Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Rice Krispie Bars

What's better than eating raw cookie dough? I dare you to come up with something.  Because frankly, cookie dough is amazing.  And these bars are no exception.  Actually, they probably take cookie dough up a notch or two because it's sandwiched between two gooey layers of cookie dough flavored rice krispie treats.  Ah-mazing.  This recipe is from The Cookie Dough Lovers Cookbook and it's a must-read.  I was bookmarking almost every page until I realize that was a bit ridiculous and just threw it on my Christmas list (heeeyy, Mom).  But I slightly adjusted the recipe to make the krispie layer a little more gooey and adjusted the extracts to be a little more cookie-ish tasting.

Oh, and please excuse the picture, it was taken on my phone at school.  I brought these delicious treats in to our 11 hour long conference day when I thought the teachers would appreciate a sweet treat.  They didn't last past lunch :)

Ingredients:
Cookie dough:
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chocolate chips, mini preferred


Rice krispies
12-14 ounces marshmallows (12 for regular, 14 for gooey-er)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extact
1/4 teaspoon butter extract
7 cups puffed rice cereal

Directions:

Prepare the cookie dough:
1.  Cream the butter and the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy.  Add milk, vanilla, and salt, and mix until incorporated.  On low speed, add flour until thoroughly mixed in.  Stir in chocolate chips.

2.  Line a 13x9 inch baking pan with foil and lightly grease it.  Pat the cookie dough (it will be pretty sticky) into a smooth layer in the pan and refrigerate - at least until the krispie layer is done but overnight if you're making it ahead of time.  (Note: after I smooshed it down a little in the pan, I removed the foil and cookie dough from the pan, covered it with wax paper, and rolled it flat with a rolling pin to help it spread out better, then I put it back in the pan and smooshed the edges in).

Prepare the rice krispie layers:
3.  Melt the butter and marshmallows over medium low heat stirring constantly until smooth.  Add in the extracts (you can do all vanilla if you don't want to use or don't have the almond and butter extracts).  Gently fold in the rice cereal and stir to evenly coat.


4.  Remove the foil/cookie dough from the pan and lightly grease the pan.  Spread half the rice krispie layer on the bottom of the pan (grease your hands and work quickly but carefully since it will be hot, too).  Flip the layer of cookie dough onto the krispies, then top with the remainder of the rice krispies.

5.  Let cool and set for about a half hour (if you can really wait that long), and cut into desired sizes (I got 24 bars from mine).

Refrigerate if not serving immediately.  Best eaten within three days if they even last that long.