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Sunday, February 3, 2008

A whole far greater than its parts

Rice Krispies is a type of cereal that I dreaded eating as a kid. Nearly, if not completely, sugar-free, the cereal was tiny, made weird noises in milk, needed a tablespoon or more of sugar in order to choke it down, and the last bits were always mushy and soggy. A pile of undissolved sugar remained in the bottom of the bowl as a testament to the cereal's need for sucrose supplementation.

Marshmallows are gelatinous sugar cubes with a texture that induces my gag reflex. I've never liked their taste. The dusty powder feel over the spongy texture makes me cringe. Marshmallows are one of the few sweet snacks that I don't just avoid, rather I never even consider.
Yet, both of these substandard foods, when combined by heat and a wooden spoon, form one of humanity's greatest snacks. A snack that rivals chocolate bunnies, marzipan, and the glazed doughnut:
Rice Krispie Treats
I like these so much that they nearly made it as one of the Secrets to Happiness. Then I realized that those secrets should be somewhat universal in nature. It occurred to me that some of you might not like these crunchy chewy concoctions. My guess is that this isn't true, but I didn't want to chance it.
The basic recipe can be easily found. There are also many variations that include things like peanut butter or M&Ms. Food coloring can be added to batches to make holiday themed treats. Be careful with that though, because as the sugar melts, the food coloring spreads to fingers and serving dishes.
If I had to list a drawback for these things it would be that I cannot stop once I have started. They are so easy to consume that a whole sheet will be gone before the day is out. For that reason, we don't make them very often.
Hey, there is a major sporting event occurring today in the United States. Rice Krispie Treats could be just the sweet snack that you weren't thinking about when you were building your chip & dip, deli, and chicken wing trays.
If you have a special recipe for these, point me to it or leave it in the comments. If you don't like them, tell us why.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Although typically I am huge fan of marshmallows, I don't really care for Rice Krispies treats...they are too sticky. My kids love them though, the few they have had anyway. And when the cafeteria has them here at my office, many people go overboard. The ones that are half dipped in chocolate seem to be the big hits.

The Happy Guy said...

Of course, your coworkers go berserk. In this situation, you are the oddity.

You must have a defective gene.

Anonymous said...

Another redeeming feature of Rice Krispy treats--they are NOT fried!