Easy Rice Krispie Treat Recipe With My Little Helper(s)

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Home » Kid Activities » Easy Rice Krispie Treat Recipe With My Little Helper(s)

Are you looking for a rice krispie treat recipe that your little helper can fully participate in making from start to end? You came to the right place! Melianna and I decided to make her good old-fashioned rice krispie treat recipe from her very own cookbook. It could not be easier, and it is in picture format for little ones to easily follow.

Contents

  1. What You’ll Need
  2. Let’s Make Rice Krispie Treats!
  3. A Few Helpful Notes 
  4. Reasons Why We Love This Recipe
  5. Final Thoughts

As I have mentioned, Meli has a passion for baking; it is practically her love language. When I suggested we try out her rice krispie treat recipe, she was thrilled and wasted no time donning her chef hat and apron. Her enthusiasm is contagious, and I love it! Xander was less involved in the process but eagerly awaited the chance to taste test ingredients at any given moment.

Five year old girl laughing at her little brother while she is standing at the counter trying to make rice krispie treats
Meli knows what Xander is up to!

I have included the ingredient list as a PDF so your little one can feel like a valuable helper, just like Meli, and play a more active role. Not to mention they will also have a fun coloring activity to keep them occupied while the rice krispie treats set. The measurements are included in the PDF and the ingredients are in chronological order for an extra dash of fun. It’s kid approved!

The full recipe is in My First Coloring Cookbook: Sweet Treat Favorites that I sell on Amazon as a paperback book that is delivered to your home and Etsy as an instant PDF digital download. Essentially, this means you can download the coloring cookbook instantly instead of waiting for a paperback copy to be delivered, like on Amazon. You can print it out at home or wherever it is most convenient. Additionally, we offer individual recipes for sale, so you can pick and choose the ones you want to try.

FUN TIP: if you “favorite” any of the books on my Etsy store, Etsy will email you promo code for 40% off. However, you must have a registered email with Etsy and agree to receive promotional emails for this to work. I also have sarcastic adult coloring books available too for anyone that is interested.

Five year old girl enjoying her orange pumpkin shaped rice krispie treat
Three year old boy enjoying an orange pumpkin shaped rice krispie treat his sister made

What You’ll Need

Optional Additions We Used

 Meli was feeling the Fall vibes, so she wanted orange everything, but please add whatever you’d like.

  • Orange cookie icing
  • Orange sanding sugar
  • Pumpkin cookie cutter

Let’s Make Rice Krispie Treats!

Melt the Butter and Marshmallows

To begin, I asked Melianna to tell me how many squares of butter we needed while she was looking at the ingredient list. Once she confirmed that we needed two, I instructed her to cut two squares along the tablespoon lines on the wrapper and then put them in a microwave-safe bowl. She did great with this task; I only needed to help her by holding one end of the butter.

Five year old girl cutting cubes of butter with a butter knife at the kitchen counter

Then, I asked her how many cups of marshmallows we needed. After she counted out three on the list, I gave her two measuring cups to choose from, one that held 1 cup and another that held 3/4 cup. She picked the right one based on the recipe. That’s my girl!

Five year old girl making Rice Krispie Treats and looking at her coloring cookbook recipe and counting out the cups of marshmallows needed
Five year old girl pouring a cup of mini marshmallows into a bowl

She then added 3 of the 3/4 cups of mini marshmallows into the bowl. We heated this in 30-second increments for one minute while stirring in between. Meli commented about it resembling hot chocolate. I’m not sure what hot chocolate she’s been drinking! It must look like the surface of hot chocolate with dehydrated marshmallows after they have slightly melted.

Five year old girl stirring melted marshmallows and butter in a bowl at the kitchen counter

Add the Rice Krispies

We proceeded to add the rice krispies. I poured some into a separate bowl and suggested she scoop them using her measuring cup while counting each one as she poured them into the marshmallow mixture. After stirring it for a while, she found it quite sticky, and I had to assist her. Her biggest priority was in licking the spatula filled with rice krispie and marshmallow goo, and who could blame her? It’s the most enjoyable part of baking as a child!

Five year old girl playing with rice krispies with her hands at the kitchen counter
Gotta play with them first!
Five year old girl pouring rice krispies into a bowl of melted butter and marshmallows
Five year old girl stirring the rice krispies, melted butter, and marshmallows

Transfer the Mixture to a Square Pan

I sprayed non-stick oil into a square pan but, unfortunately, grabbed one slightly larger than the 8×8 size (which is ideal for this recipe). I then scooped the mixture into the pan, placed wax paper over it, and encouraged Meli to spread it out as evenly as she could. In retrospect, it would have been easier for her to use spray oil on her hands instead of the wax paper, as the mixture was quite sticky. Not to mention, she would have also enjoyed pressing on the sticky, bumpy texture more.

Five year old girl transferring the rice krispie treat mixture to a square pan lined with parchment paper
Five year old girl pressing down on wax paper over rice krispie treats to help flatten the treats in the square pan

Decorate

Meli wanted to decorate her scrumptious rice krispie treats with orange cookie icing and orange sanding sugar since she can’t wait for Fall and of course, Halloween. Although she may have been generous with the sanding sugar, I didn’t mind because she put a lot of effort into making them. She was eager to share one with Edgar, and I was proud of her hard work.

GIFs

Haha Oops!

A Few Helpful Notes

  • It’s worth mentioning that this is a smaller batch of treats. It will be a thin layer in an 8×8 square pan. If you prefer a thicker rice krispie treat, I suggest doubling the recipe or using a loaf pan. 
  • We also opted to use the microwave instead of the stove (as depicted in the cookbook). 
  • We used mini marshmallows since they are better for recipe measurements based on volume vs. weight. They are smaller and fit more evenly inside the cup, thus increasing accuracy.  

Reasons Why We Love This Recipe

  • It’s in picture format, making it easy for younger ones to understand without too much guidance. 
  • It is adaptable for any occasion and delicious no matter how you prepare it. 
  • It’s a quick recipe that does not require baking (apart from melting the marshmallows and butter) or any other time-consuming steps
  • It provides a range of valuable learning experiences, including counting, measuring, simple chemical reactions (such as the transformation from solid to liquid), fine and gross motor skills, experiencing changes in texture when combining ingredients, and emphasizing safety precautions when using the knife and stirring hot melted ingredients.
  • It’s safe to lick the spoon! The most important reason of all.
Five year old girl licking the rice krispie treat spatula
Four orange pumpkin shaped rice krispie treats on a white plate arranged in a circle.

Final Thoughts

We hope you and your little one found this rice krispie treat recipe from My First Coloring Cookbook as enjoyable as our kiddos. Please share your thoughts, questions, or experience with this sweet treat recipe in the comment section below. We would love to hear your feedback and see your photos! What is your little one’s favorite treat recipe?

Are you interested in the full coloring cookbook? Check out Sweet Treat Favorites for more information. We have other variations available as well. Check out Mealtime Favorites and Breakfast Favorites for other enjoyable themes. Interested in a quick and easy pizza recipe your little one can make without a cookbook? Check out our Air Fryer Tortilla Pizza. It’s a fool proof method to get your little one involved in the kitchen.

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