Chocolate Caramel Marshmallow Cookie Bars

Ok so I created this little concoction with the inspiration of the easy peanut butter marshmallow krispie topped brownies since they were so rich and delicious and a lot of people loved them. Now with these, I mean, a cookie bar with chocolate, caramel and marshmallow? Kind of hard to go too wrong with that combo! They turned out tasting good, but the recipe needs a few adjustments. The topping didn't hold together as good as it should have. I used wrapped caramels and melted them in the microwave with the chocolate chips. I think maybe a caramel sauce might work better or melting them seperately since the mixture wasn't smooth and creamy, it was thick and pastey. I think next time i'll even omit the rice krispies and make it more of a frosting type topping. You could even make the bottom layer just by themself.The original recipe for the bottom cookie layer is the recipe below doubled and put into a 9x13 in. pan.
They look a little like mush in the picture..
Chocolate Caramel Marshmallow Cookie Bars

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups marshmallows (small ones)
1 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. caramels (20 wrapped)
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups crispy rice cereal

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 deg. Prepare cookie bars as directed (see below). Two minutes before they are supposed to be done, pull cookie bars from the oven and sprinkle marshmallows across top. Return to oven for 2 min. to soften marshmallows. Remove from oven and spread soft marshmallows over top of brownies. Let cool completely.
Prepare topping. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips, caramel and butter. Heat on high for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat until chocolate is melted and mixtue is smooth. Add cereal and stir to coat. Drop spoonfuls of chocolate mixture over marshmallow layer, spreading as evenly as possible. Put the bars in the refrigerator for a few hours to chill. Lift from pan and score into squares (about 16 or 20).

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 t. baking powder
½ t. salt
1 c. light brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 whole eggs
1/2 t. vanilla
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Set aside.
Stir brown sugar into softened butter in another large bowl until butter disappears. A spoon works well. Add eggs to the butter mixture and stir well. Add vanilla and chocolate chips and mix well. Add dry flour mixture and stir until well combined.
Line an 8x8 in. pan with foil and coat with nonstick spray. Spread batter evenly into the dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 -40 minutes or until top is golden brown. Make sure you don’t over bake. Insert a toothpick to check for doneness.
If the top starts to get too brown before they are done, place a sheet of aluminum foil over the top to prevent browning.