Sweet Things Remembered

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These soft and chewy rice cereal treats are super delicious and easy to customize! I decorated mine for Easter with pastel sprinkles and candy melt drizzle, but a couple simple swaps can make them great for any holiday.

I have mentioned before that we spent a lot of time at my grandparents’ house and that we often had breakfast there. During summers and school breaks, we’d just mosey on over across the street and grandma would fix us whatever we wanted. Whenever we weren’t having pancakes, we’d have cereal, and I remember having Rice Krispies the most. But, we never ate them plain. My grandma would fix our bowls, and she’d sprinkle a little sugar on top to make them sweet. I always added more; and it was not just a little more. It was more to the point that with every scoop of cereal half of my spoon would be covered in wet sugar. When I’d eaten all the cereal and slurped the milk from the bowl, there would inevitably be some sugar left behind at the bottom. Don’t worry, though, I didn’t let it go to waste. I no longer eat Rice Krispies that way, but I am beginning to have some clarity on where and how I developed my monstrous sweet tooth. It’s also a miracle that I’ve only ever had one cavity in my life. In this recipe, the Rice Krispies are technically still covered in sugar, and since I added the sprinkles and candy melts, I guess that also means I’m still adding more sugar to my Rice Krispies. Okay, so maybe I am eating my Rice Krispies the same as when I was a kid. Oh, well. There’s no turning back now. Whether you make them festive or not, I hope you enjoy this delicious sweet treat!

Ingredients

• Butter
• Marshmallows
• Rice Cereal
• Vanilla Extract
• Almond Extract – I love the flavor of almond, but if you don’t like it or don’t have it, you can leave it out.

Additional ingredients if you want to make your rice cereal treats festive:

• Sprinkles
• Vanilla Candy Melts
• Food Coloring

Equipment

For the rice cereal treats:

• Saucepan
• 9×13 pan
• Spatula
• Measuring tools

For the decorative topping:

• Microwave safe bowl
• Sandwich baggies
• Spoon

How to Make Festive Rice Krispie Treats

• Step 1: Spray a 9×13 pan with oil, or line it with parchment paper. This is so your cereal treats do not stick to the pan.
• Step 2: In a saucepan, melt 3 tbsp of butter, and then add a 10oz bag of marshmallows and let them melt, stirring regularly.
• Step 3: Once the marshmallows are melted, add in 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp of almond extract. Mix it in well.
• Step 4: Add in 6 cups of rice cereal and stir until all of the cereal is coated in the melted marshmallow and butter mixture. It’s okay if the rice cereal is not sticking together well at this point. The mixture will stick together better after it cools.
• Step 5: If you would like to make your rice cereal treats festive, you can add sprinkles in and stir the mixture to disperse them.
• Step 6: Transfer your rice cereal mixture from the saucepan to a 9×13 pan and spread the mixture evenly. Once the mixture is spread out, you can add more sprinkles over the top and gently press them in.
  • Tip! – I was having trouble with the rice cereal sticking to my spatula, so I took a piece of parchment paper and put it over top of the rice cereal mixture, and then pressed the mixture into the pan with my fingers. This was much easier!
• Step 7: Let the rice cereal cool, and then you can cut the block into individual servings.

If you want to add the candy melt drizzle, these are the steps:

• Step 8: Portion out some candy melts into microwave safe bowls. I did two colors, so I put 1/4-1/2 cup of melts into each of my ramekins.
• Step 9: Microwave the bowl for 60 seconds, and then stir the candy melts. Microwave for an additional 30 seconds, remove, and stir again. Repeat in 30 second increments until the candy is fully melted.
  • If you are doing multiple colors, do this one bowl at a time. With such a small amount of melts, I only needed a total of 90 seconds for each bowl.
• Step 10: Add a small amount of food coloring to the melts and stir. Continue adding color until you reach your desired shade.
• Step 11: Put your melted, colored candy into a Ziploc baggie and maneuver it to one corner. Cut a small portion out of the corner.
  • Tip! – Put your baggie in a drinking glass with the top of the bag opened up over the rim of the glass. This will keep the baggie still so that you can easily put your melted candy in it.
• Step 12: Squeezing the bag gently, drizzle the candy melts in whatever pattern you would like over the cereal treats. You can add more sprinkles on top if you wish.
• Step 13: Let the candy drizzle cool completely, and enjoy!

Questions You May Have

Rice Krispie Treats (but make it festive)

Recipe by rebekahdearmond

0.0 from 0 votes

Difficulty: Easy

Servings

16

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Ingredients

• For the Rice Krispie Treats

• 3 tbsp butter

• 10oz marshmallows

• 6 cups rice cereal

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)

• For the Decoration

• Sprinkles

• 1/2 cup vanilla candy melts

• Food coloring

Directions

• Spray a 9×13 pan with oil, or line it with parchment paper.
• In a saucepan, melt 3 tbsp of butter, and then add a 10oz bag of marshmallows and let them melt, stirring regularly.
• Once the marshmallows are melted, add in 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp of almond extract. Mix it in well.
• Add in 6 cups of rice cereal and stir until all of the cereal is coated in the melted marshmallow and butter mixture. It’s okay if the rice cereal is not sticking together well at this point. The mixture will stick together better after it cools.
• If you would like to make your rice cereal treats festive, you can add sprinkles in and stir the mixture to disperse them.
• Transfer your rice cereal mixture from the saucepan to a 9×13 pan and spread the mixture evenly. Once the mixture is spread out, you can add more sprinkles over the top and gently press them in.
  _{(If the rice cereal sticks to your spatula, put a piece of parchment paper over the rice cereal and press the mixture into the pan with your fingers.)}
• Let the rice cereal cool, and then you can cut the block into individual servings.
• For the Candy Melt Drizzle
• Portion out 1/4-1/2 cup of candy melts into microwave safe bowls. Do as many bowls as colors you want to use.
• Microwave the bowl for 60 seconds, and then stir the candy melts. Microwave for an additional 30 seconds, remove, and stir again. Repeat in 30 second increments until the candy is fully melted.
• Add a small amount of food coloring to the melts and stir. Continue adding color until you reach your desired shade.
• Put your melted, colored candy into a Ziploc baggie and maneuver it to one corner. Cut a small portion out of the corner.
• Squeezing the bag gently, drizzle the candy melts in whatever pattern you would like over the cereal treats. You can add more sprinkles on top if you wish.
• Let the candy drizzle cool completely, and enjoy!