Strawberries and Cream Rice Krispie Bars (Small Batch)
Summer is alllllmost here. The days are long, the sun is shining, the grass is green, and the flowers are starting to bloom. I wouldn’t say it’s exactly warm, but considering I live in the frozen north, it’s pretty darn close. Anyway, with the summer sun comes the need for no-bake recipes (which is convenient, because the oven in my new house kind of sucks…but I digress).
So for those days when it’s too hot to turn on the oven (or when your oven doesn’t work the way it should), I’ve got a few new no-bake recipes coming for you over the next couple of months.
First up: these Strawberries and Cream Rice Krispie Bars!
No Oven…and No Leftovers!
So not only does this recipe not require the use of an oven (though you do need a stovetop), it’s also a smaller batch of Rice Krispie bars, made in a loaf pan.
Why small batch? Well, because a while ago, I polled those of you who follow me on Instagram, and the vast majority of you said you were looking for small batch recipes. And I’m happy to oblige!
The beauty of a small batch recipe is that you get your tasty treat, and then you don’t have leftovers sitting around all week long. This isn’t a tiny recipe — it still makes 6 large Rice Krispie bars (or 8 smaller ones, if you prefer), but it’s a little more manageable than a full-sized batch. Plus, in this case, making a small batch also means you don’t need a cake pan — if you have a loaf pan (or a similarly-sized pan), you’re all set!
A note for those of you who’d prefer a larger batch: This recipe easily doubles (you can use a 9×9 square baking pan, or a 9×13 cake pan for thinner bars). You can either do the math, or simply use my recipe for Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispie Bars and stir in some freeze-dried strawberries. Easy peasy!
Strawberries and Cream Rice Krispie Bars
As I mentioned above, this is, essentially, a slightly modified version of my Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispie Bars. They’re made the same way — you first brown the butter, then add the marshmallows, vanilla, and salt, and then mix in the Rice Krispies and some more marshmallows. But this version has a couple of differences.
The most obvious one is that I added freeze-dried strawberries. I bought mine at Trader Joe’s, but Target also carries them, and I’ve seen them on Amazon too.
If you’ve never bought freeze-dried strawberries before, now’s your chance to give them a try. I love them because they’re so versatile. They’re a great addition to baked goodies (like these bars and my Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies), your favorite granola recipe (like my Chocolate Lover’s Granola), yogurt, cereal, trail mix, smoothies, cocktails…you name it. So long story short: freeze-dried strawberries are worth the purchase!
A little tip: if you don’t use the whole bag right away, pop the leftovers into a ziploc bag or another airtight container to keep them from getting soggy.
The second little change I made for these bars was to use vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla extract. I prefer the paste because I think it adds a soft, creamy, complex vanilla flavor, vs vanilla extract which is more one-note, in my opinion. Now, this is totally optional — if you don’t want to buy vanilla bean paste just for this recipe, I get it! Regular vanilla extract will work great too.
And that’s that! Other than those differences (and browning your butter first), these bars are as easy to make as traditional Rice Krispie bars. They just have a little more ✨flair✨. If you try them, leave me a comment below — I’d love to hear what you think!
Happy (No-)Baking!
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Strawberries and Cream Rice Krispie Bars (Small Batch)
Equipment
- 1 9×5 loaf pan (or similar sized dish)
Ingredients
- 3 T butter
- 4 c mini marshmallows
- 1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste**
- pinch sea salt
- 3 c Rice Krispies
- 1 c mini marshmallows
- 3/4 c freeze dried strawberries***
Instructions
- Grease a 9"x 5" loaf pan or similar sized dish. Line with parchment paper, allowing 2 sides to hang over the edge of the pan (these will act as handles to pull the bars out of the pan), and grease the parchment paper.
- Measure out your Rice Krispies into a large mixing bowl, and mix in the 1 c of mini marshmallows and the 3/4 c freeze dried strawberries. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter on low-medium heat. Continue to cook, swirling the pan from time to time so the butter heats evenly. Cook until butter is a nutty brown color (see this post on browning butter for more detailed instructions).
- Add the 4c of mini marshmallows, stirring until they are completely melted. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla bean paste and sea salt.
- Pour marshmallow mixture into the bowl of Rice Krispies, marshmallows, and strawberries, stirring quickly until all is coated. Then immediately pour the mixture into the prepared pan and press down firmly with your hands (grease your hands if the mixture is too sticky).
- Allow bars to cool for at least 30 minutes, then cut and serve! Store leftovers at room temperature in an airtight container.
Did You Make This Recipe? Leave a Review!
If you made this recipe and loved it (or didn’t love it), please consider leaving a review and a comment below! Reviews help these recipes show up more prominently in online searches, and feedback in the comments (good or bad…but please be kind:)) helps me know what turns out well for you and what could use some work.
Thanks for being here and baking my recipes!
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