Salted caramel rice krispie treats combine sweet, salty caramel with mellow pecan nuts and classic vanilla marshmallow rice krispie treats. This easy no-bake recipe for salted caramel bars creates a seriously gooey and dangerously addictive treat.

Salted Caramel rice Krispie Treats served with coffee

I’m a self-confessed caramel obsessive, so it should come as no surprise that I can think of endless ways to sneak this sweet nectar into my baking. This time I’ve decided to pair it with pecan nuts, marshmallows and Rice Krispies to create these magical salted caramel rice krispie treats.

Am I right in thinking that salted caramel is taking over the world? It appear in anything and everything from cupcakes to cocktails. I, for one, am all in favour of this current food fashion since I’m crazy about the combination of sweet, silky caramel with a savoury hit of sea salt.

And in this recipe for salted caramel bars it’s as good as it sounds – a princely layer of soft, creamy, salty caramel & pecan nuts wedged between layers of sweet vanilla scented rice krispie marshmallow treats.

All-in-all, it’s decadently sweet. Utterly gooey. Totally tempting.

I took a tray of these salted caramel rice krispie treats to my unsuspecting in-laws last weekend to see what other people thought of them.

My lovely Father-in-Law (Hi Ron) is not a greedy man. He does have a sweet tooth, but he also has far more self-restraint than me. A lot more. He took just half a square (half a square???). I think he thought I’d been ambitious in my serving size given the inherent sweetness of the caramel and the marshmallow Rice Krispies.

However, those pecan nuts and the sea salt just seem to temper that sweetness in just the right way. Even my non-greedy Father-in-Law told me that half a square was not enough.

Salted Caramel rice Krispie Treats being cut into squares in parchment

Recipe for Salted Caramel Bars

These salted caramel rice krispie treats are a breeze to make. There’s no baking involved. The caramel is fool-proof. And you can cut small or large squares depending how gluttonous you feel like being.

Begin by making the caramel: melt the condensed milk, butter, sugar and syrup over a medium heat, then boil for 2-3 minutes. Take off the heat, stir in some sea salt and set aside
In another pan, heat half of the butter until melted and then stir in half of the marshmallows. Once they have also melted, add half of the rice krispies and stir in. Press into the base of a lined baking tin
Give the caramel a stir and pour over the krispie base. Scatter the chopped pecan nuts over the top and place in the fridge for 1-2 hours to set
Use the remaining butter, marshmallows and rice cereal to make another batch of marshmallow krispies and spoon it over the caramel layer. Spread the krispies out and press down gently, but firmly
Leave to set

Pouring caramel over a rice krispie treats layer in a baking tin

Can I Leave Out the Salt?

Of course. Though I’d argue that a tiny pinch (say ⅛ tsp) really enhances the flavour of any caramel without giving it that pronounced salty twang associated with salted caramel.

Do I have to Use Pecan Nuts?

The pecans can be left out altogether or substituted for another nut. Peanuts would be a great alternative.

Pecan nuts sprinkled over caramel in a baking tin

Tip for Making Rice Krispie Treats

And bonus – I have a tip for making Rice Krispie Treats. I’m bursting to tell you this tip. But I’m also a little nervous… in case you all know this already and I’m last to the party. Here goes…

One of the things I’ve always found frustrating about making Rice Krispie Treats is just how sticky the stuff is and how quickly it starts to set. I always end up in a very sticky mess. That was until out of sheer desperation – midway through getting the mixture stuck to metal spoons, wooden spoons and my hands – I reached for the cellophane wrapper from the marshmallows. It didn’t stick. Not one bit. I could gently ease the cereal into the corners of my baking tin and level the top without difficulty. No more cursing. No more mess. I have to say, I’ll be storing up clean cellophane wrappers for this purpose from now on.

You knew this already, didn’t you? Party over?

Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats with pecans cut into squares on a worktop

I’ll be honest, when I first thought up this recipe for salted caramel bars I was thinking that they would be a grown-up version of my Millionaire’s Caramel Krispie Squares. After all, they do contain nuts and don’t contain chocolate (I never like to stereotype).

However, really, the flavours in these salted caramel rice krispie treats blend so well together that I defy any child not to like them simply because they contain nuts.

I’ll also bet they can eat an entire square in one sitting.

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Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats