As many of you know, I can’t be left in a room with a Rice Krispie Treat, or as my #1 grandson calls them, Rice Christmas Treats 🙂 Unfortunately, now he can’t be left alone in a room with a Rice Krispie Treat either, but it’s a problem that seems to run in the family. His mother, and aunt and uncle can’t be left in a room with a RKT either—probably bad parenting 🙂  

So! Now, I’ve finally found a recipe for an Espresso Rice Krispie Treats! I’ve tried some others over the years, including one epic fail using butterscotch pudding, but this one is a winner.  Where did I find it?  In the October 2013 edition of Cooking Light!  Are you shocked?  Me, too! This issue has NINE recipes for Rice Krispie Treats!  I am not inclined to make any of the other recipes, one of which is…, wait for it…, drum roll…, Maple Bacon!! Really? Really!?!  A  Maple Bacon Rice Krispie Treat in Cooking Light?! Ummm, no. But, if you do make them, you have GOT to let me know how they turned out, OK?  Are they supposed to be a breakfast food?!

I also have four more recipes for Rice Krispie Treats to tantalize you : Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats—an all time favorite, the classic recipe made better; Coconut Rice Krispie Treats and Chocolate-Chocolate Cherry Rice Krispie treats—which are both deeeeelicious—I don’t know which one I like better! Your final option is Milky Way Rice Krispie Treats, which have a great taste but come in 4th place because they suffer a teeny-tiny bit in texture and are a bit—and just a bit—dense/hard… Not as ooey-gooey as the other four recipes.

This recipe calls for “toffee bits” which are actually Heath Bar Bits. Normally, I don’t like Heath Bar Bits because they taste a bit old and stale, but in this recipe they complement and enhance the espresso powder perfectly. Truth be told, I made these the first time because I had half a bag of Heath Bar Bits in the refrigerator and didn’t know what to do with them.  Since then, I’ve made these Espresso Rice Krispie Treats several times 🙂

Espresso Rice Krispie Treats

INGREDIENTS

• 2-3 tablespoons butter
• 10 oz. miniature marshmallows—check your package, you might have a 16 oz package of marshmallows! If so, you can make 1½ times this recipe and it will fit nicely in a 9″ x 13″ pan 🙂
• 1 tablespoon espresso powder (can be found in most grocery stores now, next to the instant coffee, gourmet stores carry it, too, but at double the price)
• 1 cup toffee bits—Heath Bar bits, the ones without the chocolate.
• 6 cups crispy rice cereal (Rice Krispies, or one of the generic brands–which I usually use because they are so much cheaper and they work out fine)

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan or large skillet over medium high heat.
2. Stir in the espresso power.  Stir to blend.
3. Lower the heat and stir in the marshmallows. Continue cooking and stirring until the marshmallows are melted and the espresso powder has been evenly dispersed. Turn off the heat.
4. Stir in the 6 cups of Rice Krispies and the toffee bits.  This is the only slightly difficult and messy part of the recipe.  Keep stirring until marshmallow mixture has been evenly distributed through the cereal.
5. Transfer the mixture to an 11″ x 7″ pan—if you don’t have one, don’t worry, use the nearest size pan you have…or use a 9″ x 13″ pan.  In the larger pan, the squares will just be a bit thinner.
6. Press the mixture evenly into the pan, you have to press down slightly to get the right consistency in your finished Treats.  The mixture will be sticky, and a bit hot, so use the wrapper from the butter to press the mixture down, or butter your fingertips and press down, some people wet their fingertips to do this, but I am always afraid I’ll make the top layer soggy.
7. Let your Rice Krispie Treats set and cool on counter before slicing and serving. Cut into any size or shape bars that you prefer.

That’s it!  Now you have a truly grown-up flavored Rice Krispie Treat!

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today!