THE "BEST" RICE KRISPIE TREATS - VALENTINES DAY EDITION

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________________________________ hello! … happy valentines day! ________________________________ I’ve been meaning to share this super-easy, and yummy classic with you all for a while, so when Livi’s teacher asked me to bring in a treat for her Valentine’s Day class party, I figured it was the perfect opportunity! You know the classic rice krispie treat (when I was pregnant with Livi, I’d eat these by the pan 🙂 ) … but have you ever noticed how the recipe on the back of the cereal box yields a crunch, dare I say, “dry”, version of the classic? If that’s to your taste, then have at it! I tend to prefer mine more ooey-gooey and, well, buttery. So, I started experimenting and I think I’ve got it down! And the beauty of this recipe is that it’s adaptable to any holiday or event. In this case, I added a touch of red food coloring to the marshmallow-butter mix to give it soft pink tint, before adding the rice krispies. And so we have pink hearts … the key to Livi’s heart 🙂 Obviously, you can use any shape — bunnies for Easter, stars for the Fourth of July, pumpkins or bats for Halloween, or angels and trees for Christmas! So here it is, “THE best” rice krispie treat recipe! Happy Valentines Day loves!

Ingredients:

– 15 oz (1.5 bags of mini marshmallows)

– 6 tbsp butter, plus extra 2 tbsp (one each for the pan and your cookie cutter)

– 1/2 tsp vanilla

– 6 cups rice krispies

– food coloring (color and amount based on preference)

| cookie cutter set | | cheese board |

Directions

– Use 1 Tbsp of butter to grease a 13 x 9 inch pan, set aside.

– In a large mixing bowl, measure out 6 cups of rice krispies, set aside.

– In a medium saucepan, melt 6 tbsp butter on low-medium heat until entirely liquid, then add marshmallows. Stir continuously until the marshmallows fully melt and combine with the butter. Be patient! I know browned butter is all the rage in baking circles, but you don’t want that here … the butter should stay a nice light yellow color.

– Once the butter and marshmallow is fully melted and combined, add the vanilla and food coloring — stir to combine.

– Pour the marshmallow mixture into the large mixing bowl, over the rice krispies. Using a large wooden spoon, stir to combine.

– Once the rice krispies are thoroughly coated with the marshmallow mixture, pour them into the greased 13 x 9 inch pan. Use wax paper to press the mixture evenly throughout the pan. Let sit for 10-15 mins to cool.

– Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a small bowl, but be sure it’s large enough that you can dip your cookie cuter into the bowl (see picture above).

– Dip the cookie cutter into the butter, coating the bottom edges thoroughly. This is key to preventing the treats from sticking to the cutter and losing their shape when pressed out! Once coated, use the cutter to cut a single treat. Gently remove the treat and place it on wax paper. Repeat, re-dipping the cookie cutter into the butter before cutting each new treat.

Ooey, gooey, and extra buttery! Enjoy 🙂