Everything you love about red velvet cake in rice krispy treat form. Perfect for a quick Valentine’s Day treat!
Tomorrow I meet with my graduate committee to determine my fate for the remainder of the school year and hopefully the last of my graduate career. Which means I will be preparing bribe-worthy treats tonight and ordering up lots of coffee in the morning to keep them happy. But for now, enjoy this other equally bribe-worthy treat.
Every year for a lab mate’s birthday I come up with a different red velvet creation. The lab as a whole loves my red velvet cake, but I don’t want to make the same thing every time so I find new variations. With my excess of stress in preparation for my presentation to the committee and writing a research paper to be published, I decided to go for something a little easier to make without sacrificing taste. And these red velvet rice krispie treats taste just like red velvet. But what is red velvet without cream cheese frosting? It is the most important part!
Post updated 2/12/20, photo above is the original.
Two years ago: Leftover Turkey Tetrazzini
RED VELVET RICE KRISPIE TREATS
Makes 16 bars
Ingredients:
BARS
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 (10.5 ounce) bag mini marshmallows
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup dry red velvet cake mix
6 cups chocolate puffed rice cereal (such as Cocoa Pebbles)
FROSTING
4 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, softened
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
- Coat a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add marshmallows, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in cake mix, and vanilla. Fold in the cereal until well combined and coated.
- Transfer sticky cereal mixture to the prepared pan, pressing down until the top is level. Allow to cool completely.
- While the bars are cooling, make the frosting. With a hand-held electric mixer in a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and butter on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the vanilla, raise the speed to high and mix briefly until fluffy. Spread or pipe on cooled treats.
Source: Rice Krispie Treats from Pass the Sushi. Frosting from my Gluten-Free Green Velvet Cake Balls.
12 comments
how creative! you are so right…must have the cream cheese frosting!
This recipe needs to be added to my favourites immediately. I have never seen such an innovative idea!
Good luck with the meeting, I’m hoping this will be my last year of undergrad:)
Oh Yum! So different I love it!
Not usually a fan of red velvet… But when you pair it with rice kirsipies… Well then, that’s another story. For sure.
Omigosh, I love red velvet AND rice krispy treats! But does the icing make them really sweet? I’ve had the peanut butter rice krispies before (made with corn syrup) and they weren’t so tasty to me…
Hope Cox
ohmyfoodness.wordpress.com
I didn’t think they were too sweet, I thought they were just right :-). Also, I’ve never used corn syrup when making my peanut butter rice krispies, but I bet that would push them over the edge of too sweet.
Good luck with your meeting and keep us posted!
Love these little treats! I think they are perfect :)
Awesome idea! Good luck with the meeting–I’m sure you’ll rock it. :)
Good luck with your meeting!! I could definitely be bribed with treats :) Love this idea, especially the red color for the holidays.
Oh how festive!! These are great!
Good luck tomorrow!
Just when I thought I was over red velvet!! Mmmmm… these look great!! And good luck today with your graduate meeting <3