Several years ago I was a group leader at a day camp in Long Island, New York. Every Friday was bring your counselors a treat day. Friday morning you would see all the group leaders emerging from their cars carrying boxes of doughnuts, or big bags filled with something special from the local bakery. It was something we did to say thank you for all of your hard work and remind us that the weekend was coming! The first couple of weeks I did the same thing. I would stop early in the morning with my boys complaining in the backseat that we had to leave earlier then usual.

Then one Thursday night I was really stressed at the thought of stopping by Dunkin’ Donuts in the morning. When you work at the camp your children don’t take the bus, they go with you in your car. So before and after camp, I was the bus driver for my 2 boys and at that time they were 3 and 7 years old. It was tough enough to get them out of the house let alone early to stop at a bakery. Even though it was summer and camp, it was still my job and I had to be there on time. And yes, I could have picked it up the day before but that’s not me. I like things fresh, fresh, fresh!

So that Thursday night I looked through my house to see what I had on hand… Rice Krispies, marshmallows, and butter – yippee… that’s how a Rice Krispie treat was born – I was saved! I added extra marshmallows, coated them with m&ms on top and voila – a delicious treat. I have to admit I was a little nervous bringing in my pan of something homemade. What would they think? Would it be as good as a doughnut? Would they think I was cheap? It was Better than I had expected! They went crazy over them and were gone by lunch time. I should mention our lunchtime was 10:40 and we called it brunch! The weeks that followed included homemade cookies, cupcakes, and brownies. Over the years, I had some great counselors, but that first year, was special. Maybe because the camp was all new to me, maybe because it was summer, or that I have two boys, but I really loved those girls. They worked tirelessly, and were devoted to the children in our group. Here they are below, three beauties inside and out – Deanna, Stephanie and Amanda.

Anyway, I got such rave reviews from the girls every Friday that the counselors in the bunk next door asked their group leader why she didn’t bake for them. I often found them sneaking into my bunk for a treat! This began the friendly competition to see who would top who with the best baked goods. It was so much fun for us and our counselors. Word spread through the camp and there were more group leaders bringing in brownies than doughnuts! I guess one person really can make a difference in the world!

Fast forward 12 years and my youngest son is now a sophomore in high school. Last night was the end of the year baseball banquet and the JV team was in charge of bringing in dessert for everyone. I planned on making cupcakes, which I did and will post in a couple of days. At the last minute a couple of people cancelled and I thought we might need an extra dessert. I looked in my house to see what I had on hand… Rice Krispies, marshmallows, butter, melting chocolate, sea salt, vanilla, and mini m&m’s… that’s how a Rice Krispie treat in 2014 is born – I was saved!

8 cups Kelloggs’s Rice Krispies cereal
6 cups marshmallows (I like to use mini’s but whatever you have on hand will be fine)
1/4 cup butter
2 teaspoons good vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pink sea salt

For the topping
2  1/2 cups good quality chocolate melts (I use Merkens, or Ghirardelli)
1 cup dark chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli double chocolate chips)
1 bag mini m&m’s (or other candy you might like)

Line a 14 x 11  x 2 – inch cake pan with wax paper and lightly coat with cooking spray. Set aside. You could use a 12 x 9 if that’s all you have. The treats will just be thicker.

In a large pot melt the butter over low heat. Once the butter has melted add the salt, vanilla and marshmallows and stir until melted, stirring as needed. Remove from the heat and add Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal stirring gently until well coated.

Pour it into the prepared pan and either use a buttered spatula or your hands to evenly press the mixture into the pan.

While it is cooling, now is the time to melt the chocolate. I use the microwave method when I need something quick and easy. I pour the chocolate melts and chips into a glass bowl and put it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on medium power, stirring after each time. It took about 1 minute and 30 seconds for most of the chocolate to melt. With my recipe, since I’m combining both chips and candy melts, you don’t want it to melt the chocolate all the way you need to temper it a little bit. That means bringing it back to temperature slowly. So on your last check from the microwave, when there are still some bits of whole pieces of chocolate, it’s time to take it out. The warmth of the chocolate will melt the rest of it. I like a combination because I like the texture of the candy melt for this, but the added dark chocolate taste of the chip.

Pour the chocolate evenly over the rice mixture. With an offset spatula or spoon, spread the melted chocolate evenly over the pan. Let it sit for about 5 minutes then sprinkle the m&m’s over the top. Use as many or as little as you like. I used about 3/4 of a bag on this batch. A smaller pan will require less.

Let cool completely. When cool, lift it out of the pan with the wax paper. I like to spray a sharp knife so that I get a nice smooth cut and then I cut into 2″ squares. This recipe makes about 30 treats. Enjoy!