Cara-Sel CRISPY Treats
A few weeks ago I was slated to bring dessert to a Halloween party. It had been ages since I tested new recipes that used Cara-Sel as an ingredient, so I figured I could kill two birds with one stone while having some fun in the process.
The first thing I decided to make was Julia Turshen’s Applesauce Cake with Cream Cheese and Honey Frosting - replacing the honey with Cara-Sel caramel. I found the recipe in her new cookbook, Now & Again. The cake was amazing (even better on day two!); I highly recommend her book(s).
For my second dessert I turned to the internet for inspiration, Googling “what can I make with salted caramel sauce?” A listing titled 50 Caramel Sauce Treats sure looked like a good place to start. ;-) While a few ideas seemed promising for future endeavors, it was number 18—Caramel Cereal Treats—that caught my eye.
I doubled the recipe, but otherwise followed it as written to the best of my ability (it was vague when referring to pan size). Two things were immediately obvious when the pan was out of the oven and cooled. First, the full hour of baking time was far too long - the treats crumbled so much I ended up breaking them into pieces with my hands like brittle. Second, this recipe had the potential to be AMAZING. I seriously couldn’t stop eating them! I knew I had to perfect this simple recipe.
I made several batches over the next few days, each time tweaking anew and seeking assistance in the quality control department (finding volunteers was not difficult). I finally reached what I feel is a perfect balance of crispy, salty, and sweet. A bonus: they are as easy to make as they are addictively delicious.
Salted Caramel & Peanut Krispie Treats
4 cups crisp rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies*
½ cup roasted salted peanuts**
½ cup Cara-Sel caramel
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 250º and line a 9” square pan with parchment paper.
- Combine crisp rice cereal and peanuts in a medium sized bowl.
- Melt butter and caramel in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil for one minute.
- Turn off the heat; add baking powder, salt, and vanilla to boiling caramel; whisk to combine.
- Pour caramel mixture over cereal and nuts in the bowl and use a spatula to combine well.
- Press evenly into parchment-lined pan and bake for 15 minutes.
- Let the treats cool in the pan for 5-8 minutes before lifting them out by the parchment onto a wire rack. Wait another 5-10 minutes before cutting them cleanly with a sharp knife. Why such a wide range? Because how well they cut depends on how cool they are and that timeframe will vary depending on the temperature of your kitchen. Trust your senses. If you start to cut and they squish apart they are still too warm.; wait another few minutes and try again. Just don’t wait too long or they will shatter (into scrumptious bits, but still).
* Gluten-free cereal = gluten-free treats! Just be sure to check your labeling, as not all crisp rice cereal is GF.
** A friend of mine made these without the peanuts for a class party and said they were great — she did not increase the cereal so they were closer in texture to traditional marshmallow treats, but I expect you could add a bit more cereal (perhaps ¼ cup) to replace the peanuts if you so desire.
VARIATION
For Caramel Sesame Crispy Treats, make the following changes:
Omit the peanuts and add a scant half cup (more) cereal.
Add about a tablespoon and a half of tahini to the caramel mixture.
Top with (toasted!) sesame seeds before baking. A sprinkle of flaky salt is yummy, but optional.
peanuts & crisp rice, awaiting their caramel bath
pouring in the caramel mixture
thoroughly mixed and ready for the pan
press mixture evenly into your parchment-lined pan
double batch ready for the oven
cut when no longer warm, but not fully cool and you will get clean lines