After remaking my millionaire bars last week, my brain got a little bit hyperfocused and I started thinking about caramel chocolate EVERYTHING. One thing led to another, including these caramel chocolate rice krispies!

They’re essentially millionaire rice krispies, and they’re made with gooey, marshmallow-packed rice krispie treats, thick layers of buttery caramel, and decadent dark chocolate ganache.

How to Make These Caramel Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

Let’s walk through this recipe together to make sure these caramel chocolate rice krispies turn out as amazing as possible.

Before we get started, prepare an 8×8-inch pan by lining and greasing it. Things get sticky fast so doing this first is important.

If you don’t have a pan that size, you can also use a 9-inch square pan (but the bars will be a bit thinner) or an 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pan. Set aside.

Step 1: Make the Rice Krispie Base

In a large pot melt 1/2 cup of butter. Use a larger pot than you might think you’d need because you’ll be mixing all the cereal into this pot.

Once the butter is melted, turn the heat to low and mix in 10 oz. of marshmallows.

Stir with a rubber spatula until they’re completely smooth. Then add in the vanilla extract and salt.

Remove the pot from the stove and add half the cereal. Fold the mixture together with a rubber spatula. Once combined, fold in the rest of the cereal.

The cereal should be fully coated with the marshmallow mixture.

Once the cereal is mixed in, I like to stir in an additional cup of mini marshmallows.

This is optional but I feel like it gives the rice krispies an added bit of texture.

Quickly scoop the mixture into the prepared pan. Use a rubber spatula to gently press the mixture into an even layer. Set aside to cool.

Step 2: Make the Caramel

Next, it’s time to tackle the caramel. Heat the sweetened condensed milk, butter, brown sugar, light corn syrup, and salt over medium heat in a heavy saucepan.  

Stir frequently and let the mixture come to a gentle boil. Once this happens, turn the heat down to low, and let the caramel simmer.

Continue to stir frequently until the mixture thickens and becomes a medium caramel color (about 5 minutes).  Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

Pour the caramel on top of the rice krispie treats and smooth into an even layer. Then place the pan in the fridge for 20 minutes or the freezer for 10 minutes to help the caramel set before we add the warm chocolate ganache.

If you make this in advance, cover the bowl and store the caramel at room temperature overnight or in the fridge for up to a week.

If you refrigerate the caramel, heat it in the microwave in short 15-second intervals until it reaches room temperature and is a more workable consistency.

Step 3: Make the Chocolate Ganache

The last step is to make the decadent dark chocolate ganache.

Add the heavy cream into a medium-sized bowl and heat it until it just begins to bubble. This can be done in either the microwave (takes me about 45-60 seconds in my microwave) or a double boiler.

Then pour in the dark chocolate and let the mixture sit for a minute.

After a minute the chocolate should be softened.

Stir until the cream and chocolate are combined and the mixture is smooth. If any bits of chocolate aren’t fully melted, heat the mixture again for 15 seconds and stir until smooth.

Then mix in the unsalted butter, corn syrup, and fine salt.

Remove the chilled rice krispies from the fridge or freezer and pour the ganache on top of the caramel. Smooth into an even layer, then set aside to let the ganache cool and set.

If you need to make this topping in advance, it can be covered and stored in the fridge for up to a month.

Caramel Chocolate Rice Krispies – Swaps & Substitutions

• Rice Krispie Cereal – Any type of puffed rice cereal will work in this recipe! I usually use classic Rice Krispies, but sometimes I use Cocoa Krispies or other cereal flavors to mix things up.
• Marshmallows – I usually use large marshmallows to make these rice krispie treats because they’re the easiest to find, but mini marshmallows would work too, and actually melt down more easily!
• Light Brown Sugar – I prefer using light brown sugar to make the caramel, but you can also use dark brown sugar.
• Light Corn Syrup – Using a bit of corn syrup in the caramel and ganache gives them a glossy, silky smooth consistency. However, it can be omitted from both recipes if needed.
• Dark Chocolate – I love using dark or semi-sweet chocolate to make the ganache topping. If you want to use milk chocolate to make the ganache, use 1/2 cup of heavy cream, 1 1/4 cups milk chocolate, and 1 Tbsp of butter.

How Many Bars Does This Recipe Make?

This recipe makes about 16, 2×2-inch rice krispie treats. If you want to halve or double this recipe, go for it! Simply adjust the ingredients and follow the directions in the recipe card below.

A double batch can be made in a 9×13-inch pan, and a half batch can be made in a loaf pan.

Tips for Making the Best Caramel Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

• Prepare your pan before you melt the butter! Things will get sticky quickly.
• Mini marshmallows meltdown more quickly. I recommend using them if you can find them.
• Add the rice krispies in two additions. This will make it easier to mix together.
• Let the rice krispies cool fully before topping them with caramel and ganache.
• Let your bars cool in the fridge for at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving to make them easier to cut.
• Use a sharp knife to get clean slices, and wipe the blade as needed after each cut.

Making These Chocolate Caramel Rice Krispie Treats in Advance

You can make these treats in advance! These rice krispie treats can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days in an airtight container, or the fridge for up to 5 days.

You can also freeze them in an airtight container for up to six weeks.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this recipe for caramel chocolate rice krispie treats, I’d love to hear what you think of it! Let me know your thoughts by sharing a comment and rating below.

Don’t forget to tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets so that I can see your delicious creations on social media!

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