Our Top 3 Tips for the Perfect Rice Crispy Treats

Rice. Crispy. Treats. We might call them Dream Bars here at XO Marshmallow, but the ooey gooey, crunchy munchy, cereal treats are all the same. Delicious. Growing up, we made cereal treats about once a week, and they are still one of my go-to last minute desserts. 

Enter - gourmet marshmallows. Made in small batches, and without preservatives, one of the things that make our marshmallows “gourmet,” also make them tricky to fold into cereal treats (their excess moisture can make cereal too soggy). We have been experimenting with making crispy treat magic since opening the cafe in 2017 -- and now, we’re excited to share our tips and tricks with you! 

The Basics: you really only need three ingredients to make a stellar crispy treat: butter, marshmallows, and crispy rice cereal. From there, you can jazz things up by adding your favorite extract, folding in chocolate chips or candy, or swapping vanilla marshmallows for one of our other fun flavors. Now, on to our top tips!

Tip #1: Use a large pot. Even though my mom preferred the microwave-method, I prefer...less dishes. So this recipe just uses one large pot, and an 8x8” cake pan! Easy. 

Tip #2: Brown your butter. If you haven’t ever browned butter before, let me enlighten you. Browned butter is the secret behind great chocolate chip cookies, and now, great crispy treats. The toasted butter gives a subtle nutty flavor to the treats, and the process removes some moisture, which helps balance the soft plushy marshmallows. Also, it’s so easy! 

Tip #3: Dry out your gourmet marshmallows ahead of time. Simply lay out the marshmallows on a plate at room temperature for about an hour. You can speed up the process by creating “mini marshmallows.” Do this by roughly chopping the marshmallows, and lay them out for 30 minutes.

Now, on to the good stuff -- the recipe! 

The Perfect Rice Crispy Treats

Yield: 10-12 treats

Ingredients: 

• 4 ounces (¼ Cup) Salted Butter
• 12 ounces (about 2 Dozen) Vanilla XO Marshmallows
• 6 Cups Crispy Rice Cereal
• Optional: 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Preparation: 

1. Roughly chop marshmallows, and lay them out on a plate to dry (at least 30 minutes). Then, spray an 8x8” pan with cooking spray, and set aside.
2. In a large pot, on medium-low heat, melt butter. Stir frequently, allowing butter to become golden brown and nutty (about 5 min) -- do not walk away! Butter can go from “browned” to “burnt” in a flash.
3. When butter has browned, remove from heat. Add marshmallows to pot, stir until almost completely melted; add vanilla, stir to combine.
4. Moving quickly, add cereal to pot, and coat with butter-marshmallow mixture. Make sure cereal is fully coated, and no mixture is stuck to the bottom of the pan.
5. Pour treats into 8x8” pan, using hands with a bit of nonstick spray (or butter) to smooth out treats.
6. Let cool. When ready to serve, cut into squares. Treats will last up to 5 days if kept at room temperature in an airtight container.

Now you have everything you need for the perfect treats -- I cannot wait to see how you make this base recipe your own! Don’t forget to share with us by tagging @xo.marshmallow on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, and Youtube!