Salty Sweet Bars

In a large bowl combine toasted rice squares with crushed pretzels. **I just crushed them with my hands and not into tiny pieces. You just want to break them up a bit. Set aside.

In a medium-sized saucepan over medium high heat combine sugar, karo syrup and butter. Bring to a boil and boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Do not over cook!! Immediately pour this mixture over the crumbs mixture and toss to coat. Once it’s completely coated, add in the caramel bits and gently combine. If you add these too early, they will just melt together.

Lightly spray a 9×13 or a 10×10 pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with half of the chocolate chips. Lightly sprinkle the chocolate chips with salt. It sounds odd, but trust me. Top the chocolate chips with the crumbs mixture and press down to make more compact, like you would with Rice Krispy treats. You may need to use a flat spatula to help press it down if mixture is still too hot. Again, lightly sprinkle the top with salt. Top with the remaining chocolate chips. Wait about 4 hours to let the chocolate set back up. Cut into 20 small squares.

**Feel free to mix it up a bit by adding Corn/Wheat Chex or another fun cereal. Just make sure you stick to 6 cups total of whatever you choose. You could even add nuts…about 3/4 cup.