Do you remember as a kid what a special treat it was when mom or grandma got in the kitchen and whipped up a tray of special sweet Rice Krispie treats?
Well, I have memories of my great grandmother being the one whipping them up. I always thought it was a super complex process as a kid.
However, much to my surprise, when I became a mom myself and wanted to make some of these classic treats for my own kids I found how simple it truly was.
Actually, I made my own version of Rice Krispie treats for my middle son’s birthday this past year. They aren’t fancy in the slightest. It was super simple and very inexpensive.
But I still wanted to share. Hopefully, the other moms out there that get sick of the traditional birthday cake will find that their children love these Rice Krispie treats as much as my kids do.
Here is how I made them:
Before I get started, I have to tell you that I’m not really that creative. I actually got the idea from this post, but I’m still not as creative as she was so I just super simplified the process. My son was happy with the outcome and so was I. They were so delicious!
Ingredients:
Before we get started, you’ll need the following items to make this recipe:
- 1 box of Rice Krispie cereal
- Non-stick cooking spray
- 1 stick of butter or margarine
- 1 container of marshmallow fluff or marshmallows
- 1 container of icing
- Sprinkles
- Mixing bowl
- Wooden spoon
- Saucepan
How to make Rice Krispie Treats:
1. Melt Your Butter
We’ll begin the process by placing the saucepan on the stove over medium heat. You’ll need to add the butter to the pot.
Now, I recommend using ¼ cup of butter to everyone one cup of marshmallow fluff. Depending upon the batch size you are going to make, you may want to double up the recipe.
But that is really your call. I actually had marshmallow fluff and a bunch of left-over marshmallows from a cookout we had previously.
So because I didn’t want them to go to waste, I used the marshmallow fluff and the marshmallows. Then I added more butter as I felt it needed. Most of this I just eyeballed.
But you can do as you wish and with what you have on hand. Mine turned out wonderfully coated because of the extra marshmallow mixture I had.
Plus, if you add extra, you can always add more cereal if you feel it is needed.
2. Add the Marshmallow Fluff or Marshmallows
After you’ve decided on the right amount of butter to melt and have finished melting it, you’ll need to add the marshmallows or marshmallow fluff to the butter.
When you do this prepare for things to get a little sticky. I used a wooden spoon to help this process along so it wouldn’t stick to my utensil.
Again, that is up to you which utensil you use. Just be sure to stir the mixture as much as you can so the butter and marshmallows melt together to form one smooth, creamy sauce.
Once it has all melted together, and you are satisfied that you’ve found the right amount of butter and marshmallows for the amount of cereal you will prepare, then you are ready to move on.
Realize, this recipe isn’t like you are baking a cake where if you throw a little too much of something in, then your cake won’t turn out right. Rice Krispy treats are simple and are usually pretty simple to straighten out if you’ve added too much or too little of something.
So don’t fret during this process.
3. Pour the Cereal into Mixing Bowl and Combine
Most recipes tell you to pour the cereal into the saucepan. I’m going to be honest and tell you every time I do that I make a huge mess.
So for me, I just pour my cereal into a mixing bowl. Then I pour the marshmallow butter mixture onto the cereal.
Then I mix and mix until the rice cereal has become fully coated and everything is basically a big sticky mess.
Now, you can never add too much butter marshmallow mixture in my opinion. But if your cereal looks a little dry, then just go back and create more of the butter marshmallow mixture until you feel your rice cereal is coated to the extent you want it to be.
Finally, toss in some sprinkles. You want to add some color to treats so you can add as many or as few as you’d like. It is all about what you prefer in your Rice Krispie treats.
Also, I made this for my son’s birthday, but you could do all kinds of different twists on this cake. You could use red and green to celebrate Christmas, pastel colored sprinkles to celebrate Easter, red and pink for Valentine’s Day, or even all green to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!
And it is such an easy treat to make too.
4. Prepare Your Pan
After you’ve got your treats all mixed up, it is time to prepare your cake pan. You have multiple ways you can do this. If you want to create a multi-layer Rice Krispie cake, you can use 2-3 round cake pans.
But if you’d rather just make it one solid layer, then use one 13×9 cake pan. Either way, you’ll need to line the pan(s) with aluminum foil.
Then you’ll need to spray them with non-stick cooking spray. The whole point is to keep the treats from sticking to your pan.
Once you feel that everything is coated so that nothing will stick, it is time to move to the next step.
5. Spread the Rice Krispie Mixture Out
You are ready to add the treat mixture to your pans. You’ll need to scoop the mixture into the pan(s) and spread it out evenly.
Once the mixture is spread, if you used the 13×9 rectangular cake pan you can move on to the next step. This is the method I used for my son’s birthday cake.
But if you used the round cake pans, you’ll need to place them in the fridge for about 30 minutes or so until they have hardened up. Once they are hardened, you can move on to the next step.
6. Add Your Icing
For your rectangular cake, you are going to add your icing. You can go as fancy as you want to here. I used regular store-bought icing, but you can make your own icing as well. Here is a great recipe for butter-cream frosting.
However, if you went with the circular layered cake you’ll need to pull the first layer out of the cake pan carefully. Using a knife to cut it loose and then turning it upside down on a cake plate is probably your best bet.
But, whichever way you get the job done will be great. Then add some icing to that layer. Then you’ll repeat the same process with getting the next layer out of the pan and add icing to that layer. You’ll repeat this for as many layers of Rice Krispie as you have.
Then you’ll need to ice the whole cake like you would a normal cake. Here is a tutorial to help you with icing a layered cake.
7. Decorate
So now your Rice Krispie treats are made in the pan you desired, and iced. Now what?
Well, you decorate of course! This is why I loved this cake. I didn’t have to spend a fortune on a store-bought birthday cake.
Also, I didn’t have to worry about making a homemade cake that I destroyed by a horrible decorating job. This cake idea is simple and so easy to decorate, your kids could do it themselves!
So you’ll just pour sprinkles over the top of the treats that are iced. You can add as many or as few as you like. It is all about personal preference here.
8. Enjoy
After you’ve completed the sprinkle job, the treats are ready to dig into and enjoy! So dig in, but they are sweet so remember to brush your teeth before bed. Your dentist will thank you for it!
So as simple as these rice treats were to make, I thought I’d share with you a few other options I found around the web.
Here they are:
Delicious Rice Krispie Treats Recipes:
1. Puppy Chow Rice Krispie Treats
Do you love puppy chow? If you are unfamiliar with what it is, it usually comes in Chex Mix. It includes ingredients like chocolate, peanut butter, and powdered sugar.
So if that sounds wonderful to you, then you might want to consider making these Rice Krispie treats. Because after all marshmallow treats with peanut butter, chocolate, and powdered sugar just sounds divine.
2. S’mores Rice Krispie Treats
My kids like S’mores. That is why when I saw this recipe I knew I had to share it. Most people do love S’mores.
So the idea that you could mix two favorite treats such as Rice Krispie treats and S’mores is enough to make this dessert a winner in most people’s books.
3. Cookies and Cream Rice Krispie Treats
I’m a huge fan of almost all things cookies and cream. I love cookies and cream ice cream and when I was pregnant with my youngest I loved cookies and cream Hershey bars.
So naturally, I drew to this recipe to share with you all as well. It is a delicious looking cookies-and-cream Rice Krispie treat. Does it get much better?
4. Chocolate Rice Krispy Treats
These are actually my favorite Rice Krispie treats. As much as I love the original. I also love chocolate. It is genetic. (Right, mom?)
But I digress. So if you love chocolate and Rice Krispie treats (like this girl right here does), then you’ll want to at least give these treats a try.
5. Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
So I had to end this delicious article on a high note. Most everyone I’ve ever known agrees that peanut butter and chocolate are an amazing mixture.
Well, try this recipe, and you can see if an even better mixture is peanut butter, chocolate, and Rice Krispie treats.
Well, now you know how I made these easy and delicious Rice Krispie treats for my son’s birthday. Plus, you have 5 other recipes to try out on top of that one.
So proceed with caution so you don’t end up with cavities or in a sugar coma.
But I’d love to hear from you all. What is your favorite way to make Rice Krispie treats? Do you have any fond memories that are based around this delicious treat?
We’d love to hear them! Just drop us a line in the comment box provided below.
