All American snacks: Rice Krispy Treats

Rice Krispies Treats are an all-American dessert. Making Rice Krispie treats requires a minimal amount of work involved in to prepare. It is so easy that the kids can get involved as well. Even the youngest child can help. You can be made  the traditional recipe but there are many variations that can make them a little different every time.

Standard Rice Krispies Treats

• 3 tablespoons of butter (or margarine)
• 4 cups of mini marshmallows
• 6 cups of Rice Krispies Cereal

Grease a nine by thirteen pan.

Melt the butter (or margarine) in a large saucepan, add the marshmallows and cook over low heat stirring constantly until it is totally melted. Add the cereal and mix, this can be quite a project, you may have to mix them with your hands. Pour into a 13 by 9 pan and pat it down flat with a spatula. I often grease my hands to press the treats down into the pan, be careful not to burn yourself. Let it cool and cut into twenty-four pieces. At this point, you can throw a little flour on your face like they do in the commercial so your family realizes how hard you have been working.

Now if you want to take it up a notch, here are a few variation: 

Replace the white marshmallows with pastel, this is especially nice in the spring. Add a 1/2 cup of mini chocolate, peanut butter or butterscotch chips to the mixture just before you press it into the pan.

Place half the mixture into the pan and press it down, melt a cup of semi-sweet chocolate bits in the microwave and spread on the top of the first half of the treats. Then press in the second half for a sandwich effect. Melted chocolate can be placed on top of the bars or the cut bars can be half dipped in the chocolate.

Add 1 cup of M&M's to the treats before pressing into pan.

Use a cookie cutter and cut the treats into fun shapes. Add 2 drops of food coloring to the melted marshmallows and butter. This is great for Halloween pumpkins, Christmas bells or Easter bunnies or chicks. You could cut shapes as well that are not seasonal like pink or light blue for baby shower treats.

These sweetly sticky treats are a favorite with everyone from small children to seniors. If you wrap them in waxpaper they are a portable treat that you can enjoy anywhere, any time of the day. Don't be afraid to experiment with these delicious bars, the more you add the better they get. Rice Krispie Treats, they're a good thing!