It’s a shame I am home all day long and catch the mid afternoon shows. No, really. It is. If I hadn’t flicked on the t.v. during lunch last week I wouldn’t have seen the idea for these bars on Rachel Ray. Nor would I have an entire pan of these staring back at me tonight.
Lesson learned.
But, I am oh-so-glad that I made these, because quite frankly, they are the bomb. I have a weak spot for marshmallows. And these knock off rice krispie treats will make you dance in your pants. Salty pretzels, ooey gooey marshmallow, and a smooth layer of milk chocolate spread on top… Ladies and gentlemen, loosen your belt buckles.
INGREDIENTS:
- (1) 1lb bag of tiny twists pretzels
- 7 cup mini marshmallows
- 5 Tbsp butter
- 3/4 bag of milk chocolate chips**
- pinch of kosher – or – sea salt
*original recipe I used 3/4 bag of chocolate chips. after a few replies, increase the amount of chocolate chips to 2 bags. I’d hate for you to waste melted chocolate, but even worse I’d hate for you to be short handed! Make the layer of melted chocolate as thick or thin as you would like*
DIRECTIONS:
Prep a 9×13 baking pan – Line with parchment paper, enough to hang over the edges of the pan for easy releasing of the bars. Spritz with non-stick cooking spray.
Smash your pretzels (inside a resealable bag) creating smaller pieces. In a large pot, over medium-low heat, melt your butter. Add all the mini marshmallows, and continue to stir until completely melted. Turn off the heat. Add in the pretzels, and stir until the marshmallow has covered all the pretzels pieces. Pour your gooey pretzels into the prepared pan. Spray a little non stick spray onto your hands (to help from everything sticking to you) and press firmly down onto the mixture, to pack it into the pan. Let it completely cool and firm up before adding the chocolate. About 1 hour. Lift the bars out of the pan by pulling up on the parchment paper. Most of the marshmallow will sink to the bottom of the bars. So, I flipped them over before adding the chocolate. So once they are complete, they will be layered with chocolate on top, marshmallow layer, and finally the sticky pretzels.
Finally, melt the chocolate chips, and pour the chocolate onto the cooled bars. Start pouring in the middle, and use a spoon or a knife to evenly distribute the chocolate to the edges. Sprinkle with salt, just a pinch. Cut once the chocolate has hardened. You can hurry that process by placing them into the refrigerator! Slice them any way you’d like! Enjoy!
Inspired By: Rachael Ray Show – Food – Marshmallow Pretzel Bars
I just made some–they look delicious! But, there’s no way that 2/3 of a bag of chocolate chips can make that pretty even layer of chocolate on top. I used a whole bag and it’s still spread very very thin. In the future, I would do 2 bags, but alas, I don’t have any more here. 🙁
Em –
Thanks for your input! I’m sorry that the ratio did not work out for you. “3/4” of the bag cut it for me, but I’ll make sure to put a side note on the recipe to melt more chocolate chips for a thicker coat. I’ve been there done that with not having extra in the pantry, and that can be so frustrating! Thanks for mentioning it to prevent others from being short handed on chocolate!
XoXo Abby