HOW TO: Make Marshmallow Cereal Treats

Who does not remember Rice Krispie Treats as a child? And let us all be completely honest, who does not still eat them as an adult? They are one of the best treats year round, easy to make, and smiles instantly appear when they do. And what is better than a smile? How about giant wide eyes and a smile when suddenly these treats appear in all different flavors?

All cereal treats have the same three ingredients: butter, marshmallows, and cereal. You can easily make these treats with Coco Puffs, Frosted Flakes, Lucky Charms, Honey Smacks, the list is endless. And honestly even a Cheerio square is amazing! The only thing you need is imagination and the basic know how. So let us talk about the how to.

For a standard batch of cereal treats you will end up with between 20-24 squares depending on how large you want them. I traditionally make roughly a 2" square and get 20. Your going to want to have everything ready to roll before actually "cooking" the mix. It will happen fast once heat is applied and you do not want to be rushing around trying to get things ready.

Let us start with you pan. You want to use a 9 X 13 inch pan, or something comparable to it. Using 1 tbsp of butter grease the bottom and sides of your pans generously.

 

 

Set pan aside and measure out all you ingredients, you will need:

5 cups cereal, for small size cereals Rice Krispies/Frosted Flakes/Pebbles
or
6 cups cereal, for larger size cereals Coco Puffs/Kix/Cookie Crisp
4 cups miniature marshmallows (or 3 1/2 cup marshmallow topping)
1/4 cup butter (one half stick and its paper)

Once you have everything measured out.Place the butter in a large pot and melt over medium-high heat.

Once butter is melted 75% of the way, add in the marshmallows.

 

Stirring with a spoon, allow the marshmallows to puff up. Lower heat to medium.

Continue to stir and the marshmallows will slowly begin to melt. Once they start melting, they will cook down fast. (If using marshmallow topping this will heat in roughly 2-3 minutes, look for small bubbles)

Once marshmallow is completely melted and smooth, lower heat to simmer and add in the cereal. Some recipes will call for removing this from heat before adding and stirring in cereal, trust me, this makes it a lot easier.

Stir and don't stop stirring until cereal is completely covered by the marshmallow mix in the pot.

Once your 100% certain your fully coated, remove from heat and pour into pan. Used the reserved butter paper, butter side down to press mixture flat and into pan.

 

You need to work quickly because it will cool rapidly and get harder and harder for you to work with.

Once flattened, allow to cool in refrigerator for 30-60 minutes of until marshmallow has fully stiffened. (counter top for 1 1/2hours)

Slice cereal into squares, using a warmed wet knife.

Remove from pan, the first one is sometimes tricky, just slide knife down side of pan and under it to pop it up.

Plate up and enjoy!

For extra fun and giggles, add in chocolate chips, M&Ms, or any chip candy piece you may want to incorporate. just make sure to do so after you have removed from heat to avoid melting.