But unlike a regular cookie, brownie, or bar, I never really considered the creative possibilities of the Rice Krispy Treat. I have the folks at Special K, makers of the Chocolatey Pretzel bar. I bought these little yummies with a coupon and fell instantly in love. At the same time, I thought to myself, “Hey, I can do this!” And I did. Don’t they look yummy!

Tried & true treat -- part salty, part sweet

Here’s what I used… Dare I even call it a recipe?

3 tbsp unsalted butter
4 cups mini marshmallows
5 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup pretzel sticks, broken into 1/2″ bits
1/2 cup chocolate chips1. Combine Rice Krispies and pretzel bits. Stir together so pretzels are distributed evenly within the Krispies.

2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan.

3. Add the marshmallows & stir to coat with melted butter.

4. Stir marshmallow until fully melted.

5. Once marshmallow is fully melted, add Krispy/pretzel mix and stir to coat with marshmallow.

6. When Krispy/pretzels are mostly coated, add chips and stir to incorporate. Many of the chips will likely melt & this is fine. (If you’d rather they not melt, you might want to try dropping them in when you spread the mixture into your casserole dish.)

7. Spread mixture in a 13×9 casserole dish. Use waxed paper to press even. Let cool. Cut into 12 squares.

Sure, my treats had twice the calories of the Special K variety — but about 180 calories per bar isn’t too shabby as far as tasty bits go. These bars were also pretty substantial and filling. In the next go ’round, I’ll probably trade out another 1/2 cup of Krispies for an extra 1/2 cup of pretzels, but otherwise these were pretty much perfect.

I also suspect that these treats would be great to make with kids, though at 1-1/2 my little one is still too little to really be much help. But for those with slightly older tots (I suspect even kids as young as 2-1/2 or 3) this is pretty engaging for such a simple treat. There’s no hot oven to bother with. You can set the kiddos to breaking up the pretzels while you melt the butter & marshmallows. And once the treats are ready for the pan, their little hands will love the feel of the treats under the wax paper. Yay!