Crispy Cereal Marshmallows Recipe (2024)

Why It Works

  • Making the marshmallows with a corn-infused simple syrup instead of corn syrup causes them to crystallize and become crispy.
  • Infusing the marshmallow base with oats adds a cereal-like note for an added level of authenticity.

I always felt incredibly sorry for Lucky the Leprechaun. First of all, as a magical creature, he probably struggled with confidence issues growing up in a world where no one believed in him. It's a bitter pill, knowing people don't believe in you. Imagine if they didn't even believe inyour existence? But after finally working up the courage to introduce himself to a group of children, hoping to find acceptance with the most innocent and unprejudiced of us all, they cornered him on a bridge andforced him to jump.

Kinda heavy for an 80s cereal commercial...

Who raised these ungrateful brats? What gives them the right to take his lucky charms? They're available for purchase, kids. Didn't your parents teach you not to gang up on...leprechauns? Or, say, not to steal from others? These snot nosed jerks relentlessly pursued Lucky, blatantly endangering his life on many occasions and nearly killing him more than once. How he ever survived landing on his neck after thathang glider accident, I'll never know. Lucky charms indeed.

But it has to stop. Peaceful human-leprechaun co-existence begins today.

Crispy Cereal Marshmallows Recipe (1)

Today, I give the worldhomemade Lucky Charms marshmallows.

That's right. You can now make little Styrofoam pellets of pure joy. Crispy, toothache inducing marshmallowy delight. I'm talking about marshmallows so crisp they get mistaken for astronaut ice cream. Any color you can imagine. Any shape. No leprechaun hunting required.

But this is about more than a bunch of tiny, crunchy marshmallows. I'm talking about tiny, crunchy marshmallows that taste like they've been aged for six months in a cardboard box with a bag full of cereal. Did I mention that they're crispy? That they'll give you that nails on a chalk board, half pleasure, half pain sensation as they turn to dust between your teeth? That they'll plump in milk, absorbing that dairy, bleeding dye, and softening into a slippery delight? That if you squeeze one too hard it will explode into a pile of dust?

Crispy Cereal Marshmallows Recipe (2)

You can use them in other recipes to make, say, cereal marshmallow Rice Krispie treats. Or cereal marshmallow ice cream. Cereal marshmallow cupcakes. Cereal marshmallow steel cut oats (ironic breakfast!). Cereal marshmallow pot de creme. Okay, that last one's a stretch. But with your own bag of homemade cereal marshmallows, the possibilities do tend to seem endless.

You'll need two things: corn syrup and time.

No, notthatcorn syrup. See, real stuff from the grocery store is, how can I say this,too good? See, corn syrup (not to be confused withHFCS) is an invert sugar. This means that it won't crystallize. Ever. Stays smooth flowing no matter what you do to it. Perfect for making fluffy, creamy marshmallows, which is not at all what we're after. Homemade corn syrup (ok, technically corn-flavored simple syrup), on the other hand, has a tendency to crystallize, especially if it's a few days old. And this is exactly what we want: a batch of grainy, crystallized marshmallow bricks.

But beyond that, homemade corn syrup is made with actual corn, giving it the pronounced cereal flavor so crucial to the authenticity of these little treats.

Crispy Cereal Marshmallows Recipe (3)

To up the cereal ante, we'll also steep the marshmallow base with oats. Between the two, you'll swear those marshmallows spent half a year snuggling with a box of cereal on the grocery store shelf.

It's over, Lucky. You can come home now. They'll never be after your lucky charms again.

October 2011

Recipe Details

Crispy Cereal Marshmallows Recipe

Active30 mins

Total48 mins

Serves4to 8 servings

Makes100to 200 tiny marshmallows

Ingredients

  • 3/4 ounce gelatin

  • 12 ounces coldwater

  • 1 ounce rolled or steel cut oats (omit for gluten free)

  • 1 Tahitian vanilla bean, split and scraped, seeds reserved

  • 6 ounces homemade corn simple syrup, (see recipe below) preferably made a day or two in advance

  • 15 ounces sugar

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • 1/8 teaspoon orange flower water

  • 1/16 teaspoon almond extract(about 2 drops)

  • Optional: food coloring

For the Corn Simple Syrup:

  • 14 ounces corn cobs (from about 4 ears), sliced into 1-inch thick rounds

  • 42 ounces water, preferably filtered

  • 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

  • 36 ounces sugar

  • 2 teaspoons salt

Directions

  1. For the Corn Simple Syrup: In a medium pot, combine sliced corn cobs and water. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer gently until water has reduced by half; about 30 minutes. Use a pair of tongs to fish out the corn cob pieces; discard. Add vanilla bean and seed scrapings, sugar, and salt. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the mixture has taken on a thick, syrupy consistency. Cool. Store indefinitely in the fridge along with the vanilla bean.

  2. For the Marshmallow Base: Have one lightly greased cookie sheet standing at the ready. Add 4 ounces water to bottom of bowl of stand mixer and sprinkle with gelatin. Set aside. In a medium pot, combine the remaining water, vanilla bean pod, and oats. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then turn heat to medium-low and simmer gently for about 10 minutes. Shut off the heat. Set a fine-meshed sieve over a small bowl and carefully drain the oatmeal from the water. Press the oatmeal with a rubber spatula to release as much oat water as possible; you should have about 8 ounces. If you do not, add enough fresh water to equal 8 ounces. Discard the solids (or enjoy for breakfast?) and return the vanilla oat water to the pot.

  3. Add reserved vanilla bean seeds, corn syrup, sugar, and salt to oat water. Set over medium heat and stir gently until the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts to simmer. Keep cooking, undisturbed, until the mixture reaches 240°F (116°C) on a candy thermometer. You may notice the mixture beginning to crystallize a little around the edges, but that is a good thing. When the mixture reaches 240°F, shut off the heat and let it stand until it cools to 210°F (99°C). Transfer to bowl with gelatin (mixture may crystallize). Fit the bowl with the whisk attachment and whip on medium-high speed until the mixture has nearly doubled in volume and cooled. While mixing, add vanilla extract, orange flower water, and almond extract.

  4. Once mixture has doubled and cooled, shut off the mixer. If you're just making white marshmallows, use a lightly greased rubber spatula to transfer the mixture to the cookie sheet, spreading it out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Alternatively, if you'd like to make different color marshmallows, divide the mixture into as many bowls as you'd like colors. Add a few drops of food coloring to each and stir with a spatula until the color has incorporated. Spread each portion across a separate patch of the cookie sheet.

  5. Set the tray of marshmallows in a dry, well ventilated location where you feel safe leaving them, uncovered, for 24 hours.

  6. After the marshmallows have dried, peel the big sheet of marshmallows up from the cookie sheet. You will notice the bottom of the marshmallow sheet is slightly damp, while the top is crusty. Transfer to a cutting board, placing it crusty side down, and use a tiny cookie cutter to stamp the marshmallows into shapes, or use a knife to cut them into tiny squares or diamonds. Transfer the marshmallow cutouts to a parchment-lined cookie sheet, damp side up. Allow them to dry for another 24 hours, or until they have become crunchy. The exact length of time it takes depends on kitchen humidity. Store the marshmallows in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Alternately, freeze or refrigerate indefinitely.

Special Equipment

Leave-in probe thermometer or candy thermometer, stand mixer

Notes

All measurements are in weights, as volume measures can be very imprecise. I strongly recommend using a scale for all pastry projects. For purchasing options, see our kitchen scale recommendations.

Read More

  • Classic Marshmallows, and Some Variations
  • Sea Salt Caramel Swirl Marshmallows
  • Chocolate-Coated Caramel Honeycomb With Salted Peanuts
  • Our Favorite Breakfast Cereals
Crispy Cereal Marshmallows Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you put too much butter in Rice Krispies treats? ›

What happens if you put too much butter in Rice Krispies Treats? If you put too much butter in rice krispies treats they will become oily, the cereal will soak up the butter and the treats will become soggy, rather than crispy.

Why are my marshmallows not melting in my rice krispies? ›

It's tempting to turn up the heat to speed up melting the butter and marshmallows, but resist the urge. High heat is the prime culprit for rock hard rice krispie treats. → Follow this tip: It will take a few more minutes of cook time, but melt the butter and marshmallows over low heat.

Why are my Rice Krispie treats so hard? ›

If you melt the marshmallows too fast, it might result in a Rice Kripsy treat that is harder and crunchy than chewy. Take your time and let the butter and marshmallows melt slowly. Use an 8×8 or slightly smaller pan. Use a small and deep pan if you want thick and chewy rice Krispy treats.

Why are my Rice Krispie treats so sticky? ›

Butter: I use unsalted butter, then add salt later to control the sodium. It helps keep the crispy rice treats soft and less sticky. If using salted butter, omit the added salt.

How do you keep Rice Krispie Treats from sticking to your hands? ›

Instead, you should use the inside of the wrapper to pat your marshmallow and butter-infused treat down into its pan. As crazyforcrust noted, this will allow you to even out your Rice Krispies Treats without covering your hands in marshmallows and crispy rice cereal.

How do you store Rice Krispie Treats so they don't get hard? ›

Place the squares in an airtight container or freezer bag.

Simply fill a freezer bag with 1 or 2 layers of treats, press out any extra air, and seal it up tight. If you're using a container, look for one made of either plastic or glass pyrex to store your squares.

Can you use old marshmallows for rice crispy treats? ›

Stale Marshmallows

You can but I would not recommend it. The marshmallows will clump instead of melting into a nice even goo. Stick to fresh marshmallows for your treats and save the stale ones for a cup of hot chocolate later.

Do you add butter to melt marshmallows? ›

However, if you need the marshmallows to be melted for use in a recipe like a mousse or cereal bar, then it's best to do so very gently in a saucepan, ideally with other ingredients like butter, milk or water, depending on your recipe.

Can you use stale cereal for rice krispie treats? ›

Recipe Notes

** Any brand is fine, but be sure the cereal you use is fresh. Stale cereal will make for stale-tasting Rice Crispy Treats. To make a half-batch of Rice Crispy Treats, simply divide all ingredients in half and use an 8×8-inch baking pan.

Is it cheaper to make or buy Rice Krispie Treats? ›

It's Cheaper – The ingredients in this recipe cost me $5.01 and made 16.1 ounces of rice krispies, roughly 30 cents per ounce. I bought an 8-piece box at the store for $4.43 cents, with each piece weighing 0.78 ounces. That's about 70 cents per ounce.

What makes rice krispies taste better? ›

There's absolutely nothing wrong with the original back-of-the-box Rice Krispie treat recipe, but it can be made so much better with almost no effort. Here's how: Use more butter (lots more) and brown it to deepen the flavor. Increase the marshmallows and stir in some at the end for extra gooeyness.

How long will homemade Rice Krispie Treats stay fresh? ›

Rice krispie treats do not need to be refrigerated because they contain so much sugar, which acts as a preservative. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, but I doubt they will last that long!

Why do people eat Rice Krispie Treats before lifting? ›

Medical News Today, an online health news platform, said that “Rice Krispies Treats make for a suitable pre-workout snack due to their simple carbohydrate content. Carbohydrates are the body's primary fuel source, so eating a high-carb snack before a training session can boost energy and performance.”

How do you fix hard Rice Krispie Treats? ›

To fix rice crispy treats that are too hard (see below for what causes this)... IF your Rice Crispy Treats do get hard, one possible solution is to place a couple of squares in a zip-top bag with a slice of bread and leave them overnight. They will absorb moisture from the bread and soften again.

What happens if you add too much butter? ›

But one unexpected error bakers can make is adding too much of a good thing, butter. Although butter generally makes it all better, bakers who go overboard with it are dooming their cookies to a greasy and crumbly texture.

Why won't my Rice Krispies treats stick together? ›

Why are my Rice Krispies Treats not sticking together? Usually, this means you have too much moisture in your recipe. This could be because the marshmallows were over-melted or because the brand of butter you used has higher water content.

Can you add more butter to cookie dough? ›

If your cookie dough is too dry and crumbly, you can try adding more fat to it. This could mean adding more butter, shortening, or oil to the dough. If you're using a recipe that calls for melted butter, you could also try using cold butter and grating it into the dough.

Why are my homemade Rice Krispies soggy? ›

Let the rice krispies sit 5 min before pressing into the pan: Simply dump the rice krispies into the pan and let them sit a minute. This helps avoid a soggy or stale texture.

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