Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats

Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats® are an American favorite snack that is both easy to make and fun to eat. Much of its charm comes from the crispy yet chewy texture and sweet (but not too sweet) taste. The recipe can also be made easily in the microwave lending it well to preparing with young children. 

 According to Kellogg's, an employee by the name of Mildred Day concocted the snack as a treat for a Camp Fire Girls fundraiser. The recipe was first published in 1941 and has been such a success that Kellogg's has been selling a premade version of Rice Krispies Treats for the last ten years. Although many crisped and puffed cereal snacks have been popular prior to the Kellogg's recipe, the Rice Krispies Treats formula's genius is in its simplicity.

Only three ingredients make the basic Rice Krispies Treats recipe: 6 cups of Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal, 10 ounces of marshmallows, and 3 tablespoons butter. If Rice Krispies aren't available where you are, crisped rice (or for that matter any puffed cereal) can be substituted. Are you even allowed to call them Rice Krispies Treats if they don't contain Rice Krispies cereal? I wrote to Kellogg's and didn't get a clear answer. They did tell me the following: 

The Rice Krispies Treats? recipe is trademarked by Kellogg Company and is not available for use by the public. Therefore, we can not grantpermission to use this name. As with any recipe you make, it can be used as you want. However, you would have to use a generic name such as rice crisp cereal bars should you decide to sell them.

Even though I don't plan to ever sell puffed rice treats, for the purposes of this article, I will refer to these snacks as crisped rice treats and only call the unmodified recipies Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats.

 I often find that unmolding the crisped rice treat can be a pain, so I make myself a little sling out of parchment paper. Just butter a 9x13-in. baking pan and lay a sheet of parchment paper across the pan leaving the ends folded over the edge for use as handles.

 Melt 3 Tbs. salted butter (if using unsalted, add a pinch of kosher salt) over medium-low heat in a large pot or saucepan (big enough to hold all the puffed rice and marshmallows you put aside earlier). Even though the marshmallows will melt down and take less volume, a large pot will be handy as you stir the ingredients.

 Once the butter has melted, pour in all the marshmallows.

 Stir until the marshmallows melt into a nearly smooth mass. (These steps can be accomplished with a microwave by heating both the marshmallows and the butter in the microwave on high for about two minutes and then stirring them to redistribute. Heat again for another minute on high and then stir until all is melted together. My trouble is getting a microwave safe bowl big enough to fit all the marshmallows and Rice Krispies cereal so when I stir, I don't make a mess.)

 Pour the crisped rice into the pot and stir until the rice is evenly coated and no more large clumps of white marshmallow remain. This is when I add a half cup of something extra if I'm so inclined - chocolate chips, M&M's, raisins, currants, nuts, or anything that Tina asks for.

 Scoop the mixture into the 9x13-in. pan and spread into an even layer.

 When cooled, lift out of the baking pan and place on a cutting board. Use a knife or a pizza cutter to cut into two inch squares.

 If you're bored with Rice Krispies Treats, try the same recipe with regular Cherrios or another puffed grain cereal.