Homemade Rice Krispies Treats Are Easier Than Ever With This Baking Hack
You’re just two steps away from the tastiest sticky-sweet treats.
There’s just nothing like a homemade Rice Krispies treat (sorry, but store-bought will never compare), so when I discovered an even easier way to make the beloved stick-to-your-teeth treats, I knew I had to get the word out. This one-dish trick will keep your kitchen clean and make the sweet, crispy treats more attainable than ever.
The inspiration came from this TikTok video, where creator @theshabakitchen makes a sweet and stunning dessert loaded with cereal, marshmallows, cream cheese, and lots of sugar. But I wasn’t as interested in the colorful finished cake as much as the very first step of the process.
Um, did she just make cereal treats in the oven?!
Next thing I knew, I was pulling out my 9x13 dish to try it. I couldn’t believe how this easy trick worked, and that I’d never seen it tried before. Remember the viral TikTok feta pasta? Well, this felt just like the dessert version of that. All you do is bake, mix, and devour.
Instead of the traditional method for making Rice Krispies treats, where you melt down mini marshmallows and butter in a saucepan to create a sweet, sticky glue ball, you can skip the stovetop altogether and make the whole dessert in a baking dish (think dump cake!).
With some patience (and some minor spillage) the marshmallow-cereal mixture comes together seamlessly. I used jumbo marshmallows which puffed up nicely in the oven without browning, turning into a smooth marshmallow fluff when stirred.
Unlike the TikTok video, I layered the butter at the bottom of the pan so it would melt completely before blending with the marshmallows. After stirring, I added 2-3 more cups of Rice Krispies because the mixture looked a bit too heavy on the fluff, and that made all the difference.
Pro tip: Make sure to grease the pan to start so you’re not fighting to take them out in the end. You could even start with a large piece of parchment on the bottom as an extra precaution.
To decorate, I added rainbow sprinkles for an extra pop of fun, but there are plenty of other creative directions you can take these treats. Next time, I’ll blend in peanut butter for a sweet and salty spin or stir in some chocolate chips to add some melty pockets of milk chocolate to the mix. No matter how you make them your own, you should be making them ASAP.
How to Make Rice Krispies Treats in the Oven
To start, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray. Next, cut 6 half-tablespoon squares from a stick of cold butter and place them on the bottom of the pan.
Take 24 jumbo-sized marshmallows and arrange them in one even layer over the butter. Finally, pour 6 cups of Rice Krispies cereal on top of the marshmallows. Even out the top of the cereal mound, allowing some of the cereal to spill into the spaces between the marshmallows.
Bake for 20 minutes until the marshmallows have just puffed up. Gently and carefully stir the marshmallows and Rice Krispies together until smooth. The marshmallows will eventually deflate, allowing you more room in the pan.
If the mixture looks too white and marshmallowy, stir in another 2-3 cups of cereal. Feel free to add mix-ins at this stage, like candies, sprinkles, or chocolate chips.
For the final step, lightly press the cereal into the pan to even out the bars. Using damp hands or a sheet of parchment paper will prevent the mixture from sticking too much. Allow the treats to set in the oven for about 30 minutes, then cut into even squares and enjoy.
