For a long time I sucked at making Rice Krispie Treats.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t melt the marshmallows and butter. It wasn’t that I couldn’t stir everything together. Putting those suckers in the pan defeated me. I felt incompetent in a way that was ridiculous. I could make gorgeous loaves of bread, I could cook gourmet meals, but the humble Rice Krispie Treat defeated me.
Of course, I could go buy a box of them, but they just don’t really taste the same, do they? And then the variations, the Scotcheroos, the cornflake treats that we would get on our platters of Christmas cookies…I loved them all, but I sucked at making them.
I finally figured a few things out and got better at making them, but the stupid green cornflake wreaths still defeat me. Usually I just make those into bars and then add a ton of sprinkles. They are delicious, even if they aren’t what I originally intended to make.
Anyway, all of this is to say that when approaching a recipe involving Rice Krispies, even these Unbaked Cookies, I get still get a bit of the old anxiety. It’s stupid and I know it. 
The recipe for Unbaked Cookies is vague as to how to form these cookies after everything is mixed together. I decided to make balls, it wasn’t a great choice because when they were cold, they were hard to bite into. I think we all had damage to the roofs of our mouths because of them. That didn’t deter us from eating them or even making a variation of the recipe soon after. The variation just got pressed into a pan and cut into squares. 
Ah, so now you are wondering what sort of variation I did. Of course. I used pretzels instead of the cereal. I added toffee pieces. It was exactly the sort of snack I needed. I may not have done a lot of sharing. 
Because this recipe just looks like a ball of beige, I decided to take some outdoor pictures featuring some of my garden art. Enjoy.
The Recipe: 
Unbaked Cookies
Boil 1/2 cup of corn syrup and 1/2 cup of sugar together. Remove from heat when it comes to a boil. Add 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1/2 tsp maple flavoring, 3/4 salted peanuts and 3 cups Rice Krispies. Mix together and pat into an 8×8 square pan.
Whoa! No marshmallow!? No butter?? I’ve never heard of rice crispy treats being made this way. How old do you think this recipe is?
Also, cool garden art! 🙂
So the no marshmallow and no butter makes these vegan, technically. They aren’t as rich and not quite as gooey as the other way, but the addition of the peanut butter and peanuts makes up for it.
I am pretty fond of my garden art. The boys got John the frog for Father’s Day. “Because he’s the king of the house.”
Loved the pictures!!