Perfectly Chewy Rice Krispie Treats

Homemade Rice Krispie Treats are probably one of the most well-known dessert recipes in America. They are on the back of every box of Rice Krispies and have been a staple at cookouts, potlucks and birthday parties since long before I was born (I was going to say 'since I can remember,' but truthfully that's not all that long). Yet, somehow even with three ingredients, Rice Krispie Treats seem to come in all shapes, sizes and textures. 

Not that I'm a connoisseur of these treats or anything, but I'm here to tell you there is a right way and a wrong way to make them. I myself was in the dark until last week when I realized my Rice Krispie Treats (which I always thought were delicious) were not reaching their full potential. The key is that no one likes a "krispie" Rice Krispie treat. They are supposed to be soft and chewy with just a slight crunch. Usually I love them for the first 12 hours after I make them, but they require finishing off quickly because they'll dry out in a heartbeat. I accepted that as a fact of life until last week. Now I know the trick: the marshmallows are added in two parts. 

Somehow this little alteration in process produces a gooey (gooey--not sticky), soft, flavorful, wonderful batch of Rice Krispie treats. I made two batches in three days because the first batch was gone so quickly. I only used one bag of marshmallows for the batch shown in the pictures. I adjusted the recipe slightly and used ~2 tablespoons of butter and only four cups of Rice Krispies. I think a 9x9 would be a great sized pan for thick treats, but you can use whatever you'd like. The ones in the pictures were made in a 13x9 that I sectioned off with foil to make it more like a 10x9 or or 11x9.

Enjoy!

Perfectly Chewy Rice Krispie Treats

Recipe from Deliciously Declassified

Ingredients

6 cups (1 1/2 – 10 oz. bags) mini marshmallows, divided
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
3 tbsp butter

Directions

Melt the butter in a large skillet, over medium-low heat
Once the butter is melted, add in 4 cups (1 – 10 oz. bag) of mini marshmallows
Melt the marshmallows over LOW heat, stirring frequently
Once the marshmallows are completely melted, add in the cereal 2 cups at a time, mixing well after each addition
Once the cereal and marshmallows are well combined, toss in the remaining 2 cups of mini marshmallows and fold them into the marshmallow cereal mixture
You can keep the heat on low or totally turn it off – it depends on if you want the mini marshmallows to melt a little bit or not (I usually keep the heat on for a bit while folding in the mini marshmallows)
Spray a 9×13″ baking dish (for thicker treats, just use a smaller dish) with nonstick spray (I use PAM for baking) and transfer the Rice Krispie treat mixture into the dish
Press the mixture down with your fingertips (it helps if you get a little of the nonstick spray on your fingers so they don’t stick to the marshmallow) or you could also use some wax paper to press it down firmly into the pan
Allow the mixture to cool before cutting into squares

INGREDIENTS

• 6 cups  (1 1/2 – 10 oz. bags) mini marshmallows, divided
• 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
• 3 tbsp butter

HOW TO MAKE IT

• Melt the butter in a large skillet, over medium-low heat
• Once the butter is melted, add in 4 cups (1 – 10 oz. bag) of mini marshmallows
• Melt the marshmallows over LOW heat, stirring frequently
• Once the marshmallows are completely melted, add in the cereal 2 cups at a time, mixing well after each addition
• Once the cereal and marshmallows are well combined, toss in the remaining 2 cups of mini marshmallows and fold them into the marshmallow cereal mixture
• You can keep the heat on low or totally turn it off – it depends on if you want the mini marshmallows to melt a little bit or not (I usually keep the heat on for a bit while folding in the mini marshmallows)
• Spray a 9×13″ baking dish (for thicker treats, just use a smaller dish) with nonstick spray (I use PAM for baking) and transfer the Rice Krispie treat mixture into the dish
• Press the mixture down with your fingertips (it helps if you get a little of the nonstick spray on your fingers so they don’t stick to the marshmallow) or you could also use some wax paper to press it down firmly into the pan
• Allow the mixture to cool before cutting into squares

- See more at: http://deliciouslydeclassified.com/2013/07/02/how-to-make-perfect-rice-krispie-treats/#sthash.GQSAU4N4.dpuf