Cinnamon Spice Rice Krispie Treat S’mores

For those nights when you get home hungry, stressed, and impatient, Hangry is here to help. Each Monday, Kendra Vaculin will share quick, exciting meals to rescue anyone who might be anxiously eyeing a box of minute rice.

Today: Kendra makes up for lost time, and marries once-overlooked Rice Krispie Treats with s'mores. And then dips it all in chocolate. Of course. 

I am a late adopter of the rice krispie treat because, I don’t know, I experienced head trauma as a child or something. I snubbed the pre-packaged ones passed around after soccer games and was totally devastated when the homemade variety were brought into class. A strictly krispie-treat-free diet, such was my strange, strange way. I figured that I’d had cereal for breakfast, and if I wanted more cereal I could just go to sleep and wake up and that would be available to me. This was supposed to be dessert. Special, in some way, and sweet and different and exciting -- but this thing just seemed like a brick of puffed horribleness. 

More: If you're already well-versed in krispie treats, go off on your own -- without a recipe.

There is of course a secret about rice krispie treats, and it is that they are full of marshmallows. Like, rice krispie treats are mostly marshmallows. Did you know this? Did everyone know this? And if, upon making them for the first time in your kitchen at age 23, you determine that one whole bag of marshmallows is not sufficient, you can take two spiced rice krispie treats and smash them around an additional giant roasted marshmallow?

And then DUNK THE DAMN THING IN CHOCOLATE?!??!!!

I am so repentant for my years as a skeptic, I am so, so sorry, and I am also incredibly sick from trying to make up for lost time all in one sitting.   

Please, make these. And tell me you feel similarly like a new person, baptized in the light of one-pot birthday treat cereal magic.

Cinnamon Spice Rice Krispie Treat S’mores

Makes 10 s’mores

4 tablespoons butter (half a stick)
4 cups mini marshmallows, almost one full 10-ounce bag
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
6 cups puffed rice cereal
10 regular-sized marshmallows 
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

See the recipe (and save and print it) here.

What's your favorite sweet treat from childhood? Tell us in the comments!

Photos by James Ransom