Up until today, I had never made Rice Krispies Treats. This confession shocked my husband, since he and I both know I have probably eaten my weight in Rice Krispies Treats over the years. I love them. I will have them whenever the opportunity presents itself: at coffee shops, the kind in the little blue wrapper at convenience stores, homemade ones that my friends make, at restaurants – you get the picture. I’ve even read about the lovely recipes for them here, here, and here. Given this kind of dessert loyalty, I’m not sure why I’ve never had the urge to make them.
Enough backstory already, let’s get to the good stuff. Today I decided to give it a go, but with a twist: I used Cocoa Krispies and topped them with a homemade caramel drizzle. Why mess with a classic? Because I’m a little nutty and I love caramel and chocolate and marshmallows, so why not? The results are in: these treats are decidedly delicious, but truth be told, using Cocoa Krispies didn’t bring the chocolate-y flavor I hoped it would. In the end, it really doesn’t matter because we discovered that the star of this party is the caramel drizzle/sauce. It’s a game-changer, no joke. Oh, and have I told you that it only takes 3 ingredients?! Easiest recipe ever. If you take anything away from this post, please let it be the caramel recipe. CRAVING WORTHY for sure. Besides, everyone knows the Rice Krispies Treats recipe, right? But just for good measure, I’ve listed it below, too.
(Easiest) Caramel Sauce – as featured by Smitten Kitchen
Makes about 1 1/3 cups
1 cup sugar
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) salted butter, the better you can get, the better it will taste
1/2 cup plus two tablespoons heavy cream, at room temperature
Melt the sugar over medium to moderately high heat in a larger pot than you think you’ll need–at least two or three quarts, whisking or stirring the sugar as it melts to ensure it heats evenly. This takes a few minutes to get started, but once it does, it takes color quickly so keep an eye on it. Cook the liquefied sugar to a nice, dark copper color. I couldn’t do it. I got nervous. Cooking sugar to a deep copper color calls for culinary courage I just don’t have yet. I cooked it until it was a nice, medium-dark copper color, but if you can handle it, go for it. I’m sure it’s amazing! Now, add the butter all at once and stir it in. Turn off the stove, then add the cream into the pot (the sauce bubbles up a lot so this is why you need a larger pot). Then, whisk it until you get a smooth sauce.
You can use it right away or pour it into a jar and store it in the fridge for up to two weeks. When you take it out, it will be thick and not pour-ready. My husband is willing to eat it at this temperature, but he’s silly. I think 30 seconds in the microwave brings it back to pouring consistency.
I imagine our little potful of caramel will be used for things like Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate or Caramel Apple Cider. And of course, it will be poured generously over vanilla ice cream.
Cocoa Rice Krispies Treats – as found on the box of the Original Rice Krispies (with some tweaks)
4 tablespoons butter or margarine (I’ll be honest, I used 6 tablespoons of butter – it tastes better)
1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows
- or -
4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups Kellogg’s Cocoa Krispies cereal (or the original kind, whatever floats yer boat)
In large pot, melt butter over low heat. Add the marshmallows and stir until completely smooth (try not to use a whisk because the marshmallow goodness will get stuck in those wires). Remove the pot from heat. Add the cereal and stir until well-coated. Using a buttered spatula or wax paper, evenly press mixture into 8×8 pan with 2-inch sides coated with butter or butter-flavored cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares and drizzle with homemade caramel sauce.
2 comments