Rice Krispie Treats with Homemade Marshmallows

Who doesn't love rice krispy treats? Last time I made them I followed the normal recipe and they went so quickly. We hadn't had rice krispy treats in a long time and it brought us back to childhood. Brandon made a comment that they would probably be better with homemade marshmallows.

That comment got me thinking that it probably wasn't that hard to make them from scratch. The more I thought I more I really wanted to try it. I am a firm believer that anything made from scratch is way better than the store bought version.

I read a bunch of different recipes and they all called for a candy thermometer, which I didn't have. I also noticed that it said to have the marshmallows stand for 4 hours until ready. Well, I was planning on having them melted down again to make the treats. Did I really need to let them stand for 4 hours to harden and then malt them back down, undoing what the 4 hours did? I thought not.

I looked online and found this recipe.

The first time I tried it I forgot to stir the gelatin, I had to toss that and start over. Oh, well! They turned out great, granted mine weren't gluten free but I don't really care about that. You could always use gluten free crispy rice cereal.

 

Homemade Marshmallow Rice Krispie Treats

 

Ingredients

2 packets unflavored powdered gelatin
1 cup cool water
2 cups sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
8 to 9 cups crisp rice cereal

 

 

Directions

Line an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish with heavy-duty aluminum foil, and grease the foil with cooking oil spray. Set the dish aside.

In a small bowl, place the contents of both packets of gelatin, add 1/2 cup water and mix to combine well. Set the bowl aside and allow the gelatin to swell as it stands. Once the gelatin has swelled, transfer it to the bowl of a stand mixer or bowl to use a hand mixer.

In a medium, heavy-bottom saucepan, place the remaining 1/2 cup water, sugar and cream of tartar, and whisk to combine well. Cook the sugar mixture over medium-high heat until it reaches the softball stage, between 238°F and 240°F, on an candy thermometer. Remove the saucepan from the heat immediately, and pour the cooked sugar mixture down the side of the bowl of the stand mixer into the gelatin mixture (don't try and scrape the side of the bowl it ran down, you will have sugar strings everywhere!). Whisk to combine and allow the mixture to cool briefly. It will bubble. Add the vanilla and salt, and beat the mixture on medium-high speed with the whisk attachment until the mixture is white, thick and glossy. It should nearly triple in size. It is ready when the mixture pours off the whisk very slowly when raised.

Add the melted butter to the marshmallows, and beat again on medium speed until combined. The marshmallows will decrease in size a bit. Add 8 cups of the crisp rice cereal. Spray a silicone spatula with cooking oil spray, and use it to stir together gently the marshmallow mixture and the rice cereal. Add up to 1 cup more crisp rice cereal, depending upon how gooey you would like your treats to be.

Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan, and smooth the top with the oiled spatula. Place in the refrigerator until set (about 15 minutes), and slice to serve. Store in an airtight container either in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Kerri