Strawberry Rice Crispy Treats

We're really getting into the big eating season aren't we?  It feels like it was Halloween just a few days ago and here we are, the day before Thanksgiving.  The malls have already started decorating for Christmas and the Short Hills mall has set up a big Ice Age pavillion for photographs, it's a nice non-denominational set since we have such a diverse population here in Northern New Jersey.

It might come as a surprise to you, but I won't be cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year.  In fact, I won't even be eating a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  I'll be going out to a restaurant with Boyfriend and his parents (the in-laws!).  Since I'm not cooking dinner, I took to the kitchen this weekend and made some treats for my coworkers.  There were chocolate chip cookies, two French silk pies and these little pink beauties.

These are strawberry rice krispy treats.  Made the simple way.  In the past, I have made flavored rice krispy treats using homemade marshmallows.  When I wanted to make flavored treats this weekend, I didn't have the energy to whip up a batch of marshmallows, let them cure and finally prepare the krispy treats.  What I needed was a potent source of natural flavor.  Dehydrated strawberries were the perfect solution.

A little tricky to find (I got my dehydrated strawberries at Whole Foods), I sometimes find myself eating these little gems like potato chips.  Luckily I had set aside a bag of berries for the purpose of making strawberry macarons.  Instead, they made their way into these marshmallow treats and they packed a flavor punch.

Seriously deep with strawberry flavor, the dehydrated berries were the perfect solution to making flavored rice krispy treats without all the fuss.  I'm searching the health food stores for other dehydrated fruits that I can put into my next batch.  I've already found freeze-dried pears and pineapples.  What else is out there?  dehydrated blueberries, apples, beef?  Okay, maybe no to beef-flavored rice krispy treats.

I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving, whether you are cooking, being cooked for or having pizza.  I've had dessert already, so as long as I can score myself some turkey, it will be a good day!

Apple Marshmallows & Apple-Cinnamon Crispy Treats

I’m going to be honest with you, I’ve had these marshmallows in my house for three weeks. I would come home from work and have one, you know, a little sugar to fuel my workout. Each marshmallow tasting like a fluffy apple pie. Now, doesn’t that sound tempting?

A big slab of happiness!

I have become addicted to making marshmallows. This is mostly due to Eileen Talanian’s book – Marshmallows. These marshmallows were to most fun batch yet, they are fluffy, springy and bouncy. They are so full of air and flavor. These little pillows have a hint of cinnamon and a subtle tartness.

Once I finished preparing, cutting and coating the marshmallows I had to decide what to do with them. These apple marshmallows were too fun to let them just exist as marshmallows. Sure, they make a wonderful candy, but I thought they could be even better. Then it came to me, in a rush of sugar-induced giddiness… Rice crispy treats! Apple-cinnamon rice crispy treats, drizzled in caramel.

And that’s just what I did. Let me tell you, these will rock your world. Now I’m sitting, leafing through Eileen’s cookbook, thinking of all the amazing flavors of crispy treats that I can make. Chocolate, honey, matcha, dulce de leche, the options go on and on. I’m also wishing I hadn’t shared my cooking plans with my coworkers, because I want to hoard these treats and eat them all myself.