Description
Indulgent Star Crunch cookies blend crispy rice cereal with gooey caramel and smooth chocolate for an irresistible Southern treat. Sweet nostalgia meets simple ingredients, offering you a delightful bite of childhood comfort.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups (100 g) crispy rice cereal (e.g., Rice Krispies)
- 1 cup (175 g) milk chocolate chips
- 1 cup (250 g) caramel bits (or unwrapped soft caramels)
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml) sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup (1 stick / 115 g) unsalted butter
- ½ cup (120 ml) light corn syrup (or honey)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare Workspace: Cover baking sheet with parchment paper, ensuring smooth surface for candy creation.
- Create Caramel Foundation: Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat, incorporating sweetened condensed milk and caramel bits. Stir consistently until mixture transforms into silky, uniform consistency.
- Chocolate Integration: Remove saucepan from heat source. Blend chocolate chips into warm mixture until completely dissolved, creating glossy chocolate-caramel base. Introduce vanilla extract, stirring thoroughly to distribute flavor evenly.
- Cereal Incorporation: Delicately fold crispy rice cereal into chocolate-caramel mixture, ensuring comprehensive coating of each cereal piece with luxurious mixture.
- Shape and Form: Utilize cookie scoop to deposit precise mounds onto prepared baking sheet. Gently flatten each cluster, mimicking classic Star Crunch profile with uniform roundness.
- Cooling and Solidification: Allow treats to stabilize at ambient temperature for approximately 60 minutes. Alternatively, accelerate setting process by placing in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes until candies achieve desired firmness.
- Serve and Enjoy: Once completely set, transfer Star Crunch to serving platter, ready for immediate consumption or convenient storage.
Notes
- Use non-stick parchment paper or lightly grease the baking sheet to ensure easy removal of Star Crunch treats.
- Remove saucepan from heat before adding chocolate chips to prevent scorching and achieve smooth, glossy texture.
- Stir continuously while melting caramel to avoid burning and create a uniform, silky mixture.
- Chill treats in refrigerator for faster setting and firmer consistency, perfect for warm kitchen environments.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30-60 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: None
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg