Stumped by Rice Krispie treats

Rice Krispie Treats are supposed to be easy to make, right? Then why does every treat-making endeavour end up with me sticky and stuck to the pot?

Today, I'm reaching out for some help with making Rice Krispie Treats. I want to figure this out, so would you be so kind as to review my sticky photos and send me your suggestions?

Step 1 - Research and find a recipe for Rice Krispie Treats. This turned out to be super easy - I went directly to the Rice Krispie website and found the classic recipe. I set up my iPad and got ready.

Step 2 - Gather supplies, also an easy step because hey, I'm just gathering.

Step 3 - Melt butter and marshmallows. At this stage, things are starting to get messy and sticky. I'm worried that I'm burning the marshmallows because they're turning a golden color. But I stir like crazy and eventually, all 40 marshmallows melt into a liquid goo.

Step 4 - Mix Rice Krispies into marshmallow, which seemed easy but this is where the problems begin. I can't seem to get the mixture to incorporate, leaving me with really wet spots and extremely dry spots.

Step 5 - Scrape mixture into pan. I find this to be a difficult step because the pot is heavy and hot, so I can't balance it on my hip and I can't figure out how to raise it high enough while scraping hard to the bottom. The pot is swinging wildly in the air and I can't get the mixture out.

Step 6 - Now I'm trying to get all of the mixture out of the pot and have employed a second spoon, which is stuck to the original spoon and the mixutre is rapidly cooling and hardening to the sides of the pot. How do you keep the mixture pliable?

Final Step - I've left a lot of mixture in the pot where it hardened - on the edges, inside the pot. So I pat down what did make it into the pan and call it a day.

Deciding not to waste a good thing, I sit down with the now-cooled pot and scrape and eat all of the leftovers.

So what's the secret? Tiph, you're an accomplished Rice Krispie treat maker. I saw those Christmas Trees that you made, gilded with gold sugar and individually bagged. What am I doing wrong?

Comments

[Carole]

Fun post, Heidi! I lol'd. :-)

Eating the leftovers seems like a good thing. Are you sure you want to change your technique??

If so, first, get rid of your Pam. The stuff is bad for your lungs anyway, and it isn't greasy enough for this. You need more butter. Butter your pan. Butter your spoon. And butter your hands to pat it in the pan.

Second, I think you're making your marshmallows too hot. If it's getting brown, you're caramelizing the sugar and it's going to harden into cement in the blink of an eye. Stick with very low heat, sing the entire 12 Days of Christmas Song, and melt sloooooowly. You should have a bit of fear that it's never going to harden as you put it in the pan.

Good luck!

[Holly Clarke]

OMG, thanks for posting this. Mine never turn out either. Too hard, too soft, too full of air holes. Thanks for the low heat tip Carole.

[Heidi (author)]

Hi Holly, I'm so glad I'm not the only one who's struggled with this!

Carole, theses are GREAT tips! Thanks for sharing them. What a difference heat makes. I'm going to give this another try.

[Heidi (author)]

I also received some helpful tips on Facebook which I'll share here:

Tiph said: "I've always used a bit more butter/margarine & marshmallows than the recipe calls for, that way it's easier to avoid dry parts when stirring. I also spray the spoons, pot and my hands with Pam spray to help with the stickiness. Then when pressing into the pan, I use wax paper to press it down to keep it smooth and even. Of course there is still some left behind that has to be eaten ;)"

Jocelyn said: "Microwave margarine and marshmallows in a large bowl around 2 minutes on medium, take out, beat together and stir in rice krispies. Enjoy!!"

Great tips ladies, thanks!

[Carolyn]

Microwaving those marshmallows is definitely the way to go...it's faster, harder to burn it, and it's not as heavy.

[Jo]

And to think.. rice krispy treats is my go-to when I want a quick dessert that I have yet to mess up!!

Definitely grease up EVERYTHING with whatever you fancy, especially the scraping utensil. And Yes, slow and stead wins the race, or at least once the marshmallows start melting(I turn it up higher just to get it going). Also, the the pot isn't so hot and won't harden so fast.

And as for the too heavy... get a cheaper pot! They aren't as heavy. :)

[Heidi (author)]

Thanks Carolyn and Jo for more helpful ideas!

[Vanessa]

When I make Rice Krispies I like to fold the mixture with a big wooden spatula-ish tool. I just feel like the bigger the surface area of your mixing utensil the easier it is to encorporate everything.

Also, to make it more festive, other than using the red, green and white krispies you can sprinkle nutmeg, cinnamon or cloves over the top once you've spread it out in your pan.

[Heidi (author)]

Great tips Vanessa, thanks. The spoon that I usually use is pretty small, just bigger than a tablespoon. Don't know why it's my favorite spoon, but I've had it for 18 years! :) Heidi