Rice crispy treats are nostalgic. They can transport an adult back to childhood memories and brighten a child’s eyes. The traditional recipe consists of the cereal, Rice Krispies, melted marshmallows and margarine. I’ve had this version as well as with added candies such as M&M’s. I’ve been looking for a small batch recipe that was less sweet than the original version. I couldn’t find one. So, I decided to make my own.
My version has the addition of freeze-dried strawberries and a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. I reduced the number of marshmallows that is used in most recipes. I found that most recipes used a pretty excessive amount. Lastly, instead of margarine, I use unsalted butter.
I blended a 1.2-ounce bag of freeze-dried strawberries.
This is one 10-ounce bag of melted marshmallows and a stick of unsalted butter.
I used 4 cups of crispy rice cereal.
An alternative, if you do not have a food processor capable of pulsing the freeze-dried fruit into a powder, is to use a freezer bag and a rolling pin or large drinking glass. Add the powder mix to the freezer bag. Make sure all of the air is out of the bag once you’ve sealed it. Crush the fruit using a rolling pin or with the side of a large, strong, drinking glass. I’ve used this method in the past to make a fine crumble for a graham cracker pie crust.
I wasn’t sure if this size bag of freeze-dried fruit would give the treats intense flavor, but it turned out to be the perfect amount!
Small batch strawberry rice crispy treats
Ingredients:
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 (10 oz.) bag of marshmallows
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (1.2 oz.) bag of freeze-dried strawberries (or dry fruit of your choice)
4 cups crispy rice cereal
Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Turn heat off. Add marshmallows, melt partially, then remove from stove top. Continue to melt marshmallows, add vanilla extract, add powdered fruit, and stir. Add crisped rice, stir to combine and coat well. Add mixture to parchment lined 9 x 9-inch pan. Press firmly. Place in fridge for 30 minutes. Cut into 16 bars (I used a serrated edge knife) and store in an air-tight container. They won’t last long!
This recipe can be made in the traditional way or with other freeze-dried fruits. I’m definitely going to experiment with other flavors such as banana, cherry, mixed berry etc. I think they would be great as well. Enjoy!