Popcorn Treats

If you don’t like Rice Krispie Treats, then you should just stop reading this blog now. Because clearly we’re not friends. Because I am not friends with crazy people. Ok, I am….most of my friends are nut jobs. But not THAT nuts.

To continue the theme of Pinterest, here is a recipe that I found. I originally planned to make it over the 4th of July weekend. I thought it fit the wacky dessert theme that was started with the Snicker Salad. Yeah, that was a big winNAR as well. Seriously. It sounds ca-RAY-ZEY. But it rocked my socks. And dontchya know, a certain preggo lady loved it too. Oh, and the 5 year old. shocker. It actually tastes like a light summery dish. Which clearly it IS NOT.

So here’s the original post. But I changed it up a bit. First of all, I halved it, because the kid & the hubby ate half of the m&ms and some of the marshmallows, before I had a chance to make it. Speaking of m&ms, I switched to peanut ones. Cause I’m crazy. I doubled the butter. Why not? Actually it’s because I made that mistake years ago when making Rice Krispies & I have never gone back. I formed them more like Krispies too, and not like the original recipe. And lastly, I changed the way I cooked the butter too. I let it brown just a tiny bit. It adds a toasty flavor, like a roasted marshmallow to the end. It comes out a bit more “cream” colored than the “bright white” that it would normally be. It is not crucial that you do this, but it is crucial that you don’t overdo it, otherwise it will taste burnt.

With out further ado, here is my version.

Popcorn Treats

Ingredients:

1 bag of microwave popcorn (I used butter lovers)

1 cup of pretzel sticks, broken up, but not crushed

1 cup of peanut m&ms

1 stick of butter

8 oz of mini marshmallows (4 cups)

cooking spray for pan

Pop your popcorn & separate the popped kernels from the unpopped kernals (say that 10 times fast). I found that the easiest way to do this is to pour it into one bowl, shake the bowl & then grab handfuls to transfer to another bowl. The shaking helps get the unpopped kernels to the bottom.

Prepare your pan by spraying the bottom & sides with cooking spray (or coat with butter). I used a 9×9 glass pan.

Combine popcorn, pretzels and m&ms in a bowl. Set aside.

In a medium sauce pan, melt butter on med-high eat. Once it’s melted, you can continue to cook until it gets slightly browned, but watch carefully because it can burn quickly. You can also skip the browning step & just add the marshmallows.

Once marshmallows are in, turn the heat down to med-low & stir constantly until fully melted & butter is completely combined. This works best if you use a heat resistant spatula.

Pour over popcorn mixture & quickly stir to combine.

Once the popcorn is fully coated, pour into the prepared pan. You can use your spatula or spoon to press the mixture down, compacting as much as possible. I also like to spray my hands with cooking spray & use my hands to press down. I do this with Rice Krispies as well. Cover with a top or foil & cool.