Ooey gooey rice crispy bars with a layer of soft creamy caramel and more marshmallow for the best crispy rice bar ever. These Caramel Marshmallow Rice Crispy Bars are a classic turned extra decadent and irresistible.
So there’s the Classic Rice Crispy Bars. And that’s really great. It’s iconic. Almost everyone has made them at least once. I was eating one once and had this crazy idea. I thought to myself that I could improve on this classic treat. I could make it absolutely incredible. It could be the star of the bake sale table.
To Improve a Classic
You might be wondering who looks at a rice crispy bar and thinks, “You know, that could really use more marshmallows”? It’s me. Hear me out though. The marshmallowy chewiness is the real reason anyone eats a rice crispy bar and these have not only a ton of marshmallows inside the bar but a whole layer of ooey-gooey marshmallow goodness inside! The caramel is an unexpected chewy surprise that works so wonderfully with the rice crispy cereal and the sweet marshmallows.
Mixing and Making the Caramel Marshmallow Rice Crispy Bars
To make these, I use a 16-quart stockpot to combine the marshmallow mixture with the cereal. The size is probably a little bigger than absolutely necessary, but it helps keep bits of cereal from flying all over your kitchen in the process. Once you pour the melted marshmallow mixture in, tilt the pot at about a 45-degree angle and use the biggest, long-handled wooden spoon you own to stir. Once everything is combined, the best tool for getting it all out of the pot is a cheap, plastic bench scraper.
These Caramel Marshmallow Rice Crispy Bars are so fun to make. My favorite part is taking one of the giant bars out of the pan and sandwiching it on top of the other. Press down firmly to push out any air pockets that might have gotten trapped, but not too hard. You don’t want to crush the cereal into dust. As a finishing touch, I like to drizzle a bit of extra caramel to make these extra pretty.
Once they cool completely, I cut and wrap these individually, then place them in a zip-top bag. They can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 weeks or the freezer for 3 months. If you are serving them for an event, simply unwrap them and place them on a wax paper-lined tray.
More Rice Crispy Goodness
If you’re like me, you can’t get enough of these Caramel Marshmallow Crispy Rice Bars. There are so many different variations on the Classic Rice Crispy Bar though. Some of my other favorites are Peanut Butter Chocolate Rice Crispy Bars. They have the chewy rice crispy base you expect with a rich, peanut buttery layer and a sweet chocolate layer on top. It’s a crowd favorite every time I make them.
I love the chewiness of crispy rice bars. I also love the chewiness of a good caramel. What could be better than combining them? Almost nothing. Unless you add more marshmallow. Now we’re really talking. This fantastic, gooey treat is so delicious you’ll question how you ever lived life without it. Let me know what you think in the comments!
Caramel Marshmallow Rice Crispy Bars
Yield: 48 2"x2" bars
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Additional Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Ooey gooey rice crispy bars with a layer of soft creamy caramel and more marshmallow for the best crispy rice bar ever. These Caramel Marshmallow Rice Crispy Bars are a classic turned extra decadent and irresistible.
Ingredients
Rice Crispy Bars
1 C (8 oz) salted butter
2 C (16 oz) light brown sugar
1 scant C (11 oz) light corn syrup
5 C (10 oz) mini marshmallows
15 C (18 oz) crisp rice cereal
Marshmallow Layer
2 T salted butter
5 C (10 oz) mini marshmallows
Caramel Layer
1 bag (10 oz) caramels, unwrapped
1 tsp water
Instructions
Make the Rice Crispy Bars.
Line two 11x15 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Pour cereal into two big bowls or one 16 quart stockpot. Set aside.
In a 4 quart saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup together and bring to a boil. Stir constantly. Remove from heat and add mini marshmallows. Stir until melted and combined. Pour over cereal and stir to coat. Press into pans using plastic gloved hands or a rubber spatula.
Make the Marshmallow Layer.
Melt marshmallows and butter together. Pour over one pan of rice crispy bars. Spread to the edges.
Make the Caramel Layer.
Melt caramels and water together. Pour over the other pan of rice crispy bars. Spread to the edges.
Let the fillings cool slightly then sandwich the layers together, with the marshmallow and caramel layer in the middle. Drizzle additional caramel on top if desired. Cut when cool.
Notes
Wrap in plastic wrap and place in an air-tight container to store. These last up to two weeks if stored in the refrigerator.
Cleaning tip: Soak any marshmallow or caramel-covered pots and bowls in plenty of hot water and dish soap. The sugars will dissolve and wipe clean with almost no effort!
The normal back-of-the-box recipe doesn’t work well where we live on the East Coast. So we created our own recipe that does well in every climate and has the buttery, marshmallowy flavor you crave.
I live on the East Coast side of the United States. The normal recipe on the back of the box of famous Rice Krispies wouldn’t hold up to the humidity. They became soggy, mushy, and downright unpleasant to eat. So I quit making them.
Unwilling to give up on that childhood memory, I tried to tackle the problem with a new recipe, but … oops, rock hard bits. I was so surprised. I had tried to work around using marshmallows, assuming they were the culprit. Instead of the anticipated chew, there was a reaction between the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and rice cereal that turned it all super, break-your-teeth crunchy. I tweaked it by adding back in a bag of marshmallows and came up with a delightful chew. The brown sugar adds a warm caramel flavor and, together with the marshmallow, tastes like the best parts of a crispy rice treat. The whole reason I eat a crispy rice treat is for the chew AND the crisp AND the marshmallow, without being so obnoxiously sweet you couldn’t eat a second one. I can’t just stop at one treat now. As you see this recipe makes 1 ½ full pans, plenty for friends, school parties, the fridge for next week, for the family reunion in two weeks, or the outdoor bbq tomorrow night.
I use a 16 qt stock pot to stir it all together. You know those giant drums they use for kettle corn popcorn in big batches at theme parks? A big drum keeps the popcorn inside and helps coat it evenly in the syrup mixture. The giant pot principle is the same here and much more helpful to this recipe if you have a stockpot to use instead of two big bowls. You won’t have dry rice cereal escaping to every corner of the kitchen and the whole process will be sped up. Once I pour the marshmallow mix over the cereal, I just use a long wooden spoon to stir while holding the pot at about a 45-degree angle. I’ve also found that a straight edge plastic dough scraper is the easiest tool to use to make sure you scrape all the delicious marshmallow and cereal pieces off the sides of the pot.
This recipe is easy to make, easy to clean up, and makes lots of crispy rice treats to give away. As soon as they cool completely, I cut and wrap each one in plastic wrap for handing out easily, and put them in a gallon zip-top bag. Their shelf life is amazing. They are good in the fridge for 2 weeks and the freezer for 3 months. If you want to serve them unwrapped for your event, take them out of the plastic wrap and place on a wax paper-lined tray. Be sure to stack wax paper between each layer of crispy treats.
This has been such a consistently good recipe, it has crossed my mind that I could start a business of just crispy treats. That’s how confident I feel about this recipe and it’s reactions when I have served it anywhere and sold it beside my cookies in the cookie shop.
I hope you enjoy their chewy yummyness!
Classic Crispy Rice Bars
Yield: 70 2x2 inch squares
The normal back-of-the-box recipe doesn’t work well where we live on the East Coast. So we created our own recipe that does well in every climate and has the buttery, marshmallowy flavor you crave.
Ingredients
1 C (8 oz) salted butter
2 C (16 oz) light brown sugar
1 scant C (11 oz) light corn syrup
5 C (10 oz) mini marshmallows
15 C (18 oz) crisp rice cereal
Instructions
Prepare two pans (see note) by lining with parchment paper and prepare one long, sturdy spoon for stirring. Pour cereal into two big bowls or one very large stockpot for easy mixing when marshmallow mix is ready.
In a 4 quart saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup together and bring to a boil. Stir constantly. Remove from heat and add mini marshmallows. Stir until melted and combined. Pour over cereal and stir to coat. Press into pans using plastic gloved hands or a rubber spatula.
Let cool and cut to serve in 2x2 inch squares. Wrap in plastic wrap to store.
Notes
We recommend using one 11x15 pan and one 10x10 or 9x13 pan to press the mixture into.
Wrap in plastic wrap and place in an air-tight container to store. These last up to two weeks if stored in the refrigerator.
These crispy rice bars have a chewy, marshmallow topping and can be customized with colored sprinkles for any occasion.
During our time in the cookie shop, holidays were the most fun time of all. With the delicious scents of cookies baking all around us, the creative juices flowed constantly. Motivated by the wild success of the Peanut Butter Chocolate Crispy Rice Bar, we couldn’t help but wonder what else a simple Crispy Rice Bar could be transformed into. I developed a sweet, chewy marshmallow and white chocolate topping for these bars that acts as a blank slate for endless combinations of decorations.
From there, it was a fun exploration into colored sprinkle and cookie cutter combinations. For Christmas, we used stars, candy cane, and tree-shaped cookie cutters with red and green sprinkles. You could transform these into an easy Valentine’s Day treat by using a heart shape cutter and topping with red, pink, and white sprinkles. To turn these into an elegant, more grown-up treat, simply place a cup of white chocolate wafers into a plastic bag and use your kitchen hammer (if you don’t have one I’m telling you to go get one. You’ll use it more often than you think) to smash them into pieces.
Please do note that sturdy cookie cutters work best for this. The thin ones often have trouble pressing through the crispy bar.
I use a 16-quart stockpot to stir it all together. You know those giant drums they use for kettle corn at theme parks? A big drum keeps the popcorn inside and helps coat it evenly in the syrup mixture. The giant pot principle is the same here and much more helpful to this recipe if you have a stockpot to use instead of two big bowls. You won’t have dry rice cereal escaping to every corner of the kitchen and the whole process will be sped up. Once I pour the marshmallow mix over the cereal, I just use a long wooden spoon to stir while holding the pot at about a 45-degree angle. I’ve also found that a straight edge plastic dough scraper is the easiest tool to use to make sure you scrape all the delicious marshmallow and cereal pieces off the sides of the pot.
Once you’ve mixed the marshmallow mixture into the crispy rice cereal and pressed it into the pans, the fun part starts! Pressing the white chocolate mixture on top is a bit like playing with playdough, except that it smells and tastes great! If you are using sprinkles, spread them on top right away. If the white chocolate cools too much, the sprinkles won’t stick.
Once they have cooled completely, cut into whatever shapes you desire. Wrap in plastic wrap to make them easy to share. Store in an airtight container. These have a shelf-life of two weeks in the refrigerator and three months if stored in the freezer. To serve, let come to room temperature and unwrap. If layering on a tray, place wax paper between the layers to prevent sticking.
When you make these, please share your color and shape combinations. We love to see your creativity. Comment or tag us on Instagram!
Marshmallow Sprinkle Crispy Rice Bars
Yield: 70 2x2 inch bars
These crispy rice bars have a chewy, marshmallow topping and can be customized with colored sprinkles for any occasion.
Ingredients
Crispy Rice Bars
1 C (8 oz) salted butter
2 C (16 oz) light brown sugar
1 scant C (11 oz) light corn syrup
5 C (10 oz) mini marshmallows
15 C (18 oz) crisp rice cereal
Marshmallow Topping
3 C (18 oz) white chocolate melting wafers
6 ½ C (12 oz) mini marshmallows
3 T heavy cream
Sprinkles
Any color, shape, or size
Instructions
Make the Crispy Rice Bars.
Prepare two pans (see note) by lining with parchment paper. Pour cereal into two big bowls or one 16 quart stockpot for mixing later.
In a large saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup together and bring to a boil. Stir constantly. Remove from heat and add mini marshmallows. Stir until melted and combined. Pour over cereal and stir to coat. Press into pans using plastic gloved hands or a rubber spatula.
Make the Marshmallow Topping.
Melt marshmallows, white chocolate, and cream together in the microwave. The texture will be similar to play-dough. Quickly top crispy bars with balls of white chocolate mixture and press to edges with plastic gloved hands. Sprinkle immediately with desired sprinkles.
Let cool and cut to serve. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in an air-tight container to store. These last up to two weeks if stored in the refrigerator.
Notes
We recommend using one 11x15 pan and one 10x10 or 9x13 pan to press the bars into, or two 11x15 pans for thinner cut-outs when using cookie cutters.
These can be cut into fun, holiday shapes using a sturdy cookie cutter.
I’m not trying to be dramatic, but if you like peanut butter, chocolate, and crispy chewiness, this may be one of the best things you’ve ever eaten.
I live in Central Pennsylvania and have for 24 years. Pennsylvania is home to multiple chocolate companies. The famous Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup was created in 1928 in Pennsylvania. As I mentioned in my Pennsylvania Tango cookie recipe to this day, the locals love peanut butter and chocolate treats. This particular recipe was created in our home kitchen in central Pennsylvania, with that love of chocolate and peanut butter in mind. In fact, this recipe was somewhat of an accident. I had an idea to combine peanut butter and chocolate, plus a lonely pan of crispy rice bars, and the next thing you know, greatness was born.
Do you remember that old, vintage ‘80s commercial for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups? There is a guy with the chocolate bar and a girl with an open jar of peanut butter, just randomly walking down the street (‘cause we all do that right?). They bump into each other and he says “Hey! You got peanut butter on my chocolate!” Then she says, “Hey! You got chocolate in my peanut butter!” Together they say “Delicious!” This Peanut Butter Chocolate Crispy Bar is a combination of chocolate and a lot of peanut butter and it is DEFINITELY delicious!
I haven’t had a single person try these and not instantly love them. In the cookie shop, people pre-ordered a dozen at a time and we could never keep the basket on the shelf stocked. My husband’s coworkers request these, our friends beg for them, and my family members fight over who gets the last one. It is a best seller and crowd favorite. It also has a great shelf-life and ships beautifully to loved ones far away who are in need of some home-baked love.
If I had to tell you one thing about this recipe, it would be that it is absolutely worth the effort and you should go make these right now. Let us know what you think of them in the comments!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Crispy Rice Treats
Yield: 70 2x2 Inch bars
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Chocolate and peanut butter make everything better, and crispy rice bars are no exception! With a salty smooth peanut butter layer and a semi-sweet chocolate top, these are a mouthful of heaven.
Ingredients
Crispy Rice Bars
1 C (8 oz) salted butter
2 C (16 oz) light brown sugar
1 scant C (11 oz) light corn syrup
5 C (10 oz) mini marshmallows
15 C (18 oz) crisp rice cereal
Peanut Butter Layer
¾ C (6 oz) margarine (not butter)
4 C + 2 T (18.6 oz) powdered sugar
3 ½ C (33 oz) peanut butter
Chocolate Layer
3 C (18 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 T heavy cream
6 ½ C (12 oz) mini marshmallows
10 oz bag of peanut butter baking chips
Instructions
Make the Crispy Rice Bars.
Prepare two pans (see note) by lining with parchment paper. Pour cereal into two big bowls or one 16 quart stockpot for mixing later.
In a large saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup together and bring to a boil. Stir constantly. Remove from heat and add mini marshmallows. Stir until melted and combined. Pour over cereal and stir to coat. Press into pans using plastic gloved hands or a rubber spatula until they are equal thickness in each pan.
Make the Peanut Butter Layer.
Make the peanut butter layer by mixing the margarine, powdered sugar, and peanut butter with a mixer until smooth. Press over both pans equally. Lay a piece of wax paper over the peanut butter mixture and run hands over the top to create a smooth finish to the layer.
Make the Chocolate Layer.
Make the chocolate layer by melting the chocolate, marshmallows, and cream together in the microwave (watch carefully) and then mixing until combined. Do not overheat. Melt just enough to combine ingredients. The texture will be similar to play-dough. Drop balls of chocolate onto the peanut butter layer and spread to the edges with plastic gloved hands.
Immediately sprinkle peanut butter chips over the chocolate layer and press in lightly.
Let cool and cut to serve. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in an air-tight container to store. These last up to two weeks if stored in the refrigerator.
Notes
We recommend using one 11x15 pan and one 10x10 or 9x13 pan to press the bars into.
Do not substitute butter for the margarine. Be sure to use stick margarine, not the kind that comes in a tub. Margarine has a different moisture content than butter that works best with peanut butter and amplifies the peanut buttery flavor. I prefer Blue Bonnet Brand.
Use plastic gloves while spreading the chocolate and peanut butter layers to help keep it from sticking to your hands.
Hi, I’m Missy. Welcome to Taste Before Beauty. For 28 years I’ve been developing recipes that taste delicious, before they look delicious.
