Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats

These Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats are made two types of strawberries to really pack in the flavor! Grab strawberry marshmallow fluff and freeze dried strawberries to make these pretty in pink rice krispies treats. So much strawberry flavor in each bite! This recipe does not use strawberry jello.

Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats! I'm going to start putting an exclamation point at the end of recipes that make me smile while eating them. You can't take a bite of a strawberry rice krispie treat without grinning from ear to ear.

First, let's back up a bit. I saw a jar of strawberry marshmallow fluff at World Market about 4 months ago. I didn't buy it the day I saw it. But, I didn't stop thinking about it either. I actually kinda became obsessed with it. When I couldn't sleep at night, I would think of all the desserts I would make with it. I want to swirl it in my Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe the most.

So today, Camille was fussy and bored, so I packed her up, and drove all the way across town to buy that much coveted jar of strawberry fluff. Luckily, they had 1 lone jar on the shelf. I grabbed it, and skipped to the register to pay. It lasted about 15 minutes on my counter before I just had to bake with it, and now I wish I had ordered a case of it.

We really love strawberry desserts around here: Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes are total party food in our house. Plus, my kids love Strawberry Pudding and never turn down Strawberry Milk for breakfast.

While bowls of Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting come out of our kitchen a lot during the spring months (seriously, it's so good on nearly any type of cake), crispy rice treats are obviously the kids' favorite dessert. They became hooked on my Small Batch Rice Krispie Treats, and we've been adding flavors ever since.

I can't count how many batches of Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats I have made for them to have as an after school snack. For special occasions (like Valentine's Day), I make Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats because the small amount of salt sprinkled on top just before serving feels so fancy!

If your kids love fruit, you've got to make these strawberry Rice Krispie treats for your next after school snack time or playdate!

How to Make Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats:

To make strawberry Rice Krispie treats, you need to source some strawberry marshmallow fluff and some freeze-dried strawberries.

• You can find strawberry marshmallow fluff at a very well-stock grocery store, especially in the Spring (during strawberry season). Yes, I've seen it at the place that starts with Wal, and ends with Mart. I've found it at specialty kitchen shops, and you can always find it online easily.
• Freeze dried fruit probably isn't new to you if you have kids. It's such an easy, nutrition snack, that we always have multiple varieties of fruit around. It's just like dried fruit, but instead of being chewy, it's crunchy, light-weight and dry. It doesn't contain any added sugar.
• It takes a LOT of fresh strawberries to make freeze-dried strawberries, so please think of this as a way to maximize the strawberry flavor without adding liquid or bulk to our recipe. It's like a condensed form of sweet-tart strawberries. I use freeze dried raspberries in my homemade raspberry marshmallows.

The Ingredients

• Rice Krispies Cereal. You know the type of cereal I'm talking about. It can also be 'crisp rice cereal,' but do not buy puffed rice, as that is very different.
• Strawberry Marshmallow Fluff. This is a jar of creamy marshmallow fluff that is strawberry flavored. It's so good! Try not to eat the whole jar with a spoon. You need the entire 7.5 ounce jar for this recipe.
• Freeze Dried Strawberries. Just a half-cup of sliced, freeze-dried strawberries.
• Butter. A classic ingredient in all Rice Krispies treats, and cannot be skipped.
• Salt. These are very sweet, and a small pinch of salt balances the flavors out.

The Directions

1. First, gather all of the ingredients, and have a 9-inch bread loaf pan ready by spraying it lightly with cooking spray.

2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, strawberry fluff and salt over LOW heat. Stir it frequently and always keep an eye on it to prevent it from scorching. It's best to use a silicone spatula to prevent the fluff from sticking to the spoon too much.

3. When everything is melted together and nicely homogenous, turn off the heat and remove the pan from the heat. Place it on a heat-proof pot holder or trivet to protect your counters. Then, pour in all of the rice cereal, and stir with a heat-proof non-stick spatula to combine.

4. Finally, stir in the freeze-dried strawberry pieces. You can crus them with your fingers before adding, if you like. Or, save some big slices for the top as decoration.

5. Quickly scrape the mixture into your prepared loaf pan. Use the spatula to press it flat and even, and then sprinkle extra freeze dried strawberries on top, if you like. Let cool for 1-2 hours until firm and set, and then slice and serve.

If this size of pan looks small to you, let's talk!

If you're new here (hi! hello! welcome!), my recipes are small-batch desserts. They usually serve two people, generously. I make rice krispie treats in a 9" bread loaf pan for two big servings. However, you can double this recipe easily and make it in an 8" square pan. You can double it again to make a 9 x 13-inch pan, if you love these so much that you want to share with everyone you know! They also make cute Valentine's Day treats.

Flavor Variations

Since we know that making 1 cup of marshmallow fluff is as easy as melting any flavor of 16 large marshmallows and stirring in 2 teaspoons of corn syrup, your mind is probably dreaming up new ways to flavor these.

The 7.6 ounce jar of strawberry fluff called for here is equal to 1 cup of marshmallow fluff! So, you should absolutely make your own marshmallow fluff, and make these your own:

• Use freeze dried raspberries to make a raspberry rice krispie treat.
• Use freeze dried apples and a pinch of apple pie spice to make a fall treat.
• If you use plain marshmallow fluff, you can add any spices. I make pumpkin spice rice krispie treats in that way.
• I have seen caramel marshmallow fluff a few times, but it can be really hard to source!

How to Store

Rice krispie treats are best kept at room temperature in an air-tight container. I like to line a storage container with wax paper to prevent stickiness, and place the treats inside without touching.

Do not ever refrigerate or freeze these.