rice krispie treats

A little jump into spring with… Key Lime Pie Treats!

- Mama 2 Comments

Okay, have you SEEN our snow totals lately? 13 inches last week. It hasn’t even melted, hardly, and we’re already expecting another foot tomorrow.

I have never been more ready for spring to arrive in my life. One of my friends recently joked (and I assure you, it was a joke), “Someone REALLY needs to shoot that stupid groundhog.”  Plus, I mean, Easter is actually in March this year, and the last thing I want is to wear snow boots during an egg hunt…

I’m sure all of you up north are laughing at me right now, whining over 2 feet. But then again, I laugh at the south shutting down an airport after an inch, so really, it’s all relative, right?

Anyway, because Easter is actually coming up pretty quickly, and because I am SO ready for spring to arrive officially, you’ll start seeing pops of spring around my blog. Like in the banner above.

And, anytime you see a tag like on the photo below, you’ll know that I’m featuring a recipe that is going to get you amped up for springtime!

Key Lime is a pretty essential flavor, in my mind, when I’m thinking springtime.

It embraces everything springtime is about… pretty colors, light, airy flavors, and a fresh, sunny vibe. I’m just a huge fan, all around.

One of my favorite treats to have during springtime is Key Lime Pie. Ohmygosh… that stuff is awesome. But it can be kind of a pain to make, at times. Plus, it has gobs of ingredients (okay, not gobs, but still… I’m a lazy cook sometimes).

Well, I’ve found a way to easily create that Key Lime Pie taste, but with almost no effort. You don’t even have to turn on your oven, which is nice when it’s sunny and 70. Heck, you could even make it in the microwave! (I’m talking to you especially, dorm dwellers or people who don’t boil water without blowing up the kitchen).

First, we have to start with the base ingredients. There’s only three, by the way.

Every key lime pie I’ve ever tasted has had a graham cracker crust, so to recreate that flavor, you’re going to need a box of Golden Grahams.

Start by hand crushing them until you have about 6 cups. These don’t have to be perfectly crunched, or beaten with a rolling pin, or anything like that… just generally crush them into smaller pieces in your hand.

This is where your key lime flavor joins the party… in the form of….

marshmallows?

Yup, Campfire Marshmallows have KEY LIME marshmallows this spring!

While I can’t help but think that would be one of the best springtime s’mores ever (replacing chocolate with white chocolate, adding two of these puppies, roasted, and some honey grahams, oh yes… yum), when I saw them, my first thought was these treats.

To have enough with your 6 cups of cereal, you’ll want 10 ounces of marshmallows. This equates to about one full bag, plus 20 marshmallows from a second bag.

You’ll put the mallows and 3 Tablespoons of margarine or butter in a saucepan or microwave-safe bowl.

(If you don’t want to use a partial bag, just use an entire bag of the marshmallows, 2 tablespoons of butter, and about 4 1/2 cups of crunched cereal for a thinner treat).

Melt the marshmallows and butter over low heat, stirring near constantly, until the marshmallows melt. If you’re microwaving them, stir every 30 seconds.

As the marshmallows melt, they will become greener and greener.

Once they’re melted, like this,

stir in your Golden Grahams, and press them into a 9×9 pan that has been thoroughly greased.

Let them sit until they’ve cooled and hardened slightly, then slice and serve.

I cut mine into circles with a cookie cutter, then topped them with a dollop of Cool Whip that I mixed with green food coloring.

No joke, this tastes so much like a key lime pie that I may never make the real pie again… this was just awesome.

Snap, Crackle, Peppermint Rice Krispie Treats

- Mama 3 Comments

I’m nearly certain that Rice Krispie Treats almost kind of count as a cookie.

There’s just something about them that is so delicious, and this is hands-down the most delicious of all.

Grab some Rice Krispies and, of course, some of my favorite seasonal delights…

In a saucepan, over low heat, combine the entire bag of Peppermint Jet-Puffed Marshmallows and half a stick of butter, cut into chunks.

Stir. And stir. And stir some more.

Keep stirring until it looks something like this:

And then, it’s time to fold in your Rice Krispies. You’re going to need about 6 cups of it. Fold that in gently, being careful not to squish the Krispies!

Then, grab a 9×13 foil-lined pan. If you like them a little thicker, use a 9×9 pan. For cookie exchanges, I prefer the thinner bars and for Santa, I like them a little thicker.

While those are still a little squishy, sprinkle on about 1/4 cup of Andes peppermint crunch baking bits and press them gently into the surface of the Rice Krispie Bars.

Then, melt 1/4 cup of chocolate chips, preferably semi-sweet, and drizzle that all over. This season, I am absolutely all about the drizzle. It’s a very easy way to dress up every treat, without a ton of effort. It looks classy and fun, with a simple flick of the wrist.

Once the chocolate has solidified, all you have to do is lift the foil lining out, slice, and serve.

It’s that easy.

Avalanche Rice Krispie Bars

- Mama 2 Comments

Quite some time ago, my area had a mall with plenty of shops. The mall is still there, but the shops? Not so much…

One of the shops that used to be there was Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, and they had these awesome Rice Krispie bars called Avalanche bars. Avalanche bars were nice because they were arguably the cheapest thing you could get at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, and they tasted really good. But in reality, they’re so easy to make and so much more affordable to make yourself that you’ll never buy another Avalanche bar again!

When I was looking for the perfect Avalanche Bar recipe, I knew there had to be an awesome duplicate already out there, and there was. I figured since there’s no reason to re-invent the wheel, I’d look at the recipe from Cookies and Cups, making a few modifications as I went.

Start with a 12 ounce bag of white chocolate chips, and melt that in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between each 30 seconds in the microwave. When it’s melted, stir in 1/3 cup of creamy peanut butter.

Toss that with about 3 cups of Rice Krispies, then let that cool for 15 minutes. Stir it occasionally to make sure it will cool off a little faster and more evenly.

When it’s cooled off considerably, take 1 cup of Jet-Puffed mini marshmallows and stir those in along with a 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips. Lightly press that into a foil-lined 9×9 pan, then press in another Tablespoon of mini chocolate chips into the top as a garnish.

Once the bars are totally cooled, cut them. I cut mine into thin strips because I thought it would be a fun way to get just a taste… it goes along with one of my favorite ideas. “If you have a piece of cake, and you cut that piece in half, it’s half the calories. And, since that’s half the calories, you can eat twice as much.” With this, I cut them into smaller pieces for them to be smaller amounts of calories, and if it’s fewer calories, you can eat far more, right?

 

Don’t forget, tomorrow is the last day to enter for my Rice Krispies prize pack, so if you still have not entered to win, go here: http://digitaleramom.com/2012/11/02/snap-crackle-and-pop-a-rice-krispie-event-plus-bonus-prize-pack-giveaway/

If you want more awesome Rice Krispie Treat ideas, head over to my Pinterest board for more inspiration: http://pinterest.com/jengerbread88/a-rice-krispie-affair/

While you’re there, be sure to follow all of my boards for the latest in yummy food, kids crafts, and homeschooling help, plus home decor and plenty more!

Double Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Rice Krispie Treats

- Mama 2 Comments

Don’t let the mouthful of a name scare you… these Rice Krispie Treats are so easy to make, and delicious, too!

Start by melting 1/4 Cup butter and 1 bag (10 oz) of Jet-Puffed Mini Marshmallows in a saucepan over low heat on the stove, making sure you stir frequently. When those are totally melted, remove your pan from the heat and stir in 1/4 teaspoon of Sea Salt. Take 5 cups of Rice Krispies and 1/2 cup pretzel sticks (each broken in 2-3 pieces) and fold those into the marshmallow mixture.

Pat that into a foil-lined 9×13 pan, being sure not to press too hard or the treats will get too hard.

Take 1/4 cup of caramel chews, chopped into pieces, and drizzle that over the treats. Then, melt 1/4 cup of white chocolate and drizzle that on top of the treats. Finally, melt 1/4 cup of milk chocolate chips and drizzle that on top of them! Finish with a generous sprinkle of sea salt, and these salty-sweet treats are ready to be eaten!

I decided to use a cookie cutter to cut my treats into hearts, but you can use your imagination on what style to slice these bars into!

Need more Rice Krispie fun? Head over to my Rice Krispie pinterest board for more inspiration from around the web, then be sure to stop by my giveaway where you could enter to win a Rice Krispies Prize Pack!