Rice and ____ Krispies Square

December 25, 2009 3:46 PM

[RICE KRISPY TREAT filter] can anybody recommend ways to modify the classic rice krispy square recipe?

I'm looking for different things to add to rice krispy squares. I've tried adding shredded coconut and almond slices and both worked pretty well, any other suggestions? (Do I need to change the ratios if I add extra dry ingredients?)

Would also love to hear about other possible modifications/recipes that utilize rice krispies cereal.

Thanks!

posted by cheemee to food & drink (43 answers total)

chili pepper powder (+/- chocolate).
posted by Solon and Thanks at 3:51 PM on December 25, 2009

Anything already really sweet sounds like an excellent opportunity for me to add some fresh or powdered ginger and see what the flavors do together.

Also, why not frost them with Nutella?
posted by hermitosis at 3:53 PM on December 25, 2009

I've always loved Peanut Butter Rice Krispies. Here is the recipe at the Rice Krispies website. (the site starts autoplaying sound)
posted by Deflagro at 3:54 PM on December 25, 2009 [1 favorite]

Some variations I've seen include mixing some peanut butter in; small chocolate candies; drizzling with chocolate. You can substitute other cereals for some of the rice krispies.
posted by not that girl at 3:58 PM on December 25, 2009

Use Honey Nut Cheerious and/or slight crushed Golden Grahams.
posted by Netzapper at 4:01 PM on December 25, 2009

Cute Sushi style. Also cute wreaths.
posted by quodlibet at 4:04 PM on December 25, 2009

I love these things, but they can be cloyingly sweet, so anything that cuts that is good. Instead of adding chocolate (moar sugar), try adding cocoa powder to your goop mix. It'll cut down the sweetness. Espresso would be nice too.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 4:05 PM on December 25, 2009 [1 favorite]

Bacon! See this thread...
posted by MelanieL at 4:06 PM on December 25, 2009

Chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, nuts, raisins, dried cranberries, cocoa krispies, etc. can go inside.

Jam, nutella, frosting, peanut butter, honey, etc. can go on top.
posted by decathecting at 4:08 PM on December 25, 2009

I've made the recipe with other cereals, but some are too hard/crunchy to work well. But a batch made with half rice krispies and half fruit loop-style cereal was a big hit.

Try making a pan and then covering the top with melted chocolate before cutting. Or make a batch, cut into squares, and dip half of each square into melted chocolate.

Spread them out until they're no more than one inch thick, and go to town with cookie cutters.
posted by Lulu's Pink Converse at 4:08 PM on December 25, 2009

Peppermint.
You gave me an idea.
posted by lhude sing cuccu at 4:11 PM on December 25, 2009

I wasn't sure of the recipe, but I was going to put in my vote for peanut butter treats. They're pretty awesome. Even better if you drizzle them with a little melted chocolate. (Which may or may not be in the official recipe; I haven't looked at it yet.) But they're pretty awesome.
posted by Kadin2048 at 4:15 PM on December 25, 2009

M&M's.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 4:42 PM on December 25, 2009

Peppermint.

Yes, this. Put a couple candy canes into a baggie. Whack with a meat mallet or similar until they're crushed into oblivion. Stir pepperminty deliciousness into cereal, stir that mixture into mallow goo. Oh so very very good. *whimper*
posted by nakedcodemonkey at 4:53 PM on December 25, 2009 [1 favorite]

use cocoa krispies!

If you combine this with lhude sing cuccu's idea for peppermint (by adding peppermint extract to the marshmallow creme) you end up with amazing.
posted by Night_owl at 4:53 PM on December 25, 2009

I can't personally vouch for these caramelized brown butter ones, yet. Smitten Kitchen makes them sound so delicious that they're on my to-make list, though. If you try them, report back!
posted by daisyace at 5:18 PM on December 25, 2009

Wait, wait, NOT those! Those were her mess-up ones. These.
posted by daisyace at 5:20 PM on December 25, 2009

A few years ago, a friend of mine and I took those little single serving cereal boxes and made as many kinds of cereal treats as we could. We used muffin tins to mold them and then had a tasting session with some friends.

Data: golden grahams and cinnamon toast crunch make great cereal treats.

I'd suggest hosting a krispie treat party to test all the options you come up with here.
posted by sciencegeek at 5:22 PM on December 25, 2009 [2 favorites]

Rice Krispy treats with chocolate and nuts or sprinkles=amazing. I've had it either with chocolate drizzled over the top then toppings, or with the treats dipped in chocolate and rolled in the toppings.

Pieces of heath bars are really good, too.
posted by kro at 5:26 PM on December 25, 2009

I've wanted to try these garam masala rice krispy treats for awhile.
posted by soleiluna at 5:26 PM on December 25, 2009

Peanut butter + curry powder + coconut extract = Thai rice krispie treats!

(Is there a good vegetarian recipe out there? My attempts with using Fluff have been not so successful.)
posted by Casuistry at 5:36 PM on December 25, 2009

I made some with hommade marshmallows that were absolutely amazing. We cut them into 1/2 size squares and dipped them halfway into melted dark chocolate. People loved them.
posted by mollymayhem at 5:41 PM on December 25, 2009

The caf at school puts all sorts of fruity/chocolate-y delicious cereals mixed in with the rice crispies (fruity pebbles, apple jacks, coco puffs, reeses puffs, the list goes on...) and let me tell you, college kids LOVE it.
posted by allymusiqua at 5:44 PM on December 25, 2009

Try this:

Use Plain cornflakes and green food coloring. Form into wreaths. Add red cinnamon candies for berries.
posted by pjern at 6:06 PM on December 25, 2009 [1 favorite]

I've made the ones that daisyace linked, and they are AMAZING.
posted by leesh at 6:17 PM on December 25, 2009

I love Rice Krispy treats but because they are made with marshmallows (gelatin) and I am a vegetarian, I have had to do without. I would love a vegetarian version!
posted by humannaire at 7:03 PM on December 25, 2009

Hey! Vegan Rice Krispy treats!
posted by humannaire at 7:06 PM on December 25, 2009

humannaire! You can make them with marshmallow fluff (the stuff you'd use to make a fluffernutter.) Oddly, marshmallow fluff is not made from marshmallows and does not contain gelatin. As long as you eat eggs, you're good to go.
posted by needs more cowbell at 7:10 PM on December 25, 2009 [2 favorites]

Daisyace might not be able to vouch for Smitten Kitchen's brown butter version, but after eating most of a batch, I certainly can. SO good.
posted by ThatSomething at 7:14 PM on December 25, 2009

Froot Loops. Hell yeah. My friend makes them and they are awesome.
posted by gjc at 7:44 PM on December 25, 2009 [1 favorite]

There is a variation on Rice Krispy squares called puffed wheat cake. I know, cake? But it's made with corn syrup, cocoa and vanilla ... maybe it would be good with Rice Krispies? Or you could branch out to puffed wheat. DO IT!
posted by Gor-ella at 7:48 PM on December 25, 2009

Seconding the Smitten Kitchen Brown Butter version. Those sound amazing.
posted by apricot at 8:53 PM on December 25, 2009

For a different presentation, cut them into square shapes and use red shoestring licorice like ribbon to tie them up like individual packages; around all four sides and a bow on top.
Sprinkle colored non-pariels or jimmies for added color.
posted by NoraCharles at 9:00 PM on December 25, 2009

We've made these recently Cinnamon Toast Crunch... they are fantastic!
posted by TuxHeDoh at 9:02 PM on December 25, 2009

I like to make them substituting either Cheerios or Lucky Charms, which impart an extra marshmallow-y goodness. I've also used almond extract in them.

YUM!
posted by Lynsey at 9:38 PM on December 25, 2009

When I was a kid, my mom would make them for classroom parties. She would cut them into Pac-Man shapes (I was a child of the '80s) with a chocolate chip for the eye. The teacher would get a ghost monster with TWO chocolate chips for eyes, because she was special.

A minor, almost purely aesthetic change to the basic treat, but it increased their awesomeness by an order of magnitude.

Also, years ago Alton Brown did a health food version for Good Eats that I have not tried but have heard good things about.
posted by middleclasstool at 11:00 PM on December 25, 2009

Dates! The dates (which may sound yucky alone) do something special to create a chewy-crunchy-sweet combination. With vanilla and pecans...yumminess bliss.

My mom used to make these, and since they were ball-shaped (although you can easily modify the recipe to make squares), she took to calling them "date meatballs". When offered to holiday guests not yet clued in to this Momism, the look of confusion and disgust that inevitably crossed their faces was a source of much merry snickering.


posted by quietalittlewild at 5:50 AM on December 26, 2009

Oops, shouldn't try to link before coffee!
posted by quietalittlewild at 6:01 AM on December 26, 2009

Smitten Kitchen's salted brown butter RKTs are pretty great, probably because they use more than twice as much butter as the original recipe.

This thread has some good ideas for savory variations. I can vouch for both the curry powder and pepper+pecan versions.
posted by Xalf at 7:48 AM on December 26, 2009

Nthing the smitten kitchen salted brown butter ones. I always thought rice krispies treats were blah, even with peanut butter, chocolate or anything else added to them. But the salted brown butter ones.... so unbelievably amazingly good.
posted by ephemerista at 12:37 PM on December 26, 2009

Mincus Crispy Treats - Uses peanut butter and corn syrup instead of Marshmallows - has the bonus that Vegans can eat it!
posted by mincus at 5:29 PM on December 27, 2009

Daisyace and several others beat me to referencing Smitten Kitchen and the famous salted brown butter crispy treats, but she also has this recipe that uses Rice Krispy cereal, and also looks amazingly tasty.
posted by elisebeth at 9:40 AM on December 28, 2009

Ok, I had to look for more. This, this, and this all look worthy of trying.
posted by elisebeth at 9:50 AM on December 28, 2009