My grandmother ALWAYS made our Rice Krispie Treats with spiced gumdrops (cut in halves). We grew up thinking that was the way the were supposed to be! They sure were pretty! The first time I had a "plain" one I asked, "where are the gumdrops?" :) I like the Treats plain sometimes, but do enjoy the original way I remember them. I recommend trying it for a different Treat -- you may like them too!

I used chocolate rice krispies, 1/2 tsp. vanilla and 1/2 tsp almond extract, and 8 tsp. of chopped up almonds. Tastes great :)

Ladies! Thank you so much for your posts! I made some treats for my husband and I the other night, and these things are just so darn good, we eat them warm right out of the pan, ha =) but they didnt taste as great as they normally should, and they were really stale the next day. But I didn't use butter, and I had NO idea about all that oil in margerine. But I just made them again, 1/4 cup butter, 1 bag (10oz) of the mellows (the big ones) and heated it in the microwave every 30 seconds until it was melted enough then poured the mix into a slightly buttered rubbermaid pan (1 gal) then mixed about 5 1/2 cups or so of the krisps into it and they taste just AWESOME, I don't think they'll last the night between the two of us =)

ok, so this was my first time making these and I read all the comments and I did most things like the salt and vanilla and I even added some unmelted marshmellows...oh and I did wet my hands to get them to sit right (it worked great!)

Now....why won't they stick together? As soon as you press them down are you supposed to be able to pick them up or are they supposed to sit and they makes them stay together?

Ariel, if you don't wait until they cool they will fall apart. I do like to eat them warm... right out of the pan, nice and gooey!! Mmmmmm!

I also agree about using less cereal, and experimenting with variations. Along with regular Rice Krispys, I have tried Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles (but not together - yet), regular Rice Krispys with chocolate marshmallows, and using other cereals.

For treats like the ones sold at Starbucks - after the Rice Krispies are all coated with the melted mixture, stir in a cup of un-melted mini marshmallows. Then press the whole mixture into the 9 x 13 pan.

To make the bars with little mess, run your hands under very cold water and then use your cold, slightly wet hands to press the bars into the pan. The marshmallow mixture will not stick to cold, slightly wet hands.

Use the margarine wrapper to press mixture into pan. 1 tsp. Vanilla too. 1/2 and 1/2 Fruity Pebbles and Plain Rice Krispies with 1 cup Skittles... Yummmmmmm!

Delicious!! My family and I love this recipe!

My trick to get them into the pan is to wet your hands and then press the mixture into the pan. Then you have full control of where they go but there is no mess. Fell upon this one when I was in a hurry and did not dry my hands after washing them.

It was my turn to arrange the "baking" at my 3 year old's school. We had to make farm animals. I formed my krispies into fist size balls to look like sheep bodies. The kids then popped on 4 liquorice legs, a tail and a marshmallow head on it. Adorable, fun and a winner!

My husband is making them right now (God love him) and he tells me the key is to cook the marshmallows on low and until just melted. Otherwise the sugar crystallizes and becomes hard.
We're putting a bit of vanilla in there. Thanks for the tip!

I would just like to thank you for your recipe for the peanut butter rice krispies as my daughter used to make these every year for my birthday but she passed at the age of 49 and I have not been able to find this recipe, thanks again. Scherrie

I'm hoping someone can help me with this.. I have tried to make rice krispie treats several times.. I use the name brand rice krispies and everything.. Follow recipe to the the "T" and they always taste stale!! Every single time! I don't get it.. I can cook anything from Italian to Mexican, anything.. this is the only thing I cannot cook!! Someone please tell me what I'm doing wrong??

Cherie, I came to this site looking for recipes because I have never made these before. I just made 2 batches at the same time, one in the microwave and one on the stove. The microwave batch is PERFECT and crunchy. The one on the stove is stale tasting. Exact same box of cereal and all ingredients used. So, I would guess it's leaving the cereal on the heat in the marshmallow mixture too long. To everyone else: Thanks for the tips!

Cherie, if you are using margarine and not butter, that is one problem. My husband works for a margarine manufacturing company and they put a lot of water in margarine these days, out of one cup of melted margarine you might have 1/8 of a cup of oil. Use the microwave recipe if you can, also. That helps the taste stay fresh. Putting the vanilla in can also help, but I recommend real extract not the watered down stuff, so only use a teaspoon.
To everyone else: Thanks for the hints and tips - you are all generous to share with us your secrets!!!

For New Years Eve I put dried cranberries and salted sunflower seeds in my treats and they were a big hit! They looked fun, too.

Hey everybody, I wanted to make some last minute treats for me and my hubby, I used five cups to 1/4 cup butter and doubled it. I was out of vanilla, so I tried adding almond flavoring. It is amazing, my hubby flipped. I also took your suggestions and added two pinches of salt. Thanks ladies for your help, Happy New Year!!! Stephanie