Homemade Rice Krispie Treats

The second cookbook is taking shape. Working title: "Pantry Rules" — a name that came to me during a food bank class when a woman looked at a bag of dried lentils and said, "I don't even know what these are." The book is about pantry staples — the ingredients food banks distribute, the ingredients that pile up in cupboards because people don't know what to do with them. Canned vegetables. Dried beans. Peanut butter. Pasta. Rice. Oats. The ingredients I grew up on. The ingredients that kept us alive when the lights were off and the pantry was the only thing between hunger and dinner.

The book structure is different from "Five Dollars, Five People." That book was my story with recipes. This book is recipes with purpose — each recipe starts with a food bank staple and turns it into a meal. "You received a bag of dried lentils. Here's dinner." "You received canned corn and canned chicken. Here's a chowder." "You received oats. Here are six breakfasts." The recipes are practical, unfussy, designed for kitchens that don't have KitchenAid mixers or cast iron skillets or counter space. Designed for the kitchen I used to have. The kitchen a lot of my students still have.

Carol asked if the food bank could distribute the book. Free. To every family they serve. I said yes before she finished the sentence (this is becoming a pattern — people at the food bank ask me things and I say yes before they finish, because the work is the work and the work doesn't wait for full sentences). The book would be free. I'd donate the rights. No royalties. No profit. Just the book, in the hands of families who need it, with recipes that turn the canned goods in their cupboard into dinner. That's the plan. That's the career. That's the life.

Writing "Pantry Rules" has rewired the way I see every ingredient in my kitchen — even the ones I used to overlook. Rice shows up on food bank distribution tables in every form imaginable, and when I thought about the chapter I want to write for families who’ve never known what to do with a pantry full of simple staples, this recipe kept coming back to me. It’s unfussy, it uses what you already have, and it makes something that feels like a gift — which is exactly the energy I want this whole book to carry.

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 15 minutes | Servings: 12

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 package (10 oz) marshmallows (about 40 regular or 4 cups mini)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
6 cups crispy rice cereal
Cooking spray or additional butter, for the pan

Instructions

Prepare the pan. Lightly coat a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray or butter. Set aside.
Melt the butter. In a large saucepan over low heat, melt the butter completely, stirring occasionally to prevent browning.
Add the marshmallows. Add all the marshmallows to the melted butter and stir constantly until fully melted and smooth, about 4–5 minutes. Keep the heat low — rushing this step makes the treats tough.
Season and flavor. Remove the pan from heat. Stir in the vanilla extract and salt until combined.
Fold in the cereal. Add the crispy rice cereal all at once and fold quickly with a spatula until every piece is evenly coated with the marshmallow mixture.
Press into pan. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Using lightly buttered hands or the back of a buttered spatula, press the mixture into an even layer. Press firmly but gently — over-pressing makes them dense.
Cool and cut. Let the treats cool at room temperature for at least 30 minutes until set. Cut into 12 squares and serve.

Nutrition (per serving)

Homemade Rice Krispie Treats — The Simple Recipe That Belongs in Every Pantry