Sweet Treats

White shoes, gin & tonics, and rice crispy bars all have a definite summer schedule for me - more or less Memorial Day to Labor Day. 

These couldn´t be simpler to make, and they´re an ideal light, crispy summertime dessert.  Portable for picnics, no melting or squishing, and they last quite a while in the fridge, if you don´t eat them all in one sitting.  There are also infinite variations including coconut, peanut butter, chocolate, etc.  In this case, I channeled my inner Pollock with a drizzle of 84% pure chocolate.  A nice bitter counterpoint to the sweet marshmallow.

The only challenge here is gathering the ingredients.  I had to go to the Corte Ingles for the Rice Crispies, though you could certainly substitute any cereal you prefer.  Lidl happened to have a 4th of July sale on, so along with some peanut butter, I bought a couple of bags of marshmallows for myself and my gringa friend W. Otherwise, I´d probably have to go to the Corte Ingles to buy those, too.

There´s a little finesse with the ratio of cereal to marshmallow - you don´t want them either too dry or too sticky.  I used 5 cups of rice crispies for a bag of marshmallows and they came out just about perfect.  I add a teaspoon of vanilla and a dash of salt, as well.  Finally, when it comes time to press them into the dish, just wash your hands in cold water and don´t dry them off.  The water will prevent the mixture from sticking to your fingers and making a mess.

From Cooks.com:

1/4 cup butter
1 (10 oz., about 40) pkg. regular marshmallows or 3 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal

In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add the marshmallows and continue to stir until the marshmallows have completely melted. Remove from heat.Stir in the Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal coating them well with the melted marshmallow mixture.
Using a buttered or silicone spatula, press the mixture evenly into a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan which has been buttered or sprayed with non-stick spray or lined with wax paper.
Cut into squares when the mixture cools.
Makes 24 squares.

Enjoy!  And Happy Lammas!