The Crispy Rice Caramel Peanut Bars is combination on Scotchroo and Snickers flavor profile. There’s many of recipes out there with fantastic photos but not the right recipe to make what looks like in the photo. Most of these are AI generated photos looks great but it’s not what the normal recipe given. My goal is to show you step by step on how to make a wonderful no bake bar.
How to make a caramel sauce:
Caramel sauce is easy to do with a little practice and just a few ingredients. White sugar, heavy cream, butter and kosher salt is all that is needed. There’s a couple of ways to make this sauce, the easy way is to use dry skillet technique. Using dry 10 to 12 inch skillet melt white sugar over medium heat. This is tricky part, by shaking skillet around and swirling techniques melt sugar to amber color, with out burning sugar. This might mean having to lift skillet off heat so doesn’t get too hot and burn sugar. Don’t be tempted to use a spatula to still sugar this cause sugar to clump and not melt.
When sugar completely melted and light amber color add heavy cream and butter. Now stir continually until golden caramel sauce formed. Do not cook too long it will turn into hard caramel. Cook sauce to 230°F that should be nice sauce constancy. Do a testing of sauce consistency by pour some sauce onto cold plate. Let cool draw finger through sauce if it doesn’t run together its perfect. Add some kosher salt to caramel sauce, do taste testing for saltiness test. Now put into bottle for topping used it in this recipe.
The easy way out is to use store bought caramel sauce. They are good but not near as good as homemade version.
Rice Crispy Caramel Peanut layer:
Line a 9 by 13 inch pan with parchment paper to come all the way up the sides of the pan. Note spray the pan with vegetable spray first the parchment paper stick to pan better.
Next melt butter, peanut butter, caramel sauce and semi sweet chocolate chips in heavy duty 5 to 6 quart pan. Stirring often until all is combined, then add vanilla stir quickly. Remove from heat add the rice crispy cereal to melted mixture, stirring with spatula until all is combined well. Place rice crispy mixture into prepared 9 by 13 pan, spread evenly. Try using a measuring cup to help even out mixture. Place this pan into the refrigerator for good hour to cool and set up.
Caramel Layer:
After the crispy rice mixture is cool and set, remove from refrigerator. Pour just enough caramel sauce to cover over top of all rice crispy mixture. Smooth out with offset spatula evenly over all crispy rice. Then place the pan back into refrigerator to firm up the caramel sauce. This should take about 30 minutes.
Chocolate Layer:
While the pan is chilling in the refrigerator melt milk chocolate. The easy way is to melt in microwave at 50% power for 60 second intervals, stirring after each time. When melted if milk chocolate too thick thin out with coconut oil about 1 teaspoon at a time until pours easy. Some chocolates get very thick when melted. Next remove the pan from refrigerator and pour melted milk chocolate over top of caramel layer. Using offset spatula smooth evenly over top of pars. Then sprinkle chopped peanuts all over top of milk chocolate. Place back into refrigerator to set up the milk chocolate.
Dark Chocolate Garnish:
Mean while melt the dark chocolate in microwave at 50% power in 60 second intervals, stirring after each one. Make a pastry bag out of parchment paper or use zip lock baggie, pour melted dark chocolate into pastry bag or zip lock bag. Cut a small hole at end of bag. Remove bars from refrigerator, carefully drizzle dark chocolate over bars in back and forth manner creating nice drizzle garnish. Chill bars in the refrigerator until chocolate is set up.
Cutting Bars:
Remove pan from refrigerator, then lift pars from pan by parchment paper. Using sharp knife score pan 4 by 6. With sharp long knife cut trough bars, wiping knife with damp towel between each cut. After all bars are cut try freezing all cut bars for good 15 minutes. This set chocolate very hard easier to handle and package. Especially if they are going to be wrapped individually. Store refrigerated if warm area, or freeze in contain for 6 months.
Crispy Rice Caramel Peanut Bars
Description
Bar cookie that's part scotchroo and snickers bar. Combination of rice crispy, peanut butter, caramel and chocolate all in one bar cookie.
Rice Crispy Caramel Peanut Bars
Rice Crispy Caramel Peanut Layer
Caramel Layer
Dark Chocolate Layer
Garnishes
Caramel Sauce instructions Make two batches one for crispy rice layer and one for caramel layer
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Homemade Caramel Sauce
Place white sugar into dry skillet over medium heat.
This technique takes practice to get perfect amber color melted sugar. -
Caramelizing white sugar
Over medium heat shake the skillet in a circular motion. As sugar melts may have to lift skillet off hear for shake to prevent from burning sugar.
The goal is to evenly distribute sugar as it melts in skillet by shaking technique. Lifting skillet off the burner to prevent skillet getting too hot and burning the sugar. -
Properly melted caramelized sugar to amber color
When melted sugar reaches this stage should be amber color with no graduals of sugar remaining. This is point where you add the cream and butter to sugar.
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Stirring canalized sugar with cream and butter
Stirring constantly with spatula the canalized sugar with cream and butter. This takes about 5 to 8 minutes to melt all sugar into cream and butter forming caramel sauce. The temperature of sauce should be around 225°F
If cook the caramel mixture too long on too high of heat will became are caramel. If caramel gets over 225°F add a couple of tablespoons of cream to sauce. -
Testing Caramel Sauce Consistency
On a cold plate place small amount of sauce onto plate. Allow it to cool, then draw finger through sauce. If the sauce doesn't run back it's ready to be used. Remove from heat.
If the sauce is too thick becomes soft ball stage add a couple of tablespoons of cream and cook until smooth. -
Strain Caramel Sauce
While the caramel sauce is hot strain though fine mesh strainer into measure cup. This remove any clumps of sugar that might not melted.
The caramel sauce is ready to use. Can be stored in squirt bottle for easy use.
Rice Crispy Caramel Peanut Layer
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Spray 9 by 13 inch pan
Prep 9 by 13 inch pan by spraying with food spray.
By using food spray on the pan helps hold parchment paper to the pan. -
Cutting parchment paper to fit pan
Cut parchment paper large enough to hang over pan. Next mark the corners of pan onto parchment paper. Cut parallel cuts to parchment paper corner markings. Then fold parchment paper to fit bottom of pan.
Folding paper allows parchment paper to fit bottom of the pan. -
Proper folding of parchment paper to fit bottom of 9 by 13 inch pan
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Unfolding of parchment paper
Unfolding of parchment paper to fit sides of 9 by 13 pan. Now should have a perfect lined pan, to make the bars.
Spray a little extra food spray to pan if needed to hold the parchment paper folds -
Melting caramel, peanut butter, butter, milk chocolate
Adding one batch of caramel sauce, butter, milk chocolate and peanut butter to 5 1/2 qt dutch oven. Using medium heat melt mixture stirring constantly.
It's important to stir constantly to achieve even smooth mixture. -
Adding vanilla extract
After caramel, peanut butter, butter, milk chocolate is smooth consistency add the vanilla extract. Stirring until incorporating.
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Adding the crispy rice to mixture
Next add the crispy rice to caramel peanut butter and chocolate mixture.
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Mixing crispy rice into caramel peanut butter, butter and chocolate
Using a spatula mix the crispy rice into caramel, peanut butter, butter and chocolate mixture. Stirring until mixture is all combined.
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Spreading rice crispy mixture into prepared pan
Pour crispy rice mixture into prepared pan. Using a spatula spread the mixture evenly over pan. Then chill in the refrigerator for about 30 to 60 minutes.
Caramel Layer
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Pouring Caramel Layer
Pour about 2 cups of caramel sauce over top of chilled rice crispy mixture layer. Smooth with an off set spatula the caramel sauce to edge of pan. Then place the pan back into refrigerator for 30 minutes to set up caramel sauce.
Using a off set spatula will help get a even smooth layer of caramel sauce all the way to edge of the pan.
Dark Chocolate layer
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Melting Dark Chocolate
Place dark chocolate in glass measure cup and micro wave at 50% power in 60 second intervals. Stirring after each interval. When chocolate is just melted stop.
Using glass quart measure cup heat dark chocolate in microwave at 50% power. Do this in short intervals stirring after each time. This prevents chocolate to melt evenly and slowly. Do not over heat!! Just get chocolate barley melted. -
Adjusting consistency of dark chocolate
Adjusting constancy of dark chocolate with coconut oil. Using just one teaspoon of coconut oil at a time, until chocolate has smooth drip.
Coconut oil is best solution to easy adjustment to chocolate. Try using only one teaspoon of coconut oil at time until right flow is achieved. -
Proper flow of chocolate
When you achieve this flow of chocolate don't add any more coconut oil.
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Smoothing even layer of dark chocolate
Pour about 3/4 of melted dark chocolate over chilled caramel layer. Smooth evenly with off set spatula.
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Garnishing with peanuts and drizzle
Sprinkle evenly chopped roasted peanuts over top of smoothed chocolate layer.
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Garnishing by drizzling chocolate over peanuts
Fill paper cone or zip lock bag with remaining dark chocolate. Cut small hole in tip of the cone or bag. Drizzle chocolate back and forth in decorative manner. Set bars in refrigerator to firm up.
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Remove bars from pan
Grab a hold of parchment paper and pull bars from pan. Place on cutting board, using long knife cut 4 by 6 into bars.
Wipe knife off with damp towel after each cut. -
Final plate presentation
Arrange cut bars in an attractive manner. Showing off the oozing of caramel sauce coming from bar.
Bars are best enjoyed at room temperature. Keep covered and refrigerated for easy handling.
