Caramel Cocoa Crispy Bars

I have so many recipes to share from this week! It's going to take me a while to get caught up. I hope you guys are up for all of these food posts. :)

For New Year's Eve, we were going to a couple of different parties, and of course, we couldn't go to either one of them empty-handed. For my brother's party, I decided to make a dessert. I went through several starred recipes in my Google Reader, looking for something relatively easy, but wonderfully tasty. After putting my "finalists" up for votes from Michael and Cristina, we settled on these caramel cocoa crispy bars.

These "fancified" rice krispy treats flew off of the platter at the party. They're irresistible, and were a wonderful treat with which to welcome the new year. The cocoa krispies cereal is mixed with melted marshmallows and butter, pressed into a pan, drizzled with melted caramel candies, and topped with mini chocolate chips. Start your year off right--make these!

Caramel Cocoa Crispy Bars
(Source: Adapted from Annie's Eats)

Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 1 (10 oz.) package marshmallows
- 6 cups cocoa crispy cereal (brand name or generic, both work fine)
- 20-24 caramel candies, wrappers removed
- 1-2 tbsp. milk, half-and-half, or cream
- handful of mini chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Prepare a 9x13" pan by greasing with butter or nonstick spray.

2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the marshmallows, stirring until completely melted. Remove from heat.

3. Working quickly, add the cereal and stir until it has been evenly coated with the melted marshmallow mixture. Pour the treats into the prepared 9x13" pan. Using a heavily-greased spatula (spray generously with nonstick spray), press the cereal mixture down into the pan evenly.

4. To make the caramel topping, place the candies into a heatproof bowl. Microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring in between, until completely melted. Before the last interval, add 1 tbsp. of the milk/cream, heat, and then stir to combine. If necessary, add another tbsp. of milk/cream to make the caramel easy to drizzle. Drizzle over the top of the cocoa crispy bars. Sprinkle the handful of mini chocolate chips immediately, and press down lightly to help them adhere to the caramel.

5. Allow the bars and the caramel topping to set completely. Cut into bars for serving.