Fourth of July Rice Treats

Hello! I apologize that this post is going up so late. I had great plans, but then we had two outlets go bad in the kitchen, and all the things happened. You know how that is.

In any case, if you are in the United States, Happy Fourth of July! While we are all still having a strange year, I thought that perhaps some people would still be firing up the grill this year (and watching Hamilton on Disney+, amirite?) and a good BBQ needs a great dessert. Here in Virginia, its in the upper 90s, so baking is not something I’m doing unless I can’t help it. My kitchen gets way too hot for that (unless I want to do it at night).

But these rice cereal bars will give you the decadent dessert you crave, and look festive to boot!

They are super easy to make, require no stove (unless you want to use a saucepan rather than the microwave), and the decoration can be as festive as you want!

You’ll need Rice Crispies (I am one of those people who normally buys generic, but for this I firmly believe that the real thing works best), Marshmallows, butter, a little vanilla, and then white chocolate and whatever sprinkles or toppings you want.

I would highly recommend buying melting chocolate if you want something a little easier to pour/smooth onto the treats, but you can use any chocolate chips as well. They are just a little more messy and a little more temperamental.

You’ll need a saucepan or microwave safe dish, and a bowl that is WAY bigger than you think you need, and a 9 x 13 pan. Take some cooking spray and spray your pan, and then also spray the bowl you’re planning to mix everything in. You can skip this step, but it helps SO MUCH when you’re trying to mix everything up and get it all out. Spray your spoon/spatula as well!

I prefer to melt my marshmallows and butter in a saucepan. It doesn’t generate much heat, and I just think it works better for me. But sometimes my microwave and I aren’t friends, (don’t ever ask me to microwave oatmeal. The results are not pretty, no matter how careful I am.) if you get along with yours, feel free to use it. Just go in 30 second increments and stir in between each time.

You are going to put your marshmallows and butter in to the pan, over medium heat, and stir pretty frequently. It takes it a little while to get going, but once it starts, it goes fast and I stir pretty much constantly until its almost completely smooth. At that point, you can take it off the heat and add a teaspoon or so of vanilla, but it will still be tasty if you don’t.

Once you’ve got your marshmallow and butter mixture melted, pour your Rice Crispies into a large bowl, pour on the marshmallows, and stir until they are all combined. It will get progressively harder. Butter your hands, and press the treats into the 9 x 13 pan. You can use a smaller pan for a thicker treat, or a larger pan for a thinner treat. I prefer them more like Disney, where they are super thick, so I actually press them into the 9x 13, but only fill it 3/4 full.

I then pop them in to the fridge and let them set.

Once you do this, you will need a microwave safe bowl and your melting chocolate. Put as much chocolate as you think you will need into a bowl and microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between each. When you get to where it is pretty liquid and still has a few small clumps, take it out and stir. Generally, the heat will continue to melt those little bits, and even if it doesn’t, you are unlikely to notice in the end.

Spread the chocolate over your bars, before you cut them. Then, add whatever sprinkles or chips you desire! A tip – if you are using colored sprinkles, use white chocolate. With regular chocolate, the dark color will hide most sprinkles.

A few combinations that we’ve enjoyed:

-dark chocolate melted on and covered with peanut butter chips

-dark or milk chocolate melted and covered with heath chips

-white chocolate and either of the previously mentioned chips

-white chocolate and all the sprinkles!

-M&M’s on any chocolate

-Dark and white chocolate together – one melted and poured over the bars, and the other melted and used as a stripe.

-So many possibilities! You could put crushed nuts, any type of flavored chip, M&M or other candies…. the sky’s the limit!

These will store well in an air tight container for a few days, and they freeze really well if you need to store them longer.

I hope that you and yours have a fantastic, safe holiday if you are celebrating, and if you aren’t, I hope you have a fantastic weekend!