Fresh Orange Rice Krispie Treats
My toddler has been on a marshmallow kick lately. And by that I mean she’ll randomly think about marshmallows, talk about marshmallows, ask for a marshmallow, and pretend she’s roasting marshmallows on a stick (we’ve never actually done this). Every time we go down the baking aisle and see the bags of mallows, she begs for me to buy some. Whenever I give in (an undoubtedly let her eat a few in the car), I’m left with a bag of marshmallows that’s 95% full and taking up precious pantry space.
This time I decided we would make rice krispie treats. They’re easy. Sort of fun for her (because she gets to eat marshmallows while we “bake”). And they’re one of those treats that us ’90s kids get all nostalgic about. Oh, and they can easily be made dairy-free – or vegan with the right brand of marshmallows – with plant-based butter. And since I’ve been so into orange here lately, I figured we’d spice things up a bit by adding fresh orange zest to these treats. The end result is a delicious, orange-spiked rice krispie treat that tastes like an orange creamsicle. In other words, so much flavor bang with hardly any extra work. Yes!!
Most marshmallow brands have the same (or extremely similar) recipe on the backs of their bags. My recipe follows this standard, aside from a few extra mini marshmallows added in at the end and, of course, the orange zest. While you’re melting the marshmallows into the butter, you’ll add in fresh zest from three medium oranges. Once the marshmallows are melted, you’ll mix in the cereal and extra mini mallows, and then all you’ve left to do is gently press the mixture into a greased baking dish! Then slice and enjoy your gooey, orangey marshmallow treats!
More citrus recipes:
Chocolate Orange Cupcakes (vegan option)
Soft Iced Lemon Cookies
Soft & Chewy Orange Sugar Cookies
Orange Loaf with Almond Buttercream (vegan option)
Fresh Orange Rice Krispie Treats
Gooey rice krispie treats made with fresh orange zest and extra marshmallow! A super quick and easy dessert easily made dairy-free or vegan.
Ingredients
- 6 cups marshmallows (10oz bag or 45 large mallows) + 3 cups mini marshmallows
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
- Zest from 3-4 medium oranges
- 6 cups crisp rice cereal
Instructions
- Prepare an 8x8" dish or pan with non-stick spray. Then add parchment paper - cut one long piece and fold the excess over the two sides for easy removal of the treats.
- In a medium bowl, toss together the rice cereal and 3 cups of mini marshmallows; set aside.
- In a large sauce pan or stock pot, melt the vegan butter over medium-low heat. Add the 6 cups of marshmallows and zest from 3 oranges and stir until the marshmallows are totally melted.
- Turn the heat to low and stir in the rice cereal/mini mallows until everything is well combined.
- Scoop the mixture into your prepared baking dish/pan. Use the back of a greased spoon or spatula to gently press the mixture into the pan - I spray mine with non-stick spray. You want to press the mixture into an even layer without over-pressing it (this would create harder, more compact treats).
- Top the treats with the leftover orange zest (from 1 orange).
- Allow the treats to cool/set for at least 10 minutes before slicing into 9 or 16 squares. For perfect slices, remove the whole dessert from the pan and slice on a cutting board.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
- I bought two bags of marshmallows for this recipe. In total you will need 9 cups of marshmallows.
- The extra mini marshmallows are optional but I totally recommend adding them for ultra marshmallow goodness!
- For vegan treats, use vegan marshmallows
Did you make this recipe?
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