With the price of eggs on their continual upward climb while feeling the desire to stress bake as of late, I debated what sweet treat I should make that’s relatively affordable.

Enter: Rice Krispie Treats. All you need is a box of Krispy Rice Cereal, a couple of bags of marshmallows, and a stick of butter. BAM – instant sweet treat goodness that will take you right back to your memories of gobbling them down in your elementary school cafeteria.

Not content with just the basic rice krispie treat recipe, I decided to add a bit of pizzazz to it with a splash of vanilla and a sprinkling of kosher salt. To further up the fun factor, I added in some mini M&M candies and chocolate chips. Omg…yum.

Of note: I brand these treats as “gluten free,” but it’s only truly gluten free if you do NOT use traditional Rice Krispie Treats cereal since it contains barley malt (which…newsflash: contains gluten. Sigh.). Aldi’s Crispy Rice cereal is an affordable option that is gluten free, which is what I used. Other gluten free options include: Malt O’Meal Crispy Rice (which is a bit ironic, given the brand name), Nature’s Path Foods Crispy Rice (which is on the pricey side, but at least it’s also organic?), and some store brands at your local grocer are sometimes gluten free if you carefully check the label.

Although this recipe is admittedly pretty basic and mostly easy-peasy, you will need some measure of arm strength to stir the rice krispies into submission the marshmallow mixture since it gets super sticky and evolves into a substance rather akin to glue. But hey…the sweet reward for all of that effort – other than a sore arm – are some pretty rad gluten free crispy rice treats.

Gluten Free Vanilla Rice Krispie Treats

(based off of the Aldi Crispy Rice Treats recipe)

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 5 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Serves: 12

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter (i.e., one stick of butter)
• Two 10 oz. bags of small marshmallows
• 12 oz. Gluten Free Crispy Rice Cereal (I used the Aldi brand; for other gf options, see post above – this amount is pretty much the size of the entire box)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (if you want to get extra fancy-schmancy, replace with vanilla bean paste)
• A pinch of kosher salt
• A cup or two of M&Ms and/or chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Coat a glass baking pan with cooking spray. If you want humungous, thick treats, use a 8×8 or a 9×9 pan. If you want more “normal” sized ones, use a 9×13 inch pan.
2. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium low heat. Once it’s melted, add the marshmallows and stir occasionally until they’re all completely melted.
3. After the marshmallows are melted, stir in the vanilla extract and kosher salt. Stir for a couple of minutes before turning off the burner.
4. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the crispy rice cereal until it’s combined. This is the part that will get your arm muscles working!
5. Mix in the M&Ms and/or chocolate chips, if using. They’ll probably get kind of melty due to the heat – that’s totally fine, it still tastes awesome, I promise.
6. Transfer the mixture to a baking pan. Spray hands lightly with cooking spray and press the mixture into the pan until it’s full compressed. Top with additional M&Ms and/or chocolate chips, pressing them down so that they stay in place as the treats cool.
7. Cool the treats for about 15 minutes at room temperature. Once fully cooled, cut them up and enjoy!