Make Rice Krispies Treats

Popular among adults and kids alike, this deliciously sweet favorite is a treat for all seasons. It is reasonably easy to make, if not a little messy, and you have a great excuse to lick your fingers as you cook!!

This article provides several possible ways to make this beloved treat. One thing to note is that while they originated as Rice Krispies® treats, any puffed cereal can be substituted for the Krispies, hence one of the methods provided here allows for this substitution, to give you a chance to experiment.

Ingredients

Original version:

  • 3 tablespoons (45 g) butter or margarine (use margarine instead of butter for softer treats)
  • 1 package (about 10 oz or 40) marshmallows or 4 cups (200 g) miniature marshmallows, fresh (1 jar of marshmallow fluff can be substituted)
  • 6 cups (250 g) Rice Krispies®

Microwave version:

  • See above list

Krispies and beyond version:

  • 1/4 cup (55 g) of butter
  • 5 cups (250 g) of marshmallows, fresh
  • 5 1/2 cups (225 g) of cereal (any kind of puffed cereal works––rice cereal is the original kind but Cocoa Puffs, Cheerios, and Fruity Pebbles are also delicious)
  • Softened margarine/butter

Chocolate Rice Krispies® version:[1]

  • 1/4 cup (55 g) butter
  • 40 large (200 g) marshmallows
  • 1/2 cup (118 ml) chocolate syrup
  • 6 cups (250 g) Rice Krispies®

Gluten Free Rice Krispie Treats

  • 2-3 cups (445-665 g) butter
  • 4 Cups (200 g) marshmallows
  • 6 Cups (250 g) Kellogg's® Rice Krispies® Gluten Free cereal

Steps

Original version

  1. Prepare the baking pan. Either spray cooking spray over it or use parchment (baking) paper to cover the baking pan.
    • The benefit of using parchment (baking) paper is that you can easily lift your treats out of the tray and cut them with a pizza cutter.
  2. Melt the butter or margarine in the large saucepan. Use low heat.
  3. Add the marshmallows to the melted butter. Stir in until the marshmallows melt completely.
  4. Remove from the heat.
  5. Pour in the Rice Krispies®. To coat the Rice Krispies® well, stir the melted butter and marshmallow mix over them gently.
  6. Pour the resulting mix out onto the prepared baking pan.
  7. Press the mixture across the baking pan evenly. Do this either by pushing on the mixture with your hands through wax paper that you've laid over the top, or press down using a heavily buttered or oiled spatula.
  8. Leave to cool. Once cooled, cut the slab into 2 inch (5cm) square shapes.
  9. Serve. Rice Krispies® treats are always best and at their freshest on the day they're made, so invite over a crowd!

Microwave version

  1. Use the same ingredients as for the Original Version above.
  2. Place the butter and the marshmallows into the microwave safe bowl.
  3. Place the bowl into the microwave. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Stop at 2 minutes to stir.
    • Note that the time needed in the microwave may vary, dependent on your microwave.
  4. Remove from the microwave. Stir until the mixture is smooth.
  5. Follow the remaining steps outlined above in the Original Version method from step 3.

Krispies and beyond version

  1. Grease a large tray or cookie sheet and spatula with butter, olive oil or softened margarine. Or, you can prepare it with parchment or baking paper.
  2. Put the 1/4 cup (55 g) of butter in a pot. Place the pot on low heat.
  3. Add the five cups (250 g) of miniature marshmallows slowly, as the butter is melting. Stir together. The marshmallows and butter should become a creamy white thick fluid.
  4. Put five cups (200 g) of the puffed cereal into a bowl and add the mixture to it.
  5. Mix together so that all the cereal is covered.
  6. Spread the cereal mixture on the tray and flatten with a spatula. You may need to repeatedly grease the spatula since the mixture will be very sticky. Alternatively, use wax paper to push down the mixture with your hands.
  7. Let it cool to room temperature for about 15-20 minutes.
  8. Cut into 12-24 pieces, depending on size. Once cooled, serve immediately.
    • After you're done, maybe drizzle some melted chocolate or marshmallow fluff over each slice, cake or square.

Chocolate Rice Krispies® version

  1. Prepare the pan or tray. Either spray or line with parchment (baking) paper.
  2. Place the butter into the saucepan. Place the pan on low heat.
  3. Add the 40 marshmallows. Stir into the melted butter slowly.
  4. Remove from the heat once the marshmallows have melted completely.
  5. Pour the chocolate syrup into the marshmallow and butter mixture. Mix through.
  6. Gently add the Rice Krispies®. Mix through until thoroughly combined.
  7. Place the chocolate Krispies mixture into the prepared pan or tray. Push across the tray evenly using either a buttered spatula or wax paper and your hands.
  8. Set aside to cool for 15-20 minutes. Once cooled, slice into bars or squares. Serve immediately.

Gluten Free Rice Krispie Treats

  1. Put the stove on medium low.
  2. Drop in the butter and let it melt.
  3. Add the marshmallows.
  4. Stir with a spatula until the marshmallows become a fluffy, unified blob.
  5. Add the Kellogg's Gluten Free Rice Krispies.
  6. Stir until both sink in to each other.
  7. Remove with spatula onto tray or pan.
  8. Cut into squares.

Varying the flavor

  1. If you're feeling adventurous or you're just wanting to enhance the flavor of these treats a little, there are some delicious variants you can make just through making some simple additions. The following steps provide some great suggestions.
  2. Add an extract to change the flavor a little. Adding a half teaspoon of a favorite extract such as vanilla can enhance the flavor considerably.
  3. Add a packet of powdered pudding mix after making the butter/marshmallow mix. Good choices include banana, chocolate or butterscotch.
  4. Add some bulkier tasty items to the melted marshmallow/butter mix. Dried cranberries, raisins, or chocolate chips make excellent additions to this snack.
  5. Add 1/2 cup (80 g) or more of peanut butter. Excellent! Other nut butters can also be used, such as almond or cashew nut.
  6. Use the chocolate Rice Krispies® version above but vary the syrup. Use strawberry, raspberry, maple or some other flavor of syrup instead.
  7. Add caramel. This can be an extra sticky treat!

Storage of Rice Krispies® treats

  1. Eat as fresh as possible. These treats are best on the day they're made. Otherwise, you might find yourself chewing on a rock.
  2. Store any uneaten treats in an airtight container at room temperature. This should only be used for 2 days, after which time the treats should be disposed of.
  3. Freeze if you want to keep the treats for longer. Simply layer on wax paper to separate the treats and place into an airtight container suitable for freezing. They will keep well for up to 6 weeks.
    • To thaw, remove from the freezer. Allow to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes, then separate from the wax paper and serve.
  4. Finished.

Tips

  • Soak the pot immediately after cooking; marshmallow is tough to clean up once it gets hard.
  • Be patient. This treat must be cooked over low heat or it risks burning or not turning out well. Provided that you stick with low heat, the treat should work out beautifully.
  • You can decorate or cut rice crispy treats into any shape you want.
  • Adding some food coloring to the marshmallow mixture makes a nice change. For example, add orange for Halloween, red or green for Christmas, etc.
  • Have everything set up before heating the marshmallows. They may burn if you take too long doing any of the other tasks in the meantime. As well as the ingredients, this includes assembling the items needed (listed below under "Things You'll Need").
  • Add a cup less Rice Krispies® for a chewier, more marshmallowed treat. Indeed, you may as well use the entire bag of marshmallows (about 7 cups) and have a little more to enjoy.
  • If you're feeling really ambitious, you can make the marshmallows from scratch too!
  • Can't find Rice Krispies® on your local supermarket shelf? That may be because of the name. They're known as "Rice Bubbles" in Australia and New Zealand.
  • If you'd like, you may also substitute Cheerios for the Rice Krispies. Use about 3/4 the amount of Cheerios that you would have used for the Rice Krispy portion (due to the size of the Cheerio kernel).
  • These treats can be cut into squares or bar shapes; it's up to you.

Warnings

  • These treats should be eaten carefully by anyone with loose teeth!
  • Since this is a kid-friendly food, kids may want to make it themselves. Ensure you supervise any child when using a stove and learning to cook.
  • Avoid using diet margarine for this recipe, it will not work and give treats a greasy taste.

Things You'll Need

  • Saucepan, small and deep
  • Mixing bowl
  • Mixing implement
  • Baking pan
  • Cooking spray or parchment (baking) paper
  • Spatula or wax paper
  • Microwave-safe bowl (if using microwave method)
  • Slicing knife

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/27/Chocolate_Rice_Krispie_Treats43971.shtml
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