Crispy Rice Goodness!

I think, that with all this try-to-improve-my-kitchen-skills thing, I've forgotten that, sometimes, the simplest things are the best. Case in point: Last Monday I participated in my work's golf tournament (no, I don't golf, but I'm still surprisingly good at it) and brought along Rice Krispies Treats. They were the only quick-and-easy thing I could think of that would stand up to the heat. The result: my team said I was awesome, the team behind us begged to have some, and I received one profession of undying love and devotion (seriously). All because I spent 15 (maybe 25, max) minutes in the kitchen the night before.

Now it's not as simple as making Rice Krispies Treats from the recipe on the box, because the recipe on the box IS NOT the recipe my generation grew up with. Enter my mother. She doesn't throw away anything and, consequently, has a typewriter-typed recipe with the original recipe as well as some pretty clever variations on it. On a related note, my mom makes these things for every family get-together and they're always the first thing to go.

Crispy Rice Treats
(download PDF)

Ingredient List
salted butter (¼ cup)
marshmallows (300 g, ~ 40 large or 4 cups small)
puffed rice cereal (5 cups)
vanilla extract

Directions
Coat the inside of a 9”x9” baking pan with non-stick cooking spray, then line it with parchment paper and coat the parchment paper with non-stick cooking spray.

Melt ¼ cup salted butter over medium-low heat. Add 300 g marshmallows. Stir the marshmallows as they melt, making sure that the bottom doesn’t burn.

Once the marshmallows are completed melted, stir in ½ tsp vanilla extract thoroughly.

Add 5 cups puffed rice cereal, one cup at a time, until evenly mixed with the melted marshmallow.

Pour the mixture firmly into the prepared pan using slightly wetted finger tips.

Let the pan cool to room temperature before cutting into squares using a pizza cutter.

Makes 12 squares.

Notes
Doubling the recipe makes enough to fit into a 9”x13” baking pan.

Variations:

• Press a thin layer of mixture into lubricated muffin cups to form shells. Fill with ice cream and top with chocolate syrup.
• Before cutting, pour over melted chocolate (and/or butterscotch).
• Dip ends of squares in melted semi-sweet chocolate, then in chopped nuts. Place on waxed paper to harden.
• Substitute up to half of the puffed rice cereal for another fruity or chocolaty cereal.
• Mix in some M&M’s, Reece’s Pieces, crushed candy canes, etc., fruit, or nuts.
• Stir in ½ cup peanut butter to the melted marshmallow to make peanut butter treats.
  

Nutrition (per square)
Calories 160
Total fat 4 g
Saturated fat 3 g
Cholesterol 10 mg
Sodium 153 mg
Carbohydrate 30 g
Dietary fibre 0 g
Sugars 13 g
Protein 1 g
Vitamin A 7 %DV
Vitamin C 5 %DV
Calcium 0 %DV
Iron 23 %DV