Rice Krispie Treats, Downsized Recipe

Rice Krispie Treats, Downsized

As a product of modern industrial food manufacturing, Rice Krispies have graced the breakfast table of most every American home for decades.  Unlike a lot of products, however, they did not start off as a DIY project at home.  Rice Krispies can't by DIY'ed.  Many have tried.  All have failed.  When industrial production ceases, the Rice Krispies go away.  And it will be a long time before they come back.

Most people won't even miss Rice Krispies for breakfast.  There are lots of other good things to eat.  But Rice Krispie treats are an entirely different matter.  Whoever invented these was a genius.  They are a comfort food I'd like to be able to make every once in a while.  Because Rice Krispies will be a precious commodity, the treats will not be made for church potlucks.  They won't even be made in regular batches.  They need to be spaced out.  Small batches.  Enough for one or two after dinner.

I've already blogged about the shelf life of Rice Krispies.  Vacuum-sealed, they're good at least eight to ten years.  We know about substituting coconut oil for butter.  A few months back I posted a recipe for making marshmallows.  So we have the ingredients covered.

Unfortunately, marshmallows are pretty time-intensive.  I don't want to make them if I don't have to.  And if I had to make them, Rice Krispie treats might only happen once or twice a year.  Unfortunately, vacuum-sealing marshmallows does not work at all.  When the gases are sucked out of the jar holding the marshmallows, the marshmallows get all the gas sucked out of them, too.  They kind of collapse and become a sticky mess.  Epic fail.

I made that first attempt at preserving marshmallows by vacuum-sealing ten years ago.  About a month ago, it occurred to me that they could possibly be preserved in Mylar bags or canning jars with an oxygen absorber, and yesterday I tested it out.  So far, it's successful.  The jars sealed and the marshmallows held their shape.  I'll can several more jars of marshmallows today and test them out over the next year.  Quality control.  Strictly for research purposes.

Here's the original recipe, straight from the Kellogg's Rice Krispies website:

Rice Krispie Treats
3 tablespoons butter
1 package (10 oz, or 40) regular marshmallows OR
10 ounces/4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

That, of course, makes a whole pan of Rice Krispie treats.  They're like brownies and chocolate chip cookies.  When you need them, you really need them.  But you know you don't need a whole batch.  Downsizing the batch will stretch our supplies.

Rice Krispie Treats, Mini-Batch
1 1/2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil (if using coconut oil, also add 1/2 teaspoon water)
14 regular marshmallows  OR
1 1/3 cups miniature marshmallows (3 1/3 ounces)
2 cups Rice Krispies

Melt the butter or oil over low heat in a small saucepan.  Add the marshmallows and stir until melted.  Remove from heat and stir in the Rice Krispies.  Press into a buttered bread loaf pan, cool, and cut into squares.

Links to related posts:
Homemade Rice Krispies
DIY Marshmallows
Coconut Oil for Butter Substitute

For further reading:
https://www.ricekrispies.com/en_US/recipes/the-original-treats-recipe.html