Chocolate Caramel Crunch Ice Cream Bars

Ingredients

For the Bars

• 1 cup salted caramel, homemade or store-bought (recipe follows)
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 4 1/2 cups Rice Chex Cereal
• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
• 1 gallon vanilla ice cream
• 16 ounces semi-sweet or milk chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• Flaky sea salt

For the Salted Caramel Sauce

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (more if needed)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into chunks
• 1 pinch flaky salt

Instructions

Prepare the Bars

1. Line Pan: Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with plastic wrap.
2. Mix Caramel and Peanut Butter: In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt together the caramel and peanut butter until smooth, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in the Chex and peanuts, tossing well to combine. Spread the mix out into the prepared pan, packing it in tightly. Transfer to the freezer and freeze for 5-10 minutes.
3. Add Ice Cream: Spread the ice cream over the caramel mixture in an even layer. Transfer to the freezer and freeze for 3 hours or overnight.
4. Melt Chocolate: Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together in a microwave-safe bowl.
5. Cut and Dip Bars: Remove the pan from the freezer and cut into 18-20 bars. Working quickly, dip the ice cream side of each bar into the melted chocolate. Place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, Chex side down, and sprinkle with salt. Return to the freezer for 5 minutes. Keep stored in the freezer in an airtight container.

Prepare the Salted Caramel Sauce

1. Cook Sugar: In a large, dry, deep, heavy pot, cook the sugar over moderately high heat, stirring constantly with a heat-proof rubber spatula until the sugar is melted and turns a golden caramel, about 8 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
2. Add Butter and Cream: Slowly add the chunks of butter, one by one, whisking until combined. The caramel will bubble; this is okay. Slowly add the cream and then whisk until combined.
3. Thicken Caramel: Return the pot to moderate heat and cook the mixture, stirring until the caramel has thickened, about 5 minutes, or until the caramel reaches 235-240°F on a sugar thermometer. Remove from the heat and stir in a pinch of salt. Let cool. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Enjoy your salted caramel peanut butter ice cream bars!