S’mores Rice Krispie Treats

Fourth of July. The annual campaign. Bourbon-glazed ribs, smoked chicken, all of it. The family gathered — Travis, Jolene, Earl Thomas (three years old and running everywhere), Clay, Sarah, Connie. Amber and James in Louisville with Nadia, hosting their own Fourth, building their own traditions.

Earl Thomas ate two ribs. Two full ribs, held in his small hands, gnawed to the bone with a determination that is entirely Hensley. He looked at me with barbecue sauce from his hairline to his chin and said PawPaw, more. I gave him more. I would give him the whole rack. I would give him every rib I ever cook for the rest of my life and count it as nothing because the look on his face — the satisfaction, the joy, the pure animal pleasure of meat and smoke and sweetness — is the look I want to remember when I'm old. Older. When I'm older than I am now.

Clay held a sparkler. Not a firework — a sparkler, the quiet kind, the kind that hisses instead of bangs. Sarah lit it for him and he held it and watched it burn and the light reflected in his eyes and there were no flinches. Not one. Two years ago he flinched at the first firework. Now he holds a sparkler and watches it burn and his hand is steady. Progress is not always dramatic. Sometimes progress is a sparkler held steady by a man whose hands used to shake.

After the ribs were gone — and Earl Thomas had made absolutely certain they were gone — I wanted something the kids could hold in their own hands, something with that same smoky-sweet pull as everything else we’d made that day. S’mores rice krispie treats are exactly that: the taste of a campfire in a bar you can hand to a three-year-old without worrying about him dropping it in the grass. Clay took one, Sarah took one, and Earl Thomas had three before anyone was counting. That felt exactly right.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes | Servings: 16

Ingredients

6 cups rice krispie cereal
1 cup graham cracker pieces (roughly broken, not crushed)
1 cup mini marshmallows, divided
1 bag (10 oz) large marshmallows
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Prep the pan. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease with butter or cooking spray. Set aside.
Melt the base. In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the large marshmallows and stir constantly until fully melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and salt.
Combine. Working quickly, fold in the rice krispie cereal and graham cracker pieces until fully coated. Gently stir in 3/4 cup of the mini marshmallows and 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips — you want them slightly melted but still holding some shape.
Press into pan. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Using a greased spatula or buttered hands, press evenly into the pan — press firmly but not so hard that you crush the graham cracker pieces.
Top and set. Scatter the remaining 1/4 cup mini marshmallows and 1/4 cup chocolate chips over the top, pressing lightly so they adhere. Allow to cool at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before cutting.
Cut and serve. Slice into 16 bars. For clean cuts, use a greased knife and wipe between slices.

Nutrition (per serving)

S’mores Rice Krispie Treats — The Sparkler That Held Steady