Rice krispy treats – or rice cereal bar treats, if you happen to be using a generic brand of cereal – were one of my favorite snacks as a kid. While I grew out of many of those “kid” snacks (including various brands of “fruit snacks” that just never taste as good as when you unexpectedly find a pack in your lunch box), rice krispy treats are still a favorite of mine, especially now that I know how to put some easy twists on the original recipe that turn it into something even more delicious. These recipes are some of my favorite rice krispy treat variations and I know that you’ll enjoy them, too. If you haven’t tried playing around with this classic recipe, there is no time to waste!
1. Brown Butter Rice Krispy Treats – Basic rice krispy treats only have three ingredients: butter, marshmallows and rice cereal. Browning the butter before using it gives the bars a deeply addicting nutty flavor that makes them so much more sophisticated than the original.
2. Toasted Coconut Rice Krispy Treats -Â Golden brown toasted coconut is mixed right into these bars, adding a slightly chewy texture and plenty of tropical flavor to each bite. While you can make these bars with untoasted coconut, the caramelization draws out the maximum flavor from the shredded coconut.
3. Chocolate, Almond and Sea Salt Rice Krispy Treats – With chocolate in every single bite, these simple bars taste like a premium chocolate bar. Dark or semisweet chocolate is melted right in with the butter and marshmallow cereal bar base, with toasted almonds to add crunch and a pinch of sea salt to create a mouthwatering salty-sweet contrast.
4. All Natural Red, White and Blue Rice Krispy Treats – These bars use freeze dried berries to give them a summery berry flavor, as well as to give them bright pink and blue colors that make this colorful treat look quite patriotic. Each layer of cereal tastes good on its own in this recipe, but they are even better together if you can fit them all in in one bite!
5. Â Peanut Butter Cup Rice Krispy Bars – A layer of classic cereal bars start off this candy bar-inspired treat. The base is topped with a layer of salty-sweet peanut butter and a generous coating of chocolate ganache, evoking the same flavors that you find in a traditional peanut butter cup – but with a lot more crunch from the cereal. You could use milk or dark chocolate for these, but I usually opt for dark.
What do you think?