Brown Butter Salted Caramel Rice Bars

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar

8 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided (room temperature)

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon sea salt, divided

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

10 cups mini marshmallows

6 cups crisped rice cereal

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Preparation

Salted Caramel Sauce

1. In a sauce pan, heat sugar on medium low until it's completely melted. Using a whisk, stir sugar every 2-3 minutes, increasing as sugar melts. As the sugar begins to melt, clumps will form. Be patient and watch the sugar closely to make sire it doesn't burn.
2. Once fully melted, remove from heat and immediately whisk in 3 tablespoons butter. The butter should rapidly bubble like it's boiling, this means you're doing it right.
3. Once butter is completely mixed and homogenous, pour in cream and 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt. Whisk until everything is combined.
4. Transfer caramel sauce in glass jar or bowl to cool completely. Caramel can be placed in the refrigerator to speed up cooling process.

Rice Bars

1. Line a 9x9-inch pan with parchment paper.
2. In a large saucepan, melt remaining 5 tablespoons butter over medium heat.
3. Once butter is melted, continue heating until butter begins to bubble and foam.
4. As soon as you see brown flecks begin to form on bottom of pan, add mini marshmallows and reduce heat to low.
5. One marshmallows are melted and mixture is smooth, remove from heat and add vanilla.
6. Add crisped rice cereal to melted marshmallow mixture and combine until evenly coated.
7. Lightly press half of rice bar mix into prepared pan until even. Pour 2/3 of salted caramel sauce over rice bars and spread into even layer. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon sea salt over caramel.
8. Add the remaining rice bar mix on top of caramel and press until even. Drizzle remaining salted caramel sauce over rice bars.
9. Let pan set at room temperature until completely cooled.