One of my favorite food-related smells has to be that of marshmallows and butter melting together in the same serendipitous pot over medium-low heat. I’ve only had the good fortune of smelling this delightful interaction while making rice krispie treats, which are, perhaps, the easiest dessert to make besides box pudding. Even though the pre-packaged rice krispie treats are pretty good (I used to eat 6 or 7 at a time after school while watching “Friends” on DVD), there’s nothing like the homemade version. They’re also super fun to play around with; you can use cookie cutters to make different shapes, or even food dye to change the color of the marshmallow-butter blend.
My friend Chloe’s birthday is coming up so I decided to make celebratory rice krispie pops for our improv practice group tonight. One of the benefits of making these as opposed to cookies or cupcakes is that they’re virtually allergen (i.e. gluten or nut) free, so most people can eat them. With that said, always check the packaging on the ingredients, since allergens vary brand to brand.
INGREDIENTS:
10 oz. mini marshmallows
6 cups rice krispie cereal
3 tbsp. butter
1/4 melted milk chocolate
1/4 cup rainbow sprinkles
fun straws, cut in half
DIRECTIONS:
Melt the butter and marshmallows over medium-low heat in a large saucepan. Once there are no marshmallow lumps remaining, turn off the heat and add the cereal. Mix until all of the cereal is coated with the marshmallow mixture. Pour into a 9×13 baking dish, and press down with wax paper or a spatula until smooth. Let cool for a few minutes.
Spatter with melted chocolate in a diagonal pattern. Move your arm rapidly so that the chocolate doesn’t drip and look gloppy on the treats. Shake sprinkles over the rice krispies so that the whole rectangle is coated. Let chocolate harden for about 10-15 minutes.
Using a sharp knife, cut into squares about 2 inches in diameter. Remove from pan. Insert straw half into each square. If the straws aren’t sticking,try dipping one end of each straw in melted chocolate before inserting into the rice krispie treats.
Enjoy!
Leslie
lards and epinards 