Instagram has been bombarding me with gorgeous, gooey pictures of toasted marshmallow cookies and s’mores pies and pumpkin Rice Krispie treats. Thankfully (and yes, I know this is a terrible habit in so many ways), those photos are hitting me at night, in bed, so by morning I’m back on track and not prone to deep dive into finding all the snacks. Still, the photos stick. So here is my take on toasty, chocolaty, Rice Krispie goodness that all of my tasters said were definitely the best Rice Krispie treats they have ever snacked on. I absolutely agree. Because toasty marshmallows and gooey chocolate, and that’s pretty much it.
As we know, this is a like-to-cook column, not an I’m-a-professional column, so in full transparency, here is my cautionary tale: Marshmallows catch on fire very easily under a broiler. And I mean fire. Such that I called my husband out of a golf tournament, wondering if I should be calling 911 instead, to make absolutely certain that a fire would snuff out in a closed oven, even if the fire was fairly raging. It raged, and then it snuffed, thank God. But learn from me and don’t get your marshmallows anywhere near the top rack of the oven.
Otherwise, enjoy the best Rice Krispies you’ll ever eat. And Happy Halloween!
Toasted Marshmallow and Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats
1 12-ounce box Rice Krispies cereal
½ cup (1 stick) salted butter
2 10-ounce bags mini marshmallows
4 regular-sized (1.5-ounce) Hershey’s milk chocolate bars (6 ounces), chopped
Sprinkles
Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray, then line it with parchment, letting the edges of the paper hang over the edges of the pan. Spray the parchment with nonstick spray.
Preheat the broiler. Pour the Rice Krispies into a large mixing bowl.
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Pour in 1 bag of mini-marshmallows, and continuously fold gently with a silicone spatula until the marshmallows have melted and they are combined with the butter. Pour the mixture over the Rice Krispies and fold with the spatula until the cereal is evenly coated. Fold in the chocolate.
Press the mixture into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly and packing it tightly. Let it sit for 30 minutes. Slice the “cake” in half across the long end of the pan, making 2 9-by-6 ½-inch pieces. Lift one half out of the pan and set it aside on a cutting board. Spread the half remaining in the pan with the remaining bag of marshmallows. Place the pan in the middle rack of the oven and broil for 30 seconds to 1 minute, watching closely. Take the Krispies out of the oven and use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to spread the melting marshmallows. Broil again until the marshmallows are toasty, about 1 minute (keep watching!).
Remove the Krispies from the oven and press the reserved half of the bars onto the top of the marshmallows, making sort of a Rice Krispie treat sandwich. Sprinkle with sprinkles, if using, and press them into the treats. Let sit for 1 hour before cutting the treats into squares.
