are a fan of rice crispy treats that are loaded with marshmallows and soft enough to melt in your mouth, this has got to be your go-to recipe.
Even better, this is a no-bake dessert (just like this other no-bake caramel recipe, Caramel Apples!) which means it takes minimal effort to create a dessert everyone will love!
Why Make This Recipe
- Simple Recipe: Who doesn’t love no bake treats? Just seven simple ingredients are needed to make this craving a reality!
- Ooey Gooey: These are not the rice krispies treats of the past. These cereal bars with a delicious twist are gooier, chewier, and more delicious than ever!
- Shareable: This is the perfect easy treat for entertaining. It’s easy to mix up a batch, cut and serve, and you can even have fun with different shapes and toppings.
What Do You Need to Make This Recipe?
Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter: You’re going to brown the butter for maximum flavor so be sure and use real butter!
- Jumbo Marshmallows: Any marshmallows will do but I’ve noticed a big difference between name brand and generic so choose wisely for the best marshmallow flavor and texture. If you need to use 10 oz of regular-sized marshmallows, that will work as well.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: The addition of sweetened condensed milk is what really amps up this dish! This adds a sweetness to the Caramel Rice Krispie Treats that you will love!
- Dulce de leche: I purchased a can of premade dulce de leche but you could make your own at home using your Instant Pot!
- Salt: You just need a pinch of salt for this recipe but you could add flakes of salt or coarse sea salt for Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats.
Tools
- 9×9″ Baking Dish
- Large bowl
- Large Pot
- Nonstick Cooking Spray
- Parchment Paper
How to Make This Recipe
Step One: Prepare Your Ingredients
Fill a large bowl with 6 cups of Rice Krispies cereal. Set aside.
Spray a 9×9 baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
In a large pot add the unsalted butter. Stir the butter continuously over low heat for about 10 minutes until the foam subsides, the milk solids gain a brown color, and the butter begins to smell nutty. You have now browned your butter!
Step Two: Make the Liquid Mixture
Add the 10 ounce bag of jumbo marshmallows to the pot and continuously stir until they completely melt.
Add in the vanilla extract and sweetened condensed milk, stirring everything once again until combined.
Step Three: Make the Rice Krispies Mixture
Remove the marshmallow mixture from the heat and pour over the bowl filled with the Rice Krispies cereal. Use a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together until evenly distributed.
While the mixture is still warm, add the mini marshmallows and fold the two together again (this part can be omitted if you don’t prefer full marshmallows in your Rice Krispies).
Step Four: Add the Dulce de Leche
Transfer half of the mixture to the prepared baking dish and press into the pan evenly. Then pour the warm dulce de leche on top of the Rice Krispies mixture and spread evenly.
Pour the second half of the rice krispy mixture on top and press into an even layer.
Step Five: Cool and Serve
Let the treats sit at room temperature for about an hour before eating.
Cut and enjoy or store in a ziploc bag or a tightly sealed container for later. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- These bars keep well for quite a few days! Do not cut them into bars until the day you are ready to eat them. If they are in bar form for too many days, they will lose their crunch!
- Be sure and give your Rice Krispy Treats time to set before you try to cut into them. I know, I know, it’s very difficult to wait, but if you try to cut a piece too soon, your bar will fall apart and be almost impossible to cut. Give it time to come together!
- Low heat is very important to this recipe. If you try to melt your marshmallows and butter over high heat you are sure to burn your mixture and that would be a tragedy. Even if it doesn’t burn, the high heat may make your mixture much harder than you want it to be. Take your time and stir often until it all gets smooth then remove from the heat.
- Don’t try to press your mixture too hard into the pan. You want to leave some space for the melted marshmallows to settle and bring everything together. Tightly packing your Rice Krispies into your dish may result in tougher treats.
My Biggest Advice
Before adding your Caramel Rice Krispie Treats into the prepared pan, spray your hands with nonstick spray. This will keep the treats from sticking to your hands as you try to spread the mixture into the pan.
How to Brown Butter
Browned butter is just melted butter. You want to melt it low and slow to give the fat within the butter chance to brown. Those browned bits that form are the magic and are full of delicious flavor.
Once those little bits begin to brown, turn off the heat. You do not want your butter to burn.
Recipe Variations
One of the best things about rice krispy treats is how customizable they are. It’s what makes them great for every occasion!
Feel free to dress these up by adding chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, mini m&ms, sprinkles, nuts, soft caramels, pretzels or anything you like! You can also add chocolate on top for chocolate caramel rice krispie treats. I love to add Christmas decorations to make Christmas Rice Krispie Treats!
You could also have fun playing around with different types of cereal instead of rice krispie cereal. Try these treats with golden grahams, cheerios, corn chex or corn flakes!
FAQs
Why are My Rice Krispie Treats Hard?
If your Rice Krispie Bars turned out a bit tough, there may be a few reasons. The most likely reason is your marshmallow mixture was left on the heat for just a bit too long or the heat was too high. Too much heat can quickly take these treats from gooey to rock hard. Next time, try a lower heat and remove as soon as the mixture is smooth.
You may have also packed your bars a little too tight into the pan. This is an easy problem to fix on your next go round. Just be gentle when placing in the dish.
Your bars could also go hard if they sat for too long without being covered. These bars, just like normal Rice Krispy Bars, can dry out if left out. If you need to store them make sure they are covered with plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container.
How Do You Store Caramel Rice Krispie Treats?
Store these treats in an airtight container. They can be left at room temperature for up to four days but the texture and flavor is definitely best on day one.
What is the Best Way to Cut Rice Krispie Treats?
Using parchment paper at the bottom of the pan makes it much easier to remove these bars from the pan and cut them into even slices.
Wait until your pan is completely cool before you try to remove from the pan or cut into slices.
I like to use a pizza cutter or a large knife to make rice krispie squares but you can also have some fun with it and use cookie cutters to slice fun shapes.
How Do You Spread The Bars Into the Pan Without Sticking?
This ooey gooey mixture can be tricky to work with! Non-stick spray or butter will be your friend if you need help getting your mixture into your prepared pan. I like to spray a small piece of parchment paper as well as a rubber spatula and use both to move the gooey mixture from the pot to the pan. Press gently with the sprayed parchment paper to make the bars even on top. You can even spray your hands if that is easiest!
Did you like this recipe for Caramel Rice Krispie Treats? If so, you might love these other recipes I picked out just for you:
Gooey Caramel Rice Krispie Treats
Equipment
- 9×9″ Baking Dish
- Mixing Bowl(s)
- Pot(s)
- Nonstick Cooking Spray
- Parchment Paper optional
Ingredients
- 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 10 ounce bag jumbo marshmallows
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
- 1 (13.4 oz) can dulce de leche, warmed in the microwave until slightly runny
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Fill a large bowl with 6 cups of Rice Krispies cereal. Set aside.
- Spray a 9×9 baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large pot add the unsalted butter. Stir the butter continuously over low heat for about 10 minutes until the foam subsides, the milk solids gain a brown color, and the butter begins to smell nutty. You have now browned your butter!
- Add the 10 ounce bag of jumbo marshmallows to the pot and continuously stir until they completely melt.
- Add in the vanilla extract and sweetened condensed milk, stirring everything once again until combined.
- Remove the marshmallow mixture from the heat and pour over the bowl filled with the Rice Krispies cereal. Use a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together until evenly distributed.
- While the mixture is still warm, add the mini marshmallows and fold the two together again (this part can be omitted if you don’t prefer full marshmallows in your Rice Krispies).
- Transfer half of the mixture to the prepared baking dish and press into the pan evenly. Then pour the warm dulce de leche on top of the Rice Krispies mixture and spread evenly.
- Pour the second half of the rice krispy mixture on top and press into an even layer.
- Let the treats sit at room temperature for about an hour before eating.
- Cut and enjoy or store in a ziploc bag or a tightly sealed container for later. Enjoy!
Notes
- Unsalted Butter: You’re going to brown the butter for maximum flavor so be sure and use real butter!
- Jumbo Marshmallows: Any marshmallows will do but I’ve noticed a big difference between name brand and generic so choose wisely for the best marshmallow flavor and texture. If you need to use 10 oz of regular-sized marshmallows, that will work as well.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: The addition of sweetened condensed milk is what really amps up this dish! This adds a sweetness to the Caramel Rice Krispie Treats that you will love!
- Dulce de leche: I purchased a can of premade dulce de leche but you could make your own at home using your Instant Pot!
- Salt: You just need a pinch of salt for this recipe but you could add flakes of salt or coarse sea salt for Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats.
- These bars keep well for quite a few days! Do not cut them into bars until the day you are ready to eat them. If they are in bar form for too many days, they will lose their crunch!
- Be sure and give your Rice Krispy Treats time to set before you try to cut into them. I know, I know, it’s very difficult to wait, but if you try to cut a piece too soon, your bar will fall apart and be almost impossible to cut. Give it time to come together!
- Low heat is very important to this recipe. If you try to melt your marshmallows and butter over high heat you are sure to burn your mixture and that would be a tragedy. Even if it doesn’t burn, the high heat may make your mixture much harder than you want it to be. Take your time and stir often until it all gets smooth then remove from the heat.
- Don’t try to press your mixture too hard into the pan. You want to leave some space for the melted marshmallows to settle and bring everything together. Tightly packing your Rice Krispies into your dish may result in tougher treats.
- MY BIGGEST TIP: Before adding your Caramel Rice Krispie Treats into the prepared pan, spray your hands with nonstick spray. This will keep the treats from sticking to your hands as you try to spread the mixture into the pan.
