The Perfect Rice Crispy Treat

I have had multiple people comment about my ability to make rice crispy treats that actually stay gooey instead of turning into dried out, flavorless little bricks. I never gave it much thought until a recent pot-luck luncheon and it was overrun with these tasteless treats that, even though not refrigerated, were still hard as rocks.

I grew up making rice crispy treats with my grandmother. She always had the perfect balance of buttery goodness and gooey marshmallow. There are several tricks to making these classic treats to their optimal deliciousness.

Trick #1. Don't follow the recipe. Use a whole stick of butter. 

Trick #2. You know that old, semi-stale bag of marshmallows hiding in the cupboard? They are perfect to add into this. 

Trick #3. You MUST. ADD. VANILLA. 

Trick #4. Barely melt the marshmallows.

Perfect Gooey Rice Crispy Treats

1 bag fresh marshmallows (any size)

1 stick of unsalted butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

5 cups rice crispy cereal

1 cup mini marshmallows, preferably slightly dried out

Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter. 

In a large pot, combine butter, fresh marshmallows, and vanilla extract. Cook over medium-low heat, stir until just beginning to melt. You do not want the marshmallows to become liquid, just very soft. Think of a roasted marshmallow with all that gooey goodness. Turn off heat but do not remove pot.

Stir in rice crispy cereal. Coating the cereal thoroughly. Then stir in mini marshmallows. 

Press into prepared pan and allow to cool before cutting.