Loaded Chocolate Covered Rice Krispie Bars -- A Sweet Celebration Worth Sharing

The last full week of regular classes before finals and we had an eighth-grade awards ceremony on Wednesday morning. Parents were invited. Daddy had a job site but Mama came in her scrubs because she came straight from a shift and didn't have time to change. She sat in the gymnasium in the third row and I spotted her the second I walked in with my class.

I won the Science Excellence Award, which came with a small plaque and a twenty-five dollar gift card to a bookstore. I also got a Principal's Honor Roll certificate for the year and a special recognition from the English department for an essay I wrote in February about environmental justice in Louisiana. When I walked across the stage to get the science award Mrs. Tureaud started clapping harder than anyone in the room. I could hear Mama from the third row saying something quiet that sounded like "that's my baby."

After school I walked home through the neighborhood feeling that particular kind of lightness that comes when you have been working hard at something for a long time and the world acknowledges it. The afternoon was warm and golden, the kind of spring afternoon that feels generous.

I called MawMaw Shirley to tell her about the award and she made a sound of pure joy into the phone. She said, "Now you listen to me. Every award you win, I want you to remember exactly how you felt when they called your name. That feeling is fuel. Don't let it go." I wrote that down too.

For dinner I made something celebratory in my own private way: pralines. MawMaw's recipe, brown sugar and cream and butter and pecans, cooked to soft-ball stage and dropped onto wax paper to cool into those golden, nutty medallions that are basically Louisiana concentrated into a candy. The first batch set wrong and spread too thin. The second batch was perfect. I ate three and gave the rest to Mama, who put two in her pocket for the night shift and said they were going to make her night shift nurses very happy.

MawMaw’s pralines were the right call that evening—and if you’ve ever stood over a pot of hot sugar waiting for soft-ball stage, you know that making candy by hand is its own kind of ceremony. That spirit of celebrating with something sweet and homemade is exactly what these Loaded Chocolate Covered Rice Krispie Bars carry: a confection you build yourself, layer by layer, and then share with the people whose nights you want to make a little better. Some awards call for plaques. Others call for chocolate.

Loaded Chocolate Covered Rice Krispie Bars

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 1 hr (including cooling) | Servings: 16 bars

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 10 oz marshmallows (one standard bag, about 4 cups mini marshmallows)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil or vegetable shortening (to thin the chocolate)
• 1/3 cup white chocolate chips, melted (for drizzle)
• 1/4 cup M&Ms or rainbow sprinkles
• 1/4 cup crushed Oreo cookies
• 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips (for topping)

Instructions

1. Prepare the pan. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease with non-stick spray. Set aside.
2. Melt the butter and marshmallows. In a large pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the marshmallows and stir constantly until fully melted and smooth, about 4—5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract and salt.
3. Add the cereal. Working quickly, fold in the Rice Krispies cereal until every piece is evenly coated in the marshmallow mixture.
4. Press into the pan. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Using a lightly greased spatula or damp hands, press the mixture firmly and evenly into the pan. Let cool at room temperature for 15 minutes before adding the chocolate layer.
5. Make the chocolate coating. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the semi-sweet chocolate chips and coconut oil. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until fully melted and smooth, about 1—2 minutes total.
6. Coat the bars. Pour the melted chocolate over the pressed cereal base and spread into an even layer with a spatula, reaching all the way to the edges.
7. Load on the toppings. While the chocolate is still wet, immediately scatter the M&Ms or sprinkles, crushed Oreos, and mini chocolate chips across the surface. Drizzle the melted white chocolate over everything in a zigzag pattern.
8. Set and slice. Allow the bars to set completely at room temperature for 30—40 minutes, or refrigerate for 15 minutes until the chocolate is firm. Lift out using the parchment paper, transfer to a cutting board, and cut into 16 bars.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 228 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 37g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 98mg