My mom’s no-bake cookie recipe is so simple she used to make it once a week

Nothing takes me back to my childhood like a Rice Krispies treat. I grew up helping my parents stock the aisles of their gas station and convenience store in suburban Denver, where they sold everything from lottery tickets to cigarettes to hundreds of daycare items -eat. As Mom and Dad retired in 2018 after operating the business for 35 years, I have vivid memories of the convenience store’s many shelves, one of which was carefully stocked with more than two dozen types of cereal.

When I was in grade school, Mom would pull boxes of Cocoa Puffs, Golden Grahams, Cheerios – whatever the expiration dates were closest – off the shelves to make no-bake cookies. These were her take on the classic Rice Krispies treat, gooey treats made with marshmallows, butter, and cereal that might otherwise go to waste. I loved watching the marshmallows melt into a shiny blob, mixing different cereal combinations, and folding the finished squares into plastic wrap.

We snacked on them at home and regularly offered them to my classmates and customers at the gas station. Mom and I were so delighted with the recipe that we once built a mini house out of marshmallow treats for Christmas, crushed them into different shapes, and dazzled them with sprinkles and candies to give away for various holidays ( think: pumpkins for Halloween and bunnies for Easter). These days, I make my own version of her kitchen sink recipe, adding ingredients like pretzels, nuts, and whatever else I fancy to the cereal-marshmallow mixture. Here’s how to make them yourself, with as many ingredients as you want.

How to Make Rice Krispies Treats for Mama’s Kitchen Sink

Recipe tip

The key to customizing this no-bake cookie recipe, which is a twist on the original recipe printed on the back of the Rice Krispies box, is to substitute one to two cups of cereal with whatever you like. I recommend toasted nuts, cookie crumbles (yes, really), and pretzels, but the sky is the limit.

Ingredients

• 1 10-ounce bag of marshmallows (mini or large)

• 6 cups of cereal (like Rice Krispies or any combination of cereals in your pantry) and/or mix-ins

Instructions

1. Butter a 9×9-inch pan, spray generously with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.

2. In a large saucepan, melt the stick of butter over low heat. Once melted, remove the pan from the heat and add the marshmallows, coating them with butter. Return the pan to the heat and stir the mixture over low heat until the marshmallows are completely melted but not bubbling (about 4 to 5 minutes). Once the marshmallows become foamy and bubbly, that means they are caramelizing, which will result in chewy and potentially hard treats. So remove the pan from the heat before they reach this boiling stage!

3. Stir in cereal and/or your choice of other mix-ins.

4. Press the mixture evenly into the pan.

5. Let the treats cool for at least 20 to 30 minutes before cutting them into squares.

Tips and variations

• Measure your ingredients: Make sure the combination you come up with equals six cups, otherwise you may need to add more marshmallows to tie it all together.

• Prepare everything: To ensure you don’t overcook the marshmallows, which is easy to do if you’re rushing around the kitchen, measure everything you need ahead of time.

• Salt: Stir 1 teaspoon of salt into the cereal to balance the sweetness of the marshmallows. Or I’ve also seen recipes that incorporate 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

• Brown the butter: To give your marshmallow treats a more complex, nuttier flavor, use browned butter, which only takes a few extra minutes to make. You’ll also need to replace the salted butter in the recipe with unsalted butter, which is better for browning.

• Do not compact: Gently press the marshmallow-cereal mixture into your pan to ensure your treats stay light and airy.

• Jazz them up at the end: While the Rice Krispies treats cool, top them with chocolate chips or chocolate chips (you can also stir these into the marshmallow-cereal mixture, but they will become fudgy).

• Opt for the dump-cake style: Try the one-dish method, which involves putting all the ingredients in a baking dish and putting it in the oven.

• Be creative: Pour melted chocolate over Golden Grahams and marshmallows to create s’mores-inspired treats, or mix Rice Krispies with Lucky Charms or Fruity Pebbles for rainbow-colored treats. You can form shapes with cookie cutters or press the mixture into molds.

Related: 15 Fun Twists on Classic Rice Krispies Treats

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