Mint Chip Crispy Rice Treats

UPDATE 2/14/14: I'm thrilled so many of you are loving this recipe. It's certainly a popular one on Pinterest. I'd love to have you drop by my new site My Midwest Table and see what I'm posting there. Oh, and you can find these treats over there, too, in a great printable format!

There was a time in my life that I couldn’t make crispy rice treats. That was also the time in my life when I spent my summer babysitting the most fun kids ever, when I could eat as much Schwan’s Raspberry Rumble ice cream as I could stand and not gain pound, and when the most important decision I had to make was what swimsuit to wear to the pool. Oh, that was a good time.

Except for the fact that I couldn’t make crispy rice treats to save my life. Believe me, I tried. And I failed. Those kids I babysat? Yeah, they would tell you I failed. Terribly. Now, 11 years later, I look back on that time and wonder what the heck? How did I mess up crispy rice treats? How?

The treats were hard as a rock. No knife was going to cut them. So, doing what any great (?) babysitter would do, I turned this kitchen disaster into a learning moment. For the kids, of course. We threw that 9 x 13 inch brick of cereal into the yard, thinking (me hoping, really) the birds would love it and that we would be able to identify tons of them. Not a chance. No critter came close to it. You’re wondering if the Nebraska sun and humidity softened the brick? Hardly.

Fast forward to today. I am proud to report that I have conquered the crispy rice hill. That’s only slightly embarrassing.

These Mint Chip Crispy Rice Treats are ridiculously good. And soft. And such a festive dessert for March, especially when everyone’s thinking of and seeing green.

I attribute the softness of the treats to the whole stick of butter. You and I both know that more butter is better. The mint flavor in these treats is perfect. It isn’t too minty. Not like a stick of gum. That wouldn't be good. The chocolate mint topping takes these treats, well, over the top. Sorry not sorry for that play on words.

And of course, what’s Mint Chip Crispy Rice Treats without chips? The mini chocolate chips are the cutest sprinkled over the chocolate topping.

These treats have the seal of approval from my boys! Just look at those chocolate smiles.

I can guarantee you these won’t have to be thrown into the yard for the wildlife in your neighborhood. But they would probably enjoy the chocolate mint goodness.

 
 Mint Chip Crispy Rice Treats
An Ashley Original

Crispy Rice Treats
5-3/4 cups crispy rice cereal
8 tsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 10.5 oz. bag marshmallows
3/8 tsp. mint extract
Green food coloring

Chocolate Mint Topping
1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 tsp. mint extract
1/3 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (for sprinkling)

Butter (or spray with non-stick baking spray) a 8 in. x 8 in. OR a 9 in. x 9 in baking dish. Measure crispy rice cereal into a medium-sized bowl and set aside. In a large cooking pot, melt the stick of butter on medium-low heat. Add marshmallows to the pot. Stir constantly with a spatula to melt the marshmallows, creating a smooth mixture. Add mint extract and green food coloring to reach the color of preference. Add the crispy rice cereal and stir well, coating the cereal evenly by the marshmallow mixture. Pour the crispy cereal rice into the baking dish, and spread the cereal into the dish evenly with the spatula.

In a microwave-safe bowl or double boiler, melt the chocolate chips until they become smooth. Add the mint extract and stir well. Pour the chocolate onto the crispy rice treats, and spread the chocolate evenly over the treats. Sprinkle the mini semi-sweet chocolate chips over the melted chocolate. Cool completely and let the chocolate set before cutting. The treats may be refrigerated to set the chocolate quickly; remove bars about 20 minutes before cutting. Store in an air-tight container. Makes 9-16 treats, depending on the size cut.

Baked Chocolate Cinnamon Doughnuts + Vanilla Glaze

 

My most favorite sweet treat of all time…the treat I’d pick over a cupcake, cookie, brownie, and a slice of pie (Gasp! It’s my runner-up, don’t worry!)…is a doughnut. That’s right, a doughnut. There is something so beautifully simple about a doughnut. And there is something so amazing about its potential. It’s like the ultimate canvas for me, a baking enthusiast.

One of the combinations I can’t get enough of lately is chocolate and cinnamon. When I get back from the gym in the late evening, I usually make a hot bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon and semi-sweet chocolate chips. I can’t eat it fast enough. Delicious.

 

My recent favorite flavor pairing was the inspiration for Baked Chocolate Cinnamon Doughnuts with Vanilla Glaze. I used an easy chocolate cake doughnut recipe, and I added enough cinnamon to get a good flavor without it overpowering the chocolate. I think the amount is perfect. The glaze is super-simple, and I added a tiny bit of red food coloring to get that vibrant pink color. Of course, sprinkles are a must. These darling Xs and Os are perfect to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

These baked doughnuts are truly a breeze to prepare. To make things extra-easy, I spoon my batter into a re-sealable plastic bag and then cut a small piece from the corner to squeeze the batter into the doughnut wells in the pan.

I hope you find the chocolate and cinnamon combination as tasty as I do. Make these for your family. Make these for your love. Make these for your co-workers. Make these for yourself. Just make them! You won’t be sorry.

Baked Chocolate Cinnamon Doughnuts

Adapted from: Shugary Sweets

1 cup flour

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. butter, melted and slightly cooled

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the milk, egg, vanilla and butter. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring until well incorporated.

Spray a doughnut pan with non-stick cooking spray. Fill each doughnut well about 3/4 full. Bake for 1o minutes or until the doughnut springs back when lightly pressed. Let the doughnuts cool in the pan for a minute or so and remove them from the pan. Make about 6 doughnuts.

Vanilla Glaze

Adapted from: Wilton

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

2 Tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Food coloring (I used “No-Taste Red” Wilton Icing Color)

While the doughnuts are cooling, make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, milk, vanilla and food coloring until a smooth liquid is formed. Dip tops of doughnuts in the glaze immediately and top with sprinkles.

Classic Stuffed Mushrooms

 

I’ve been feeling productive lately. Aside from keeping up this blog (never mind that this is only the second post), a lot of other things are getting done around our house, and I love it. I’ve organized and cleaned out my closet. It’s something I truly geek out about. Sorting by color, style, occasion…you catch my drift. Nathan sorted through his clothes too, and we now have a big ol’ box waiting to be taken to the local Goodwill. I have three huge tubs of baby/toddler clothes to take to the consignment store downtown tonight. And after sitting nearly untouched since our move—which was three months ago—the garage is finally looking good. The best part? It doesn’t cause me anxiety every time I get in the car. Seriously. It was that bad. It feels good to start the year with big items crossed off our ever-growing to-do list. 

Even though we’ve been cleaning like it’s our jobs (well, for me it kind of is as a stay-at-home mama), we’ve gotten some great quality time with boys lately, Tomaz the cat included. Our not-a-baby baby is big enough to participate in some “big kid” activities. He wants to be wherever his big brother is and do whatever he is doing. We’re having fun watching him grow, and I get a good laugh at his desire to be right in the mix during wrestling with daddy. We played a lot of cars, Transformers and Legos (Duplos) this past weekend. All of which, I can tell you from experience, kill a bare foot if stepped upon. 

  

Now for the ‘shrooms. This was my first time making stuffed mushrooms, and I am hooked. My sister-in-law Kate and I were talking meal ideas and food over the holidays (while stuffing our own faces, of course, that’s a holiday given!), and she shared that she makes stuffed mushrooms a lot and uses what she has on hand. That’s when I knew I needed to make them. I enjoy everything-but-the-kitchen-sink cooking, and I am a mushroom lover, so this was a done deal. There’s nothing fancy about these babies. The beauty of this recipe, an Ashley original, is that you can adjust the seasonings as you like. I decided to go very traditional, hence “classic” but there is a lot of potential here. May you be inspired by the mushroom! And the cream cheese. Definitely the cream cheese.

Classic Stuffed Mushrooms

Source: Ashley original

24-30 white mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed (save stems)

4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

3 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. parsley flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom of a baking dish and place the mushroom caps upside down on the dish. In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic and parsley flakes, and mix well. Finely chop half of the mushrooms stems (save the remainder for another use) and add them to the bowl and thoroughly incorporate. Transfer cream cheese mixture to a re-sealable plastic bag. Cut a small hole (but large enough for the mushroom pieces to pass) in one corner of the bag. Using the “piping” bag just created, fill the mushroom caps evenly with the cream cheese mixture. Bake mushrooms for 30 minutes or until they are soft in appearance and the cream cheese mixture is slightly browned on top.