Turtle Crispy Rice Treats

A while ago, my husband and I bought a large container of marshmallow fluff to use in a recipe. Now, we never ended up using it, and we can’t even remember what we had bought it for! I have since had that large container of marshmallow fluff on the counter, waiting to be used. Many recipes do use marshmallow fluff, but not a large 13-ounce container. I know that crispy rice treats use marshmallows, so I went in search of a recipe that used marshmallow fluff in crispy rice treats.

I found the recipe I want on Pinterest, but then I didn’t want to blog plain crispy rice treats, so I went looking further. I found a turtle crispy rice treat recipe, and I figured that I would combine the two and make it work. The base I made with marshmallow fluff, but then topped with the flavors of turtle candy. They don’t use the oven at all, but I would argue that standing over the stove with the burner on is just as warm as the oven.

These are quick to make, although you have to give the bars time to set at different stages. The layers of chocolate and caramel are so thin that they do set almost immediately. Once you get started on the toppings, you need to work through all the way to the end, as it goes so quickly. These are very good, although the crispy rice treat part of the bars falls apart somewhat. I love the caramel, and it wouldn’t be a turtle without chocolate. I think you could live without the chocolate, but then you’d have to call them something else. Overall, I quite like these fancy crispy rice treats.

Turtle Crispy Rice Treats

¼ cup butter

13 ounces marshmallow fluff

8 cups crispy rice cereal

11 ounces caramel bits (or square caramels, unwrapped)

2 tablespoons water

½ teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup chocolate chips, melted

¾ cup pecans, chopped

Line a 9” x 13” pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

Make the crispy treats: in a large saucepan, melt the butter on medium-low heat. Once melted, add the marshmallow fluff, and stir until the mixture comes together. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the crispy rice cereal, 2 cups at a time, until all of the cereal is incorporated and covered with the marshmallow mixture. Press the mixture into the prepared pan and allow to rest for an hour.

Make the topping. In a medium saucepan, melt the caramel bits, water, and vanilla over medium-low heat. Once smooth, spread about 75% of the mixture on the cooled crispy rice treats. Keep the remaining caramel warm. Spread the melted chocolate over the caramel layer. Top with the chopped pecans. Drizzle the remaining caramel over the bars. Refrigerate until set.

Recipe from On Sutton Place and Glorious Treats