Friday, February 5, 2010

Happy Nutella Day! (Rice Krispies and Nutella)

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: sometimes, simplicity is key.  Case in point:


Rice Krispie treats!  One of the easiest, simplest, yummiest, and quickest treats that you can whip up.  Take note: running short on time for Valentine's Day?  Rice Krispies literally take, like, ten minutes only.


Which is why these things were one of my STAPLE foods in undergrad.  Yes, yes, I know.  Totally healthy.  But, when I needed a quick fix of sugar for late night studying, these definitely hit the spot.

With rice krispies treats, simplicity is most definitely the way to go.  Rice krispies with chocolate chips?--too complicated and the textures are too incompatible IMO.  Rice krispies with nuts?--BLECH! (why try to make a perfectly good sugary snack healthy at all?)  Plain is always my preferred choice.  Maybe, hit them with a dash of sprinkles to dress 'em up, and you're good to go.

Unless, of course, it's Nutella Day...


On Nutella Day, take a knife (or any other paste-spreading implement), open a Costco, mega-sized jar of Nutella, grab a big dip of the totally delicious hazelnut chocolate spread, and liberally smooth it all over your rice krispie treat.  And enjoy.


Yup, life doesn't get much simpler or better than this.


P.S. If you *must* insist on making these treats healthier, you might be able to find organic, brown rice rice krispy cereal at certain food stores.  (In the Bay Area, I know that Berkeley Bowl carries it in the bulk section.)

Read on for recipe...


Rice Krispie treats
makes a 11" x 17" tray of treats

4 Tbspn butter
4 cups small marshmallows
6 cups organic brown rice krispy cereal
nutella, optional
sprinkles, optional

1. In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter.
2. Once the butter is completely melted, add the marshmallows.  Stir continuous until the marshmallows are almost melted.
3. Turn off the heat, and add the cereal.  Quickly fold the cereal into the marshmallows until the two are evenly distributed.
4. Working quickly, pour the cereal mixture onto a baking sheet lined with a silpat or parchment paper (or liberally buttered).  Spread and smooth out the cereal.  Let cool.
5. Once the cereal is cooled, cut into individual treats with a knife, or using a cookie cutter to cut out shapes. If using, spread with nutella and then top with sprinkles.


Enjoy!

3 comments:

  1. To cute! Question, though, when did you add the sprinkles on the Nutella-less ones? On top before they cooled or incorporated into the treat? Thanks in advance :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. @Juliana: Thanks! You can basically add sprinkles anytime to the treats. They stay a bit sticky, even after they cool down. Plus, they're not super-flat on top, so sprinkles should stick!

    ReplyDelete
  3. To cute! Question, though, when did you add the sprinkles on the Nutella-less ones? On top before they cooled or incorporated into the treat? Thanks in advance :)

    ReplyDelete

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