I know I’ve mentioned that our little family is on the desperate home stretch to summer break — and I am here to report: WE. MADE. IT.

Ivy has officially wrapped up her sophomore year of college (WTF, seriously?!), and we are all one more stressful group project away from needing a full emotional detox via dessert. When I picked her up (we carpool when she's got in-person classes); her last test taken and no more papers to turn in, I asked her what she wanted to celebrate surviving the semester, she didn’t even hesitate: Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats with Chocolate Drizzle.

Classic. Just like my girl — young at heart with a little grown-up flare. These are the treats that say, “Yes, I have a student loan payment coming due, but also I deserve sugar and joy.” I couldn’t agree more.

Also, it's been A MONTH. You know the kind — too many late nights, too much laundry, and just enough existential dread to qualify as cardio. So these babies? They had to be huge. Like, “a bakery would charge you $9 and make you feel fancy while eating it in the parking lot” huge. Giant squares of chewy, salty-sweet, gooey glory, drizzled with chocolate like you’re the main character in a rom-com set in a bakery.

If you’re a reasonable person (I admire you), you can cut them smaller. Totally fine. But if you’re like us — reliving childhood, eating feelings, and pretending that the calories cancel out if you eat standing up — I present to you the treat you didn’t know you needed: Salted Caramel Rice Krispie Treats with Chocolate Drizzle.

What You’ll Need:

For the treats:

• 6 tablespoons butter (salted, unsalted, whatever you’ve got — we’re not baking for royalty)

• 1 bag (10 oz) mini marshmallows, plus 1 cup extra if you like ‘em gooey

• 1/2 cup caramel sauce, store-bought or homemade (no judgment here, I’ve been known to microwave the jar while whispering “thank you” to the grocery gods)

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus extra for topping

• 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal (or generic “crispy rice cereal” if that’s how we’re living)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping:

• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil (or butter, or skip it — it just makes the drizzle prettier)

• Flaky sea salt, for dramatic effect and adulting vibes

Step 1: Channel Your Inner Child

First, line a 9x9 or 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper. Yes, it matters. This is going to help you lift these massive beauties out without performing a sugary wrestling match with the pan. If you're going smaller, you could go 9x13, but we're going thick, people. These are not meant to be dainty.

Grab the biggest pot you own — the one that only sees daylight at Thanksgiving or when you buy spinach in bulk and forget how much it wilts. Melt your butter over medium-low heat.

Once melted, stir in your marshmallows (start with the 10 oz bag) and stir until everything is smooth and gooey and your soul feels a little lighter. If you’re feeling frisky, toss in that extra cup of marshmallows now and stir just enough to partially melt them, giving you pockets of molten joy later.

Now stir in the caramel sauce, vanilla, and sea salt. Take a deep breath and remind yourself you are doing great. You are the Caramel Queen/King/Regent of Snacks. Look at you go.

Step 2: Mix & Press

Remove the pot from the heat and fold in your cereal. Stir until every crispy bit is lovingly coated in buttery, caramel-marshmallow goodness. If your arm doesn’t feel like it just completed a medium CrossFit workout, you’re not done stirring.

Pour it into your prepared pan and press it down gently with a spatula. Or, pro tip: spray your hands with a little nonstick spray and press it down with your palms like you're lovingly tucking in a cozy dessert blanket.

Let cool for 30–60 minutes, or until you can’t take it anymore.

Step 3: Drizzle Like You Mean It

Melt the chocolate chips with the coconut oil in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring in between, until smooth. Then drizzle over the top like you’re being filmed for a cooking show that airs exclusively in your own head.

Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if you’re feeling bougie (do it — be bougie, you’ve earned this).

Step 4: Cut & Serve (or Just Grab a Fork)

Once set, lift the treats out of the pan and cut them into squares. BIG squares. Unnecessarily, gloriously big. Like, “should I eat this with a fork?” big. You absolutely should.

Serve with cold milk, coffee, or eat them standing in the kitchen with Ivy while she explains her math final in a language you do not speak but will nod along with anyway.

Notes from the Trenches

• These are extremely addictive. Like, "I’ll just have a sliver" levels of delusion. You're lying to yourself and that’s okay.

• If you’re taking them to a party, people will ask for the recipe. Tell them it’s a family secret and walk away dramatically.

• Don’t skip the salt. The salt is what turns this from toddler birthday party to grown-up with student loans and taste.

• Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Or the fridge if it's 100° outside and your chocolate wants to get rebellious.

Final Thoughts (and Sticky Fingers)

Sometimes you just need a win. You need a treat that doesn’t pretend to be healthy, doesn’t ask for too much of your time, and doesn’t make you feel like you need a culinary degree and a blowtorch to make it. These salted caramel rice krispie treats are that win. They’re comforting. They’re over-the-top. They’re just what we need after a month that felt like a year.

So whether you’re celebrating the end of a semester, the beginning of summer, or just making it through another Monday, make these treats. Share them with people you love — or hoard them like the kitchen goblin you truly are at heart. No judgment.

Because sometimes, the answer to “What do we do now?” is simply “We eat the big rice krispie treat and we keep going.”