Rice Krispie Treats--God's Gift to Office Potlucks


Rice Krispie Treats. Simple, delicious, and easy to throw together at 9:30 at night before the next day's office party.
Rice Krispie Treats have been a dessert staple of my family for years. They were one of the earliest things I can remember helping my mom to make, and as my sister and I got older, we had a revelation--you can sub in other cereals of your choosing ("Rice Krispie DOESN'T have a monopoly on these treats!"). My sister's genius contribution was Berry Berry Kix. Tossed with melted butter and marshmallows, Berry Berry Kix turned your average bake sale snack into a fruity taste sensation tempered by those little puffy balls of Kix goodness. (Nothing so overwhelming as using all Fruity Pebbles. Blech.) It also didn't hurt that our breakfast cereal choices as children were limited--Berry Berry Kix were about as "sugary" as my mom allowed. Necessity is truly the mother of invention.
Being a "more is better" kind of girl, when I make rice krispie treats I prefer to use a little more butter and marshmallows than what the recipe calls for (it's on the side of the Rice Krispie box). This means 1-2 tablespoons more of butter (for a richer taste) and for marshmallows, if it calls for one bag, I use one and a half. Also, I've been experimenting with flavors. I've thrown a splash of almond extract in the melted butter/marshmallow just to make the over all experience that more interesting. For the krispies in the picture above, I melted 3 tbls of butter with 6oz of dark chocolate chips then used a piping bag to "Jackson Pollock" them. The dark chocolate plays nicely with the sweetness of the marshmallows.
Next time you're looking for a quick, so-retro-it's-cool, snack, look no further than your pantry. Your co-workers won't be disappointed.

Comments

Christina said…
Gen,

OMG! I have been a Rice Krispie treat guy since I was a kid! Adding the dark chocolate brings the tasty treat right into my adult dessert wheel house!
I'm putting my request in now for these to be THE dessert at this year's OSU/scUM party!!

Scott (Alyssa's brother)
August 9, 2008 at 1:53 PM
wusspie said…
mom always forced us to use unfrosted shredded wheat and oatmeal. i like your recipe better.
August 11, 2008 at 1:19 PM
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