Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Rice Krispies

Halloween candy. There is a special balance that I need to achieve when buying Halloween candy. I can't buy it too far in advance, otherwise I eat it all before the big day. I don't know how it always happens, but somehow the bag magically gets opened. There must be mice in my house. Reese's and Snickers eating mice. And once the bag gets opened, it's only a matter of time. Hence the problem with buying the candy too early.

But I also don't want to buy it too late or else I miss the sales. Which wouldn't matter if I was only buying one or two bags. But I have this issue with quantity--I'm pretty sure I get it from my mom. (Take what a normal person would eat, multiply it by 3, and that's the serving sizes she cooks for). Last year we ended up giving each kid handfuls of candy because I'd bought so much. I'm pretty sure word spread that the brown house was handing out double what everyone else was because our trick-or-treaters increased exponentially by the end of the night... So back to the candy sales. I can't miss them.

I've tried buying candy I don't like but that doesn't work. Let's be honest, there really isn't any candy I don't like. Maybe black licorice. But who gives out black licorice? I might as well hand out toothbrushes.

I've even tried hiding it too. Um, have you ever tried "hiding" something from yourself? It doesn't really have the same effect...

Alas, I broke down a little early this year and bought some Reese's that were on sale. I figured I'd just buy some candy early, then the rest later. The bag of Reese's is half gone. Those dang mice. Since I figure it's a lost cause to try to save them until Halloween, they might as well make an appearance in a rice krispy treat.

So today I bring to you my Reese's Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats. These beauties are brimming with chunks of Reese's and hints of creamy peanut butter. (You could also add drizzle of melted chocolate just for good measure... I didn't think about it until after I took these pics. So I just doused my piece in Hershey's syrup because I'm classy like that. Don't be like me.)

Now the only question is what kind of candy should I buy to actually hand out at Halloween???

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Rice Krispy Treats

4 Tbsp butter
6 cup marshmallows
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
6 cup krispies
20 miniature Reese's peanut butter cups, chopped roughly



In a large mixing bowl combine the rice krispies and peanut butter cups. Set aside.

Melt the butter and peanut butter together in a saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, turn the heat down to the lowest setting and add the marshmallows. Stir until the marshmallows are mostly all melted (this will take a few minutes--low and slow is key for perfect texture) then stir in the vanilla.

Once fully melted, take them off heat and pour over the rice krispy mixture. Stir lightly to combine. Dump everything into a greased 9x9 pan. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, then with greased hands go in and flatten the top. Allow them to cool at least an hour. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Malted Rice Krispies

I feel like malt has made a comeback in the past year or so. I'm pretty sure it used to be popular for the older generation (like 1950-60s?... not that that's old, for my more mature readers out there). It seemed like something people used to drink back then is all. I honestly didn't really know what malt was until a couple of years ago. I'd always heard the term "malt" associated with milkshakes but never took the time to learn what it was. I just figured they were a thicker milkshake.

For those of you who are also less familiar with this beauty let me enlighten you. I turn to my very accurate friend Wikipedia:

"Malt is germinated cereal grains that have been dried in a process known as "malting". The grains are made to germinate by soaking in water, and are then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air.Malting grains develops the enzymes required to modify the grain's starches into sugars, including monosaccharides such as glucose or fructose, and disaccharides, such as sucrose or maltose. It also develops other enzymes, such as proteases, which break down the proteins in the grain into forms that can be used by yeast."

Wow. I mean it's a grain? Am I the only one out there who didn't know this? It's all clicking now though. And Whoppers! I had no idea the flavor of whoppers was malt. Is this common knowledge?.. did I ever mention I'm blonde to you guys?

Anyhoo, like I was originally saying, I feel like malt is making a comeback. I'm finding it in cookies, cupcakes, ice creams, you name it! So I feel it is only appropriate that it makes an appearance as a rice krispy treat. I give you the Malted Krispy!

Malted Rice Krispies

4 Tbsp butter
6 cup marshmallows
6 Tbsp malt powder
1 tsp vanilla
6 cup krispies
1/4 tsp salt
1 5oz package of whoppers, crushed
extra whoppers for garnishing (optional)


In a large mixing bowl combine the rice krispies, salt, and whoppers. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, turn the heat down to the lowest setting and add the marshmallows. Stir until the marshmallows are mostly all melted (this will take a few minutes--low and slow is key for perfect texture) then stir in the malt powder and vanilla.

Once fully melted, take them off heat and pour over the rice krispy mixture. Stir lightly to combine. Dump everything into a greased 9x9 pan. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, then with greased hands go in and flatten the top. Allow them to cool at least an hour. Cut into squares and serve each piece topped with a whopper. Enjoy!


PS: Malt-O-Meal cereals... it just occurred to me. Who knew?!

Butterscotch Rice Krispies

What do you think of when you hear the word butterscotch?

Me, I think of a sweet looking, old grandpa handing his grandson a Weathers Original candy. (the marketing on this brand was genius. I don't know how they did it but they made a totally boring hard candy look like the most delicious thing possible)

Or else I think of an old man sitting in a cushy chair next to a fireplace, reading a book, and drinking a scotch. (Don't ask. I don't drink so in my mind Scotch must obviously taste like a warm cup of butterscotch. My husband had to break it to me a few years ago that Scotch is actually a pretty hard liquor. Dreams=Crushed)

I'm not sure where these mental pictures originated, but for some reason I've always associated butterscotch with old people. And thus it's been on the back shelf in my mind, not something I really use or am drawn to. Until recently.

I don't know if you've ever been to Souplantaion (aka Sweet Tomatoes) but it's this salad bar buffet place that is my absolute favorite ever. I could do a whole post about my love for it but I'll save that for another day. Lets just say my husband knows where he's taking me for my birthday dinner every year.

Anyhoo, so we actually went there recently. I was topping off my totally overstuffed stomach at the ice cream bar when I noticed they had a new sauce out: Butterscotch Caramel. I thought, what the heck, I'll try it. Best. Decision. Ever. I was tempted to go back and just fill up a bowl with it to drink. Or maybe a to-go cup? Is that tacky? My husband quickly ushered me out of the restaurant before I could embarrass myself but I tell you that sauce has been on my mind ever since.

So what else could I do but make a butterscotch rice krispy I ask you? Exactly. This beauty has a butterscotch flavored krispy base and is dotted with a sprinkling of butterscotch chips just for some added goodness. Yum!

Butterscotch Rice Krispies

4 Tbsp butter
6 cup marshmallows
3 Tbsp instant Butterscotch pudding mix
1 tsp vanilla
6 cup krispies
1/4 tsp salt
1/3-1/2 cup butterscotch chips (you can add more or less depending on your preference)

In a large mixing bowl combine the rice krispies, salt, and butterscotch chips. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, turn the heat down to the lowest setting and add the marshmallows. Stir until the marshmallows are mostly all melted (this will take a few minutes--low and slow is key for perfect texture) then stir in the butterscotch pudding and vanilla.

Once fully melted, take them off heat and pour over the rice krispy mixture. Stir lightly to combine. Dump everything into a greased 9x9 pan. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, then with greased hands go in and flatten the top. Allow them to cool at least an hour. Enjoy!

The Beginning of Mallow&Co

So least you be deceived, I did not start out this blog with an already amazing rice krispy recipe or background behind me. No county fair blue ribbons (do they even have rice krispy treats at fairs?), no grandma's secret tricks up my sleeve. I just had this random inspiration one day that I wanted to be a master rice krispy maker.

It could’ve stemmed from the fact that I've never been very good at fancy desserts. Don't get me wrong, I can whip out a mean batch of brownies or cookies, but when it comes to the more delicate dishes like beautiful cakes or light cupcakes, I fall flat. No literally, my cakes all fall flat. Or stick to the pan. Or break apart when I pull them out of the pan. Or fall flat, stick to the pan, and break apart when I pull them out. So despite my lifelong desire to be a beautiful dessert caterer, I've realized I needed to move on to a simpler style. Rice Krispies. These beauties, how could I go wrong?

So I began my quest to create the most perfect rice krispy ever. I went on a shopping rampage at my grocery store and bought them out of marshmallows and rice krispies. The cashier probably thought I was nuts. Either that or having pregnancy cravings. Little did he know I was out to make history in my own mind. Then the testing began.

I'm about to share something embarrassing with you. Ready? My first attempt was a Disaster. Period. No questions asked. I made 3 different supposedly "gourmet" versions. All with slight tweaks and changes for optimal flavor—I knew it was going to be a smash hit. I mean really, how could anyone mess up rice krispy treats? I had my beauties proudly laid out on a platter when the husband came home, ready for a blind taste testing. The poor man didn’t even get a hello, just a command to sit and judge my creations with me. Ok, version #1. I bite into it expecting heaven... what I got was a slightly soggy version of the normal treat. What the!?! What Had Happened?. Ok ok, that one was a flop, let's just try version #2. Again, same result. A soggy, almost stale treat. I desperately grabbed a #3 version. Same thing. What happened?! I repeatedly sampled each one, in hopes they would somehow transform if I kept eating. Once I had finally eaten through about half of each pan and was thoroughly sick, I gave up. I had messed up the most basic dessert in human history. There are 7 year old children across the world making these treats better then I right now.  I contemplated giving up, maybe I just wasn’t cut out for making desserts. (This wasn’t the first time it had happened to me. I could give you a long list of desserts I’ve tried to master so far: layered cakes, royal frosting decorating, macaroons, cupcakes, petite fours… I’ll save you the horrors I faced there)

I guarantee this girl's rice krispies were better then mine

My husband was kindly trying to convince me they weren't that bad. "Really honey, maybe just add a little less marshmallows... or more rice krispies.... or... I don't know. What did you put in them?"

Ugh! All I know is after a few moments of self pity I decided that I was not going to succeed at this if it was the last thing I did! I marched back into the kitchen while announcing to my husband that I was going to make The Best rice krispy treats this world has ever seen! (meanwhile he had already slipped off to go check ESPN highlights... so much for my dramatic exit)

And that's how it started. From then on I began a serious quest to perfect these tasty treats. I'm talking serious trial and error. The scientific method at its finest. I mean I was using spreadsheets to compare marshmallow and butter ratios. I tried it all: substituting more butter, less butter, margarine, shortening, big marshmallows, little marshmallows, jumbo marshmallows, flavorings, extracts, chocolates, spices, you name it they have been tested. My kitchen was a disaster the first few weeks. The floor was a land mine of stray rice krispies, the counter a permanent fly trap of sticky marshmallows. I forwent dinners for a little while in opt for rice krispy tasting. My husband knew the drill. Come home, sit down, and taste my newest versions of the day. Lie and tell me they taste delicious no matter what. Give me an honest opinion and constructive criticism. Good man. I kind of feel guilty now thinking back. Oh well.

Anyhoo, it was all worth it though. I ended up with my perfect version of the rice krispy treat. Now I was ready for bigger and better things. Which is where this blog comes in, a way to document all my failures and successes of my crazy rice krispy flavors. Enjoy!