Rice Crispy Treat Variations?

[lilianblythe]

Ok, so this Christmas the budget is tight. What I've decided to do is give every couple two tins: one with my homemade butter cookies, and one with some sort of sugary treat. I decided on Rice Crispy treats, because they are failry easy and inexpensive to make.

Now, I don't just want to make normal, beige treats. I want interesting! My two ideas so far:
1. Use strawberry pops and pink marshmallows
2. Use coco pops and top squares with melted chocolate

What other variations are nice?

 

[letscook]

i have added in m &m"s, choco chips , butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips or even
crushed up candycanes. also have put sprinkles on top

 

[bigdaddy3k]

I use a 50/50 blend of regular and either coco or fruity and then I put cinnamon in the marshmallow while it melts.

If you are going the coco route try adding cinnamon, a little cocoa powder and a dash of chipotle in while the marshmallows are still semi solid in the pan.

 

[jabbur]

12 oz bag butterscotch chips
1 c. peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
6 c. krispies

Melt chips and peanut butter together in a large saucepan over low heat til smooth
Remove from heat and stir in cereal until coated.
Press into 9x13 greased pan. Chill and cut into squares.
Store in refrigerator.

 

[Andy M.]

Use Fruity Pebbles instead of Rice Crispies. They are multi-colored like confetti.

SO just made a Christmas Train with them.

 

[jabbur]

I made them once with Fruity Pebbles. Way too sweet for my tastes! They are pretty though!

 

[bigdaddy3k]

I made them once with Fruity Pebbles. Way too sweet for my tastes! They are pretty though!

Do the 50/50 blend with regular rice crispies.

 

[MostlyWater]

DD looooves Rice Crispie treats. I got her a cookbook of variations ! Do

 

[MostlyWater]

do you want to vary the shape or the toppings ?

 

[danpeikes]

sub peanutbutter for the fluff and top with melted chocolate

 

[LPBeier]

I used the Holiday Krispies (just some of them dyed red and green mixed with the regular. I made them very thin and packed (about 1/2 or less) and cut them with holiday cookie cutter shapes making sure I had multiples of 2 of each shape. I then made a chocolate ganache filling (heat a cup of heavy cream just before scalding and pour over 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips. let sit for a minut and stir until melted and smooth). I sandwiched two similar shapes together with the chocolate between, then drizzled more chocolate over the top. It was for a banquet I did a few weeks ago and as usual didn't get a picture.

 

[Wyogal]

There are some interesting ideas on their website.

 

[Moovyz]

Just for the record... the current recipe for Rice Krispy treats that they show on the box has been modified over the years to lessen the calories and fat. Frankly Scarlett, these things taste like crap with the listed recipe.

So I did a bit of research and found that the original recipe is as follows:

(1) bag of regular marshmallows (about 40 large) or (1) bag in the minis (personally, I like the large but have no technical reason for this)

(1) stick of salted butter (that's right, 8 tablespoons! the current recipe on the box calls for 1/4 or sometimes on the web you see recipes that call for 3 tablespoons. The recipe currently on the box makes little "carboard" tasty treats)
If you haven't tried using a full stick of butter in your treats because you're too young to remember or you simply forgot... try this recipe. You will not believe how much better they taste!

(6) cups of Rice Krispies (when using this original recipe, I recommend adding 1 more cup. With this much butter, the melted mixture has enough volume for the xtra. It also, theoretically, lowers the fat amount, per treat, since you now have more to serve.)

Note: If you are worried about the amount of fat, simply use 6 tablespoons (3/4 of a stick) but don't add the 7th cup of krispies. You will reduce the fat by 25% without seriously changing the end result.

We all know how to do the rest. I also put a light coating of Promise margarine (any soft spread works) on my hands when pressing into the pan. This keeps the little buggers from sticking to your (watch out, they're hot at first) fingers. If you're worried about using your hands in food that others will eat, you simply put a bit of the margarine on the bottom of a large spatula and press like that. (I don't worry about other people... most batches are polished off by me in the first day!) If they are sticking to your fingers, then you run into the issue of having to lick them off and we all know where that will lead to..... pretty soon, your batch is a bit lighter! The Promise also keeps them from sticking to the pan and it adds a slightly different buttery taste that compliments the real butter in the treats. One final trick... press them down tight. The tighter the press, the longer the treats take to eat.

The only other variation I've tried is serving them with thin slices of banana on top. That makes for a really unique treat!

 

[Janet H]

Just for the record... the current recipe for Rice Krispy treats that they show on the box has been modified over the years to lessen the calories and fat. Frankly Scarlett, these things taste like crap with the listed recipe.

So I did a bit of research and found that the original recipe is as follows:

.....

That's hilarious - I didn't know it had been changed! I cut the recipe off a cereal box years ago and pasted it into my cookbook and never read the package again.

I occasionally make these with chopped dried cherries and coarsely chopped pistachios added.

 

[bigdaddy3k]

I, being a butter freak, use the full stick and I didn't even know that was the original recipe! No wonder people rave about them.

 

[LPBeier]

When I was cooking at the summer camp (cooking for 600 at a time), we took a huge pot, threw in a few pounds of butter, several warehouse sized bags of marshmallows, a few glugs out of a vanilla bottle and then filled it with krispies until we got the right consistency and then poured and packed it into several full sheet pans. We never bothered with the recipe and they always turned out great!

 

[Janet H]

I, being a butter freak, use the full stick and I didn't even know that was the original recipe! No wonder people rave about them.

The dairy farmers of America thank you for your patronage

 

[bigdaddy3k]

The dairy farmers of America thank you for your patronage

My cheese consumption alone gets me a fruit basket every year.

 

[mexican mama]

You can add nuts like peanuts and walnuts...i like the idea of pink marshmallows...
green crispy treats for the holidays
St. Patrick's Day Crispy Treats - 159144 - Recipezaar

 

[jabbur]

My cheese consumption alone gets me a fruit basket every year.

Hey! Where's mine? My whole family can't exist without cheese! We have it in some form everyday! I did make the concession and switched to margarine for most of my cooking instead of butter. The cholesterol levels of some of us were way too high (DH in particular). Maybe that's why we got passed over.