Vegan Rice Krispie Treats with Chocolate and PB

There are few things that made me happier as a kid than a sweet and gooey rice krispie treat fresh out of a bright blue metallic wrapper. These vegan rice krispie treats with chocolate and peanut butter satisfy my craving for all things sugary, but are a bit more ~refined~. Basically, I felt like a child eating a plain rice krispie treat, and needed to amp it up a notch.

Creativity & Vegan Rice Krispie Treats

As a kid, I never thought of rice krispie treats as a "creative" dessert, but when I was working on this recipe, I saw SO. MANY. POSSIBILITIES.

• Chocolate & Peanut-butter
• Cookies & Cream
• Pretzel & Chocolate
• Caramel & Pecan
• Nuts mixed in, or on top?
• Chocolate drizzled or dipped?

The combinations are endless. Here's what I landed on:

1. Vanilla is a must have addition to every rice krispie treat - it's a game changer. Add it once the marshmallows are homogenous, and mix well.
2. If you want a flavored treat, add things like peanut butter or caramel into the marshmallows at the same stage as the vanilla. Mix thoroughly before adding the rice krispies, otherwise your treat might have a couple peanut-butter forward bites, and a few that are lacking.
3. I prefer to dip or drizzle chocolate. Personally, I love biting into something coated in chocolate, but then again, I'm a chocoholic. If you mix in the chocolate, you might find yourself with a brown blob, which probably tastes amazing, but doesn't look great or add that smooth chocolatey texture.
4. I prefer topping my rice krispies with things like nuts and pretzels. It preserves the integrity and texture of the rice krispie treat, and still gives you the flavor and crunch you're looking for.

But Eliza...

I can't find vegan marshmallows! What gives?! I used 1 package of Dandies Vegan Marshmallows. Whole Foods carries them, but you can also find them on Amazon. Ah, the things we do for desserts...

You didn't tell me how much of a mess marshmallows are! How the heck am I supposed to clean this up??

1. First, as soon as you scoop out the rice krispie goodness, add warm water to your sauce pan and let sit for 5 mins while you press the treats into your greased dish. The warm water will keep the marshmallows soft, which is what you need for the next step.
2. Then, use a scrubbing brush or sponge to get the sticky bits up.
3. If all else fails and you have stubborn hardened marshmallow spots that won't come up, empty the water out of the pan, and add a few tsp of powdered Bar Keepers' Friend (eyeball it). Add a few drops of water and scrub with a paper towel until the rough spots come up. This stuff is magic, you'll thank me later.

How do I get the rice krispies to mix into the marshmallows? This is hard work! Use the folding method. Using a soft spatula, scoop around the perimeter of the pan, then bring the spatula through the middle. This keeps the mixture airy, and also helps you take advantage of the stretchiness of the marshmallows to grab more rice krispies. Repeat until the rice krispies are incorporated. Yes it is a workout. Gotta work for those treats!

How do I keep the treats from sticking to my dish? Butter, my friend. Use your wrapper to grease the dish, or grab a tablespoon or two of softened vegan butter and use your hands to ensure it makes it into every square inch of that dish.

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