valentine's treats

Remember rice krispy treats?

I can remember how much I loved pouring a bowl of the cereal, topping it with honey and then pouring cold milk on top... the honey hardens, your spoon needs to break through it in order to get a spoonful of the sugary goodness. Sigh. Or remember how excited you would get when your mom would whip up a batch of rice kripsy treats; the gooey stickiness of melted marshmallows and butter, slightly soft and still warm? Double sigh.

My inter-web surfing has made me realize that valentine's day really is kind of a big deal in the foodie world... at least for bakers :0) And although I do love chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate, I wanted to do something less on the romantic side and more on the... yummy side of things.

Hence these treats. Totally unoriginal (Joy the Baker is the real inspiration); but still totally cute and fun; these uncomplicated goodies will bring a smile to your face; and if you're like me, bring you back to those happy childhood memories when a bowl of rice krispy's were the perfect start to the day - or when rice kripsy treats made you ridiculously happy.

FYI... any cookie cutter will do - so if hearts aren't your thing (or you're anti valentine's day) you can still make these... any shape and size is welcome!

Chocolaty Rice Krispy Treats
ingredients:
1/2 c. butter
1 bag (405g) mini marshmallows
7 c. rice kripsy cereal
1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Line a 9x13" pan with parchment paper, allowing the paper to overlap the sides (or grease VERY well with butter). Set aside.

In a medium bowl, measure out the 7 cups of rice kripsy cereal.

In a large sauce pan over medium heat melt the butter. Add the bag of mini marshmallows and stir (with a wooden spoon or ready stiff spatula) until they have completely melted.

Dump in the rice kripsies and stir until all the cereal is coated in the melted marshmallow goodness (I kept my sauce pan over the lower heat). While still hot, pour everything onto your pan. Press the cereal into an even layer - I used my fingers, moistening my fingertips with clean water to make the process a little easier and less messy.

Place your pan in the fridge and allow to cool - but you don't want it to completely harden. I left mine for about 20 minutes.

Once cooled, remove the entire slab of rice krispies from the pan. I found that using the parchment paper made the removal of the slab very easy.

Grab your cookie cutter (mine ended up being a heart shaped one), and cut out as many shapes as you can get. Place the shaped krispies on another piece of parchment paper.

Once your treats are cut and prepped, melt your chocolate chips. Place the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a small amount (1/4 inch) of simmering water. Stir with a whisk to melt completely.

Now for the fun part... grab your shapes, dip the tops of them into the melted chocolate and then place (chocolate side up) back on the parchment paper. Once every shape has been dipped, return them to the fridge to allow to harden.

Sigh. Another delicious memory associated with rice krispies. Thank you Kellogg's and Joy (the baker) :0)