Valentine's Day Rice Krispies Treats Recipe

Who doesn't get a nostalgic thrill when biting into a Rice Krispies treat? The sweet, sticky treats are a childhood staple. Maybe your mom made them for a PTA bake sale, or maybe you saved up your allowance and bought one at a convenience store. Store-bought or homemade, chocolate-dipped or plain — no matter how you choose to consume one, a Rice Krispies treat can feel like a sweet blast from the past.

Rice Krispies treats were invented by two Kellogg's employees, Mildred Day and Malitta Jensen, who came up with the recipe as a way to promote Rice Krispies cereal (via Cooks Info). The recipe first appeared in newspapers in 1940 and began showing up on boxes of Rice Krispies in 1941.

This humble childhood treat gets a festive holiday twist in this Valentine's Day Rice Krispies treat recipe from photographer and recipe developer Susan Olayinka. "Rice Krispies treats are anyone's childhood favorite treat," she says. You don't need a lot of time to make these Rice Krispies treats, but prepare yourself for things to get a little sticky!

For this recipe, you'll need the basic ingredients that are in every Rice Krispies treat recipe: unsalted butter, Rice Krispies, and marshmallows. However, because these are special Valentine's Day Rice Krispies treats, you should use both white and pink marshmallows. To make these Rice Krispies treats especially holiday-appropriate, you'll also need some Valentine's Day-themed sprinkles.

If you'd like to jazz up these Rice Krispies treats even more, feel free to add a few optional ingredients into the mix. Olayinka suggests chocolate chips or dried fruit.

Melt the unsalted butter in a saucepan over low-medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the marshmallows and melt them into the butter. This should take about 5 minutes. Take your time with this step, and be sure not to rush the marshmallows. Making Rice Krispies treats is, as making desserts go, pretty simple, but according to Olayinka, this is the one tricky part of the recipe. "Just be sure not to let the [marshmallows] burn," she says.

Once the marshmallows have fully melted into the butter, add the Rice Krispies to the saucepan and stir until they're well-combined. Place the Rice Krispies treat mixture into two, 6x3-inch silicone trays. To make it easier to put the sticky mixture in the silicone trays, use this Rice Krispies trick and try spraying your spatula or spoon with cooking spray. If you don't have silicone trays, a regular baking sheet or dish will do — just make sure to lay down some wax paper or parchment paper to save yourself cleanup time later!

Once the Rice Krispies treats are in the silicone molds, pour the Valentine's Day sprinkles over them and press the sprinkles down with your hands. Chill the Rice Krispies treats in the refrigerator for 1 hour, and afterward, remove the treats from the trays and slice each tray's treats into six bars. Your Valentine's Day Rice Krispies treats are done and ready to eat! If you'd like to save them for another day, store them at room temperature in an airtight container.