I am a fan of the humble Rice Krispy Treat and have spent a little time working on some slightly elevated recipes to share at parties and tailgates. This one came up today and I thought I would share what was both my most recent attempt and one of my favorites – the King Cake. The idea was to incorporate a cream cheese filling into layers of the cereal treat – the outcome was well received.
I did add sprinkles throughout but I didn’t find them to bring anything to the party. You can but I probably won’t the next time I make these. Adding the cream cheese while the cereal mixture is still warm causes it to melt into the rice krispies. That was ideal and I will do that again. It isn’t really icing so don’t worry about it melting a bit. Also – a little flake salt on the top never hurt anyone but that is up to your personal preference.
King Cake Rice Krispies
Ingredients
- 4 stick Unsalted Butter
- 3 bag Marshmallows 12oz Jet Puffed
- 1 ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- 18 cup Rice Krispies Cereal Snap, Crackle, and Pop
- Food Coloring Purple, Yellow, and Green
- 16 ounces Cream Cheese 2 Boxes Softened
- 2 cup Powdered Sugar
- 2 stick Unsalted Butter Softened
- ¾ Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- In a large pot melt the 1 1/3 sticks of butter over medium heat.
- Slowly incorporate the 1 bag of marshmallows until they are melted and add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 salt.
- [OPTIONAL] Add food coloring until the marshmallow mixture is the color you desire. We used yellow, green, and purple for Mardi Gras.
- Remove the pot from the heat and incorporate 6 cups of Rice Krispies stirring constantly.
- Once marshmallow and cereal are thoroughly mixed move to a baking pan. [OPTIONAL] Line sheet with wax paper.
- Repeat the steps above 2-3 times for each layer you plan to make. We did three.
- Mixed softened cream cheese, softened butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth and spreadable. Use the Kitchenaid.
- Add cream cheese mixture between layers of rice krispies.
