Take Five Bars

Before you get started:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Coat an oven-safe dish with cooking spray—generously. You can use a 13 x 9 for thinner bars or an 8 x 8 for thicker bars, or anything in between.

Making the crunchy crust:
Run the pretzels through a food processor but leave some small bits in the mix. Add 3/4 cup melted butter and the sugar and toss to incorporate. Press the mixture firmly into the dish and pop it in the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Making the marshmallow goodness:
After the crust has “cooked,” cover it with your marshmallows. I like to use the “2 for the pan, 5 for me” ratio. Pop that back into the oven until the marshmallows are puffy.

Place the pan on a cooling rack and let it cool completely. COMPLETELY, you hear me? If you don’t, what will happen is (gee, I wonder how I know this) the marshmallows will be displaced by the chocolate mixture that you add in the following step, and you will be left with something very … very ugly.

Making the gooey part:
After the marshmallows have cooled, after they have cooled … for those of you in the cheap seats, AFTER THEY HAVE COOLED … take just a few seconds to heat up the caramel in the microwave. Drizzle then spread the caramel (or butterscotch) over the marshmallow goodness to cover every inch. An offset spatula works wonders for doing this.

Making the chewy part:
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate, corn syrup and 1 1/2 tablespoons butter. Microwave on high for about 30 seconds; stir. Continue to microwave in 30-second increments until the chocolate is melted.

Stir in the peanut butter, then stir in the Rice Krispies cereal.

Making the masterpiece:
Take the chocolate mixture and spread evenly over the marshmallows. Let the goodness rest for about an hour in the fridge, then cut into squares and store in an airtight container.