I was invited to a friend’s house for a spontaneous weeknight dinner with very short notice.  So the challenge was to use ingredients that I already had to make dessert in under an hour.  Luckily I had a bag of Kraft Jet Puffed marshmallows leftover from making fondant (recipe here) and I almost always have a box of Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal because I love Rice Krispies squares so much.  Whenever I make them, I eat them until my mouth hurts…. and then I eat some more.

Note:  I only like them when they’re really densely packed, chewy and plain, so keep that in mind before you make them the way I do.  Also, I’ve tried making these with margarine, unsalted butter (as suggested by the original recipe), and salted butter and I’ve found that using salted butter makes them much better and way more addictive.

Rice Krispies Squares Recipe

makes 2 dozen dense and chewy squares

1/4 cup salted butter (I find that salted butter tastes much better than unsalted butter)

250 g package mini marshmallows

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

7 cups Rice Krispies cereal

In a large non-stick saucepan, over medium low heat, melt butter.  Do not allow the butter to burn.  Add marshmallows and stir with a rubber spatula until melted and well blended.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Add cereal, mixing well with the rubber spatula.  Pour mixture into a lightly buttered 13″ x 9″ dish or pan that is lined with a sheet of lightly buttered parchment paper that overhangs two edges.  With a sheet of syran wrap or parchment paper or silpat (silicone) mat over the top of the mixture, use your hands to press down firmly and evenly so that you have a very well packed mixture that is the same thickness across the pan.  Remove the sheet and let cool.  Turn the pan over to release the mixture from the pan and discard the parchment paper.  Cut into squares using a sharp knife on a cutting board.