Salted Caramel Marshmallow Treats

I don't have a picture of these- sorry. Not like my food photography ends up very yummy-looking anyway. You'll just have to imagine how yummy these look :) 

6 c. Rice Cereal
5 1/2 c. marshmallows (a.k.a. a whole bag of the Kraft Mini ones)
1/4 c. butter
2 bags Kraft caramel bits
Sea Salt

Melt the butter on Medium heat in a big soup pot and add marshmallows.  Stir constantly until the marshmallows melt. Don't freak out when they get to the half-melted place and stick to the spoon- they will melt and become smooth :).  You can add a tablespoon of milk to the end if you want. I hear it makes them creamier, but I don't do it every time.

Once the marshmallows are melted, stir in the cereal (still in the pot- why dirty another container?) and keep stirring until totally coated.  Then add 1 bag of the Kraft caramel bits.  These are awesome pellets of caramel that are easy to melt and NO WRAPPING! Seriously, they've changed my life.  Go ahead and stir those in well.

Smear butter all over a 9 x 13 pan. I like to use the wrapper from the butter I used earlier- it seems to work well.  Pour the sticky cereal stuff into the pan.  Grease up your hands- either by rubbing the butter stick on them (you've washed them, right?) or spraying cooking spray. If you don't, you will end up in tears with sticky, evil rice cereal stuck everywhere. Not like I speak from experience or anything...  Pat the cereal down with your greased hands to make it flat and uniform thickness in the pan.  Sure, you can try using waxed paper, plastic wrap or a greased spoon, but trust me- your hands are the quickest and easiest way to do this.

In a small pot on the stove, combine the remaining bag of caramels and 3 T of cream (or half and half, or whole milk- just not skim).  Stir over medium heat for a long time until everything is melted and smooth.  Pour the hot caramel over the treats in the pan and spread to coat the top.  While the caramel is still liquid-y, sprinkle sea salt over the whole thing.

These treats will seriously change your life. I'm struggling not to eat the entire pan right now. 

P.S. Cyndi- these would make crazy-easy marketing treats!  The ladies at our Relief Society activity are STILL talking about them. I don't take credit for them- I didn't bring them!

P.P.S. Can you tell I've had a lot of traumatizing past experience with Marshmallow treats? Seriously, there are few things easier to make, but somehow I've managed to mess it up. A lot.

P.P.P.S. You're welcome.