Give Popcorn The Rice Krispies Treatment For A Sweet And Salty Snack

Hailing back to the 1930s, Rice Krispies treats have been a staple childhood snack for decades.They're crispy, gooey, fun to eat, and simple to make: Just melt some butter and marshmallows in a saucepan, and pour in the cereal.

That's the most common take, anyway. But as you can imagine, the base recipe lends itself to creative tweaks. Make chocolate Rice Krispies treats, for example, by blending in cocoa powder and chocolate chips; you can even cover them in a thick layer of melted chocolate. Or — practically a no-brainer — substitute your favorite cereal for the Rice Krispies. Fruity Pebbles are a colorful twist; and if you "crave those crazy squares," Cinnamon Toast Crunch would be a shoo-in. In fact, many popular cereal brands make their own "cereal treat bars" — like Cinnamon Toast Crunch Breakfast Cereal Bars — that seem at least closely related to the Rice Krispies treat.

But TikTok has blessed us with an even more out-of-the-box take on the Rice Krispies treat, eliminating the cereal altogether and substituting popcorn. The popcorn (pre-popped, microwavable, and stovetop all work) provides a nice salty element to balance out the sweetness, and a unique puffy, crunchy texture. Yes, it's similar to the popcorn ball, but popcorn balls are typically made by melting corn syrup with butter, water, vanilla, and sugar, rather than just marshmallows, so these popcorn treats are a gift to busy cooks who want to minimize ingredients. And, as with the Rice Krispies treat, you could easily microwave a single-serve version just for yourself.

Beyond swapping out the main ingredients, it's easy to customize Rice Krispies treats with add-ins like sprinkles, candy, and more. And the same can be said of the popcorn variation. If bringing treats to a Valentine's party, for example, stir in some red and pink sprinkles or M&M's. In fact, just throwing in a bag of mini M&M's can transform these treats from an after-school special to a birthday party centerpiece. For Halloween, stir in some candy corn (which already tastes similar to marshmallow), candy eyeballs, orange and purple sprinkles, and your S-tier Halloween candy.

Possibly one of the tastiest takes would be a Chicago Mix popcorn treat. If you love the combination of cheese and caramel, why not cement them together with a little melted marshmallow? If "cheese" and "Rice Krispies treat" are blowing your mind (and not in a good way), stick with a caramel corn adaptation. You can either use a bag of caramel corn, or make a simple caramel on the stove to stir the popcorn into. This will more closely resemble the popcorn ball process, but is still a relatively quick and easy dessert.