Snap, Crackle, Pop!

A few months ago, I bought a box of Rice Krispies so I could make THESE Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars. *If you're craving chocolatey, peanut butter goodness, I highly recommend these!

Anyway, I'm not a huge fan of Rice Krispies as a cereal. I'm not a sweet cereal fan, either, I just feel like RK doesn't fill me up the way some other cereals can...so the box has been hanging out in my cereal cabinet. The husband got me Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar for Christmas, and there's a recipe for Rice Krispie Treats in there! I hope you're all aware that marshmallows are not vegan. In fact, they're quite gross. Skin and bone extract??? YUCK!!! Here is your animal friendly, super tasty, vegan version thanks to the wonderful ladies at The Post Punk Kitchen.



Big Fat Crispy Rice Squares
Prep time: 10 minutes
No cook time! Just chill time.

1/3 cup maple syrup
2/3 cup brown rice syrup
1/4 cup nonhydrogenated margarine, cut into chunks (I use Earth Balance)
2 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond, maple, or coconut extract (I had almond on hand.)
A pinch of salt
9 cups crispy brown rice cereal (one 10-ounce box of cereal)

1. Line an 8 x 8 x 3-inch square metal brownie pan with enough aluminum foil so that it folds over the sides of the pan by about an inch. Spray the bottom and sides of the covered pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large saucepan, combine the maple syrup and brown rice syrup; make sure to use a large pan with sides at least 4 inches tall, as the mixture will foam quite a bit when it boils. Stir over medium heat and cook until the mixture comes to a full, rapid, foaming boil. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add the margarine, and stir until it's melted and mostly incorporated into syrup. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts and salt.

3. Pour the cereal into a very large mixing bowl. Pour the cooked syrup mixture over the cereal, then use a large rubber spatula to stir and coat the cereal with the syrup mixture. Stir and fold for about 2 minutes, taking care to completely coat all of the cereal with syrup; the mixture should be very sticky. Use the spatula to scoop the coated cereal into the foil-lined pan, pushing the mixture around so that it's evenly distributed throughout the pan. It should heap somewhat over the top of the pan.

4. Tear a piece of waxed paper or parchment paper slightly larger than the size of the pan. Place the paper on top of the cereal mixture, then with your hands, firmly press down and mash the cereal so that it's now level with the edges of the pan. Evenly press all of the cereal down; this step is very important as it will help the crispy rice stick together, so make sure to keep pressing down firmly and evenly on the rice, even crushing it a little if necessary. When the cereal seems as level and firm as it's going to get, place the pan in the freezer and freeze for at least 2 hours or until very solid.

5. To slice, remove the pan from the freezer and slice immediately. The easiest way to do so is grab the edges of the foil, lift the entire contents out of pan, and flip it, wax paper side down, onto a cutting board. Peel off the foil from the top. Use a very sharp and heavy knife to slice the mixture into nine large squares or twelve smaller ones. For sturdier treats, loosely cover the squares and store in a cool place for 8 hours before serving. Frozen crispy rice squares can also be served right after slicing but may become slightly crumbly as they warm to room temperature.

These were absolutely ah-mazing. They were buttery, and that hint of almond really worked the lack of marshmallow to the max. You definitely have to keep them cold, otherwise they start to fall apart, but even when they crumble, they're delicious. Thanks, PPK, for bringing these wonderful childhood treats back into my life!