Perfect Rice Krispy Treats!

In this blog, we always strive to make the routine extraordinary, and Rice Krispy treats are a case study.  No one would argue that they are not a decades-old fan-favorite,  a staple for the egg and gluten-free and probably the most popular ‘bring-your-own’ at PTAs and bake sales across the country.    There are a few issues that nearly always affect the enjoyment of these ubiquitous ‘baked’ treats.  Such as:

1. Bad mouth feel: Made with stale cereal
2. Too hard: Not enough marshmallow
3. Boring: Zero flavor; or a tiring homogeny of flavor
4. Greasy: too much butter
5. Loose: too much marshmallow

I confess, in my years of making these I have encountered (i.e. caused) all of the above problems.   There are slight differences in recipes on the Rice Krispy box and the Stay-Puft marshmallow bags, not to mention the Internet.  Everyone has different “twists” and tweaks to make but I wanted something that was not just good but PERFECT.   I did briefly experiment with using Cocoa Krispies and Fruity Pebbles once for a tri-fecta of different kinds and different flavors, but I found that the artificial flavors of these cereals created a terrible aftertaste.

Also, there a number of different marshmallows on the market ranging from the Stay-Puft brand to Vegan-friendly types, and of course, if you have patience, lots of sugar, time and a candy thermometer, it’s not that hard to make them on your own. But I digress.

The Breakthrough: I found that mixing in chocolate (Specifically this) cereal, the treats had a varied, and better flavor profile.  Of course if you are a reader of this blog you know that I added vanilla and salt as well.  And of course, used more marshmallows.  Lastly, I have an aversion to making anything in an 8×8 pan, though I can’t explain why, but it leads me to only want to make things in a 9×13 pan.

Ingredients:

1. 4.5 cups of Rice Krispies cereal
2. 2 cups of Chocolate Koala Crisp cereal
3. 60 StayPuft marshmallows (that’s 1 1/2 bags)
4. 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter
5. At least one tablespoon of McCormick natural vanilla extract
6. A pinch, or up 1/8th tsp of salt to taste

Directions:

• Spray a 9×13 pan with PAM or the equivalent.  Add parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, completely combine Rice Krispies and Chocolate Krispies.
• Melt the butter in a dutch oven.
• Add 60 marshmallows; stir until completely melted.
• Add salt; vanilla, turn off heat, or turn to low (depending on your stove)
• Add krispy mix, one cup at a time.   (It’s helpful to have two people doing this).
• When desired consistency has been achieved, turn out contents of dutch oven into 9 x 13 pan.
• Spray a spatula with pam and level the mixture.
• Cool
• Turn onto a cutting surface and cut into small squares; this will allow people to eat more of them which is better than people eating one and longing for more.
• Place extras in a ziploc bag.  Add to lunches or bring to office as necessary.