Some recipes are truly special. You know the ones. Anytime you serve them to guests or bring them to share anywhere, you are bombarded with requests for the recipe. You know it will happen, expect it even. These Loaded Caramel Rice Krispie Treats is one of those recipes. Trust me. I know because I was one of those people who raved about these gooey, double decker, caramel rice krispie treats.
About 15 years ago while in college, my good friend Nicole served them during a party. I was absolutely, positively hooked on them. She was kind enough to share the recipe with me, stating that she always tweaked the recipe because it didn’t really work as written. The amounts were quite off actually and the rice krispie to filling ratio didn’t work at all. When I made them for my mom, she also fell in love. She’s been making them for many years now and together, we’ve come up with perfect balance.
Because these bars are on the sweet side, a little of the caramel goes a long way. Originally the recipe called for a 13×9 inch pan, but we found that the treats were a bit tall and a little awkward when trying to take a bite. We also found them to be a bit less stable because of so much caramel filling. By increasing the amount of the top and bottom layer a bit and using a bigger pan, we’ve achieved the perfect balance and a less messy bar.
These no-bake treats are perfect for year round and are surprisingly easy. You can do what I do and only make half of the rice krispie treats at a time. I like not having to guess how much I need for each layer, and I’m not so rushed trying to get to the top layer before the rice krispies treats start to set.
- 11 cups Rice Krispie cereal
- 16 oz. bag Kraft miniature marshmallows
- ⅓ cup butter
- ½ cup butter
- 1 bag (11oz) Kraft caramels, unwrapped
- 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
- Line 10.5x15 inch baking dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Lightly butter parchment/foil.
- Remove 2½ cups marshmallows from bag and set aside for middle layer.
- Melt ⅓ cup butter and marshmallows over low heat in large pot.
- Meanwhile, melt caramel, sweetened condensed milk and 1 stick of butter in microwavable bowl in microwave until completely melted, stirring often.
- Once butter and marshmallow mixture is melted, gently stir in cereal until well combined.
- Spread half of cereal mixture evenly into baking dish, pressing down.
- Sprinkle 2½ cups marshmallows over top.
- Pour melted caramel mixture over top of marshmallows.
- Carefully add remaining cereal mixture over top of caramel for top layer, gently pressing down.
- Cool completely.
- Use foil/parchment paper to remove from pan. Cut into squares (7 down and 5 across) and store in airtight container.
Joan Hayes says
September 4, 2015 at 9:58 amThese are genius! Ugh, they look so good, why can’t one just magically appear in front of me?! 😉
Gwen Watson says
September 29, 2015 at 3:44 pmRice Krispy treats are a classic comfort food. They’re made to taste even better with the layer of caramel in this recipe! I like to drizzle my treats with melted chocolate after they come out of the oven.
Helena says
February 20, 2018 at 4:39 amThese were delicious. I made them for my kids and they loved them (actually I loved them too!) This is such a yummy treat. We’ll be making them again soon.