Classic Rice Krispie Treats

5 from 12 votes

A perfect version of the classic rice krispie treat!

Prep Time10

Total Time9

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: bars

Calories: 145kcal

Lightly spray a 8x8 or 9x9 baking pan or line with with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Melt butter in a large pot on low heat. 3 Tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter
When butter is melted, add the 10 ounces of mini marshmallows. Stir with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon until melted. 10 ounces marshmallows
Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract and salt. ¼ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Stir in the extra 1 cup mini marshmallows and rice krispies. This can be tricky to incorporate so do your best to stir it altogether! I like to use a wooden spoon, sturdy spatula, or bowl scraper. 5 cups rice krispie cereal
Spread in pan (use a piece of saran wrap lightly sprayed with cooking spray OR wet hands) and press into the pan. Do not press down too much.
Let rest for 15 minutes. Cut into squares and enjoy.

Large pot: This makes a large amount of mixture to stir. Be sure to use a large stockpot.
Storage: Keep covered and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Freezing: I do not recommend freezing rice krispie treats. The texture is not the same after thawing.
Marshmallows- I like to stir in mini marshmallows with the rice krispies. You can use large or mini marshmallows to melt. I find the mini ones melt more evenly and quickly.
Butter - Salted butter can have varying amounts and might make these very salty in the end. Not what we want! So use unsalted butter. If you only have salted butter than reduce or omit the salt.
Pan size- You can use a 8x8 or 9x9 for slightly less thick treats.
Cooking spray- These can be tricky to press down into the pan because of how sticky they are. So lightly spray a piece of plastic wrap and use that to press the mixture down into the pan OR wet your hands and press down.
Do not press down too much - You do need to press them down somewhat but if you press down too much you could create a rice krispie treat that ends up too dense.