My husband loves those wonderful marshmallow crisp treat bars. He doesn’t even let me cut them when I make a pan. I have to leave the knife in with the bars so he can cut the exact size he’s in the mood for (which is usually a little bigger than I would cut). I secretly don’t mind though because it makes it easier for me to sneak a sliver here and there. Needless to say, I’ve pretty much mastered making these sweet treats, and with the way my brain works, I needed to find some way to make them new again. I have no idea why, but one day I added dry roasted peanuts… and they were FANTASTIC! They reminded me of those wonderful nut, caramel and nougat candy bars they make in Minnesota. They only thing they were “missing” was the caramel, and I put the word “missing” in quotes because they were PLENTY good without it. Well, because I knew the caramel was missing, I had to try including it, just to ease my mind.
My attempt at adding caramel was a win. I personally like them without the caramel better, but as I said before, I make these treats for my husband, and he likes sweets. I’m a salty girl (my taste preference, not my attitude), and the caramel adds a bit of sweetness (sweetness on top of marshmallow…). I really don’t think you could can go wrong, whether you choose to add or omit the caramel.
Salted Nut Crisp Bars
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• 16-ounce bag mini marshmallows (10-ounce bags seem to be standard, so you have to look for the bigger 16-ounce size)
• 1 tsp. or 1 Tbsp. vanilla (give or take)
• 6 cups crisp rice cereal
• 1 cup dry roasted peanuts
• 1 cup caramel baking bits
Add approximately 10 of the 16 ounces mini marshmallows to the melted butter. Microwave 30-60 seconds at a time, stirring between cooking. The marshmallows should be smooth, but a few small lumps are ok. Overcooking the marshmallow will make the bars tough. Once the marshmallows are mostly smooth, add the remaining marshmallows and stir a couple times. Then add the vanilla, crisp rice cereal, peanuts and caramel baking bits (optional, depending on how sweet you want your treats). Mix everything thoroughly and press into greased pan of your choice (with wet hands to prevent sticking). I choose to use a glass 9×13 pan because I like to store things in glass. It doesn’t absorb outside odors or flavors, and it gives my bar the perfect thickness. Let the bars set (an hour or two) and they are ready to eat! If you like super sticky fingers and chins, enjoy right away.
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