Life is a little better with some gooey rice krispie treats at hand. When it comes to everyone’s favorite mallow sweet treat, the gooier the better, I say. I want a tall bar with a gooey pull and a chewy bite. Sign me up!
If that’s what you want too, then keep reading friend and happy baking.
Some Materials You’ll Need:
- 8 or 9 inch square cake pan
- Large 10″ sauce pot or deep saucepan (I used my Always Pan)
- Spatula
- Parchment Paper
- Measuring cups/spoons
Prep Your Ingredients First
This should be done for most any recipe, but attempting to fumble around cups of mini marshmallows and rice krispies over a hot stove is well—not recommended.
Take stress out of the equation and measure out ALL of your ingredients ahead of time. I’m talking before you start to melt that butter! Have a bowl with the cereal, two for the divided marshmallows, little saucers for your extract and salt, and have that cake pan prepped.
While timing may not be as crucial for these gooey rice krispie treats, as opposed to something like a pie dough, that doesn’t mean it’s not important at all. You don’t want your half-assembled mixture resting in a hot pan as you rush to measure out that last two cups of marshmallows. Mainly because rice krispie treats like to stiffen up rather quickly.
So prep and be stress-free!
What kind of pot should you make rice krispie treats in?
Since there’s quite a bit of volume to these gooey rice krispie treats, you want something that is both wide and deep enough to contain everything.
I used my Always Pan and it was perfectly—quite literally, any smaller and I’d have been fending off our pup from scraps all over the kitchen floor (where he’s already waiting).f
So for me, a deep 10″ inch saucepan/skillet situation worked great! Though you more than likely have a deep saucepan at hand (hopefully 10″) and that’s perfect. You just need to give yourself enough room to stir and fold the mixture without losing any over the edge.
Another bonus is non-stick! As one might assume (no judgement if you didn’t), rice krispie treats get…sticky. You’ll have a much easier time mixing everything together and transferring to your cake pan.
How to Get Extra Gooey Rice Krispie Treats
TIP 1: It should be no secret that the obvious key to ooey gooey rice krispie treats is to add more mini marshmallows! There’s a fair amount that gets melted down initially, but I like to add an additional two cups right at the very end before pressing into the pan to set. These extra marshmallows will remain largely intact, but melt every so slightly—giving you that glorious pull. It’s a dream.
TIP 2: The next step in upping your gooey game has to do with how you press it into the pan. You don’t want to press down too firmly or tightly. This results in a much tighter structure to the bars and ultimately makes them tougher to eat. Press the mixture into an evenly layer without trying to force it all down as far you’re able. I’d say mine picture here are somewhere in the middle!
Stick Fingers TIP: To prevent your fingers from sticking while pressing in the mixture, wet the tips of your fingers! I like to keep a little saucer of water next to meweew while I do this so I’m not running back and forth to the sink. Just dip your fingers in, let the excess water drip off, and then start pressing. Dip as many times as needed.
I’ve seen tips where you spray your hands with cooking spray, which does in fact work, but I’m not about that oily mess life after…
Get ready for gooey rice krispie treats, friends! Would love to see some marshmallow pulls over on Instagram too if you make them—be sure to tag me, @joshisbaking.
Happy baking!
Check out my most recent recipes:
- Hot Cocoa Cream Pies
- Roasted Crispy Rice Treats Dipped in Chocolate Frosting
- Giant Chocolate Blueberry Pop Tart
Gooey Rice Krispie Treats
- Prep Time: 15 Min.
- Chill Time: 1 Hour
- Cook Time: 15 Min.
- Total Time: 1 Hr. 30 Min. (with chill time)
- Yield: 12 Rice Krispie Treat Bars 1x
Description
The gooier the better, I say. I want a tall bar with a gooey pull and a chewy bite. If that’s what you’re after as well, then you’re in the right place!
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (85g)
- 10 cups mini-marshmallows, divided (430g, ~1 1/2 10oz. bags)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal (165g)
Instructions
- Prep an 8 inch square cake pan with parchment paper and set aside (helps to release, but not always necessary if using non-stick—I use this one from USA Pan without parchment).
- Cut your butter into tablespoon-sized (~15g) pieces. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large 10″ sauce pot or deep saucepan. Once the butter has fully melted, add 8 cups of mini marshmallows, reduce heat to low, and stir with a spatula until the marshmallows are completely melted combined with the butter (can take a couple minutes, gently stir to help them melt evenly and faster).
- Turn the heat off and stir in both your vanilla extract and salt until incorporated. Then add in your Rice Krispies cereal, mixing and folding until evenly coated in the marshmallow mixture. Then work quickly to fold in your remaining 2 cups of marshmallows until evenly distributed.
- Pour the mixture into your prepared baking pan and gently press down into an even layer (TIP: wet the tips of your fingers to prevent sticking and for looser/gooier pieces, don’t firmly press all the way down—the harder you press down, the tighter/tougher they’ll be to eat).
- Let set in the pan for at least 1 hour at room temperature before cutting/serving.
Store for up to 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature (don’t store in the fridge or they’ll get too hard).
Notes
- You could use a 9×13 non-stick pan as well, but your bars will be much thinner and with that said—I haven’t tested it that way. So baker beware! If you do try it, leave a comment below so other’s know it’s an option! I just happen to prefer a taller rice krispie treat.
- Be sure to use fresh bags of marshmallows! I know it sounds silly, but using that half-bag of mini marshmallows from the back of your pantry (from who knows how long ago) might be a bit dry and affect the end result. Go fresh and get that gooey pull!
Looking for something else to bake?
I made these last night and let me tell you, AMAZING! Even today they are AMAZING! Great recipe, thank you so much. Me and my kids love it, you gotta try these.
Sorry I just saw this Michelle, but thank you for sharing this with me! Love this so much!