Rice crispy treats are great for all occasions. Just add a little food coloring and you can make this patriotic layered version to show off your American pride.
I cannot believe that Memorial Day is nearly upon us, that my trip to Italy is behind me, and we are already late in planting our vegetable garden. Thankfully the previous owners of our home had a vegetable garden and many of the plants survived such as kale, squash (at least that’s what it looks like), oregano, mint, dill, and asparagus. We also inherited three blueberry bushes which I could not be more excited about. We just need to pick up some peppers, tomatoes, chard, basil, and rosemary and we are good to go! I had sage at our last house but I did not use it nearly enough and it turned into a literal bush. Except now after saying that I kind of want to put a sage bush next to our front steps haha. I just love being able to walk outside for vegetables and herbs, and soon blueberries too!
Picking fruit was a must all season long growing up. It helped that I grew up down the street from a U-pick farm and we even biked there sometimes, with berries strapped to the cargo rack on my dad’s bike and likely the same amount carried in our bellies. I haven’t found my go-to U-pick farm in Columbus yet but you better believe I will be picking some berries this summer. Did summer even happen if I didn’t? Probably not. What are you must-to activities for summer? I imagine grilling in the backyard is a common one and that is my segue into these rice crispy treats.
Like mini cheesecakes, I cannot stop making different types of rice crispy treats. When they are so well received, why would you stop making them? Especially then they are so simple to make and easy to transform for various events. For the upcoming Memorial weekend, one of the biggest grilling weekend of the summer (the others being July 4 and Labor Day), I thought it would be great to make them patriotic, so I divided the mixture into thirds, left 1/2 white, and dyed the other 2/3 red and blue. Layer them in a pan and viola, patriotic layered rice crispy treats.
Two years ago: Glasses Shop Review
Three years ago: Weekly Meal Plan: May 16-22
Four year ago: Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies
Five years ago: Almond Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Six years ago: Strawberry Banana Granola
Seven years ago: Raw Cookie Dough Bites
PATRIOTIC LAYER RICE CRISPY TREATS
Makes 24
Ingredients:
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4 cups (10.5 oz. bag) mini marshmallows
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
6 cups puffed rice cereal, divided
Food coloring (red and blue)
2 oz. white chocolate/bark/candy coating, melted
Patriotic sprinkles
Directions:
- Coat a 9×13-inch pan and 3 medium bowls with nonstick spray, set aside.
- In small pot over low heat melt the butter. Add marshmallows and stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Quickly divide evenly between the greased bowls, add a few drops of red food coloring to one, blue to another, and keep one plain. Add 2 cups of cereal to each and stir until well coated.
- Spread red mixture evenly in the prepared pan. Using buttered spatula, waxed paper, or greased hands, press mixture evenly and firmly. Repeat with white and blue layers. Drizzle top with melted chocolate and sprinkles.
- Cool completely before slicing and serving.
Source: Adapted from my LEGO Rice Crispy Treats.