A Bowl of Rice Krispies Treats

Ok, so I wouldn't actually start my day with a bowl of rice krispies treats. They really are intended as "treats" and would not be an appropriate meal substitute, although one person in my house might disagree with me. This recipe is based off the classic Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats, but I've added additional rice krispies and a bit of milk to suit my taste. I find the original recipe too sweet, even for a treat and the milk is a tip I got from other marshmallow treats-makers online to keep the treats gooey after they cool.

I've heard others say that this recipe would also work with other types of cereal, but as for me, I prefer the original because I think you just can't beat the airy crunch of rice krispies. If I had to choose an acceptable variation, I might give chocolate rice krispies a try.* If you'd like, you can add nuts, chocolate chips, etc. to the rice krispies treats at the end. Even with rice krispies, I have to recommend using Kellogg's Rice Krispies, because I just don't think other brands of puffed rice cereal are as hollow and crispy. Of course, I haven't tried all the brands out there, so I am open to recommendations.

When making these rice krispies treats, it is important to melt down your butter and marshmallows slowly so as to not burn it and do not press too hard on the rice krispies treats when putting them in the pan. I try to compact the mixture as little as possible and prefer to leave it rough than smooth because pressing too hard leads to hard and tough rice krispies treats and nothing is worse than that.

*Update: I have just seen a recipe for marshmallow squares using golden grahams cereal, chocolate chips, and melted marshmallows. I feel this would be good since the smores combination is a sure winner, but I wouldn't categorize it as a variation of these treats since they're based on another preexisting treat.

Rice Krispies Treats
Adapted from Kellogg's

1 stick plus two tablespoons unsalted butter(1/2 cup plus two tablespoons)
20 ounces marshmallows, large or mini(2 10 ounce bags)
1 tablespoon milk
14.5 cups rice krispies cereal(1 12-ounce box plus 3 cups, about 17 ounces total)

Melt the butter over low heat in a large pan. Once melted, add the marshmallows and stir with a heatproof spatula. Just before the marshmallows are completely melted, stir in the milk.

Once everything is completely melted and combined, turn off the heat and add the rice krispies cereal. Mix together with the spatula until all the cereal is coated with the marshmallow mixture. Gently press the cereal-marshmallow mixture into a 10.5 by 15 inch baking pan lined with plastic wrap or parchment and let cool.

Once cooled, cut into squares. Store rice krispies treats in an airtight container.