My last three attempts at making dessert have turned out terribly. I mean, they were good enough for The Astronomer and me to eat after dinner, but not nearly perfect enough to share in this space. The first mishap was my grandfather’s birthday cake. He is a strawberry lover through and through, so I decided to use this recipe for Sprinkle’s cupcakes as the base of a two-layer cake. It turns out that great cupcakes don’t necessarily translate into great layer cakes, and I ended up with a dense, scone-like tower. Fail.
My second not-so-hot execution occurred while making butterscotch pudding a la Pizzeria Mozza. I removed the pudding from the heat probably three minutes too soon and ended up with pudding the texture of melted ice cream rather than thick, luscious custard. Fail squared.
Most recently, I attempted Baked‘s Grasshopper Bars, and the result was downright atrocious. The bar consisted of three layers—brownie, mint buttercream, and chocolate ganache. The first one went off without a hitch, while the second one resembled watery butter infused with creme de menthe. I was so crushed that I didn’t even make the final layer. Fail cubed.
After a slew of kitchen heartbreaks, my confidence was at an all-time low and I desperately needed a sure thing. Enter: Rice Krispies Treats.
For the amount of effort that goes into making marshmallow squares, they give back ten-fold in taste. Even better, they are almost impossible to screw up. Instead of preparing the standard recipe found on the back of the Kellogg’s cereal box, I drew inspiration from the Los Angeles Times‘ test kitchen. The addition of fresh rosemary penetrates every “krispie” grain and adds a whole new savory dimension to this all-American sweet. After successfully preparing these rosemary marshmallow squares twice in the past week, I think I’m finally ready to move on to something slightly more difficult. Wish me luck.
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 (10-ounce) bag plain marshmallows
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 cups crisped rice cereal
In a large sauté pan heated over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the rosemary and stir until the rosemary is coated.
Stir in the marshmallows, and continue to stir until the marshmallows melt and mix with the butter, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the vanilla and salt, then slowly stir in the cereal until it is evenly coated. Remove the pan from the heat.
Transfer the mixture to a shallow 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Cover the top with parchment paper, pressing down firmly to level off.
Set the pan aside for at least 1 hour to cool before slicing into squares.
Recipe by the Los Angeles Times. [For Printable Recipe Click Here]
i feel you on sure things. i’ve been striking out with bread lately myself. SOB FOREVER.
but these treats? gorgeous. and twice in one week! way to go. good luck on your next kitchen endeavor.
I can personally attest to the success of these rice krispie treats as I ate two of them yesterday at the FoodShootOut meeting. I would say by your almost empty baking dish that this one was a winner! Loved seeing you. 😀
I think the kitchen fails actually make us better (amateur) chefs! There’s always a lesson to be learned. And sometimes that lesson is to just order take out.
My husband is semi-gluten free, so I make Rice Krispy treats all the time. My variations are pretty tame–just adding peanut butter or the usual stuff like that–so I’m excited to try rosemary.
My favorite variation is actually to use Chex instead of Rice Krispies. I like that they’re larger, so you can really taste the cereal, AND the marshmallow seeps into the little openings. SO GOOD!
Cathy,
You are too adorable. I heart rosemary so I will be making this. And don’t feel too bad for the dessert mishaps — I had a friend in high school who couldn’t make Jell-O, no joke. She couldn’t get it to set!?!?
This Rice Krispies Treat is Panda approved!
Yum! What a cool, creative idea.
On the topic of the butterscotch pudding, that happened to me once when I was making pastry cream, which is very similar to pudding ingredient- and technique-wise. I actually just put it back over heat and it thickened up perfectly!
Sara – Thanks for the tip! Sadly, I didn’t realize that the pudding wasn’t thick until after I had refrigerated it. It seemed thick in the pan… I’ll get it right next time!
Cathy, this is amazing! I love rosemary and rice krispy treats. What a genius idea.
Looks delicious! I like the addition of rosemary, which I have to say I rarely think to use in sweets. Shame to hear about the Baked bars – I had that bookmarked to make at some point.
which corner of pasadena did you get the rosemary from this time? :-p
g-ma – Colorado and Greenwood, of course! I am an urban forager.
Oh my heavens! This looks amazing! There’s a rosemary chocolate bar here in Canberra that I love, so I know I’ll love these. Marshmallows going on the shopping list now!
Here’s the recipe I’ve been looking for–loved these!