Valentine Rice Krispies Treats

We’ve Always Had A Soft Spot For Conversation Heart Candies. They are sweetly reminiscent of the elementary school Valentine’s day experience; the ritual of ever-so-carefully picking out the right candy sayings to tuck into the envelope you’d give to your crush, Kiss Me or Luv U.

This year we wanted to take that warm fuzzy nostalgia and make a statement. Something our sweethearts can’t help but notice. So we pulled together another classic childhood treat, Rice Crispy Treats, and our favorite Valentine’s Day Candy Mold to make the most delicious love letter to date.

TOOLS & INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ stick Unsalted Butter
• 2 10- mini Marshmallows
• 9 cups Puffed Rice Cereal
• A Pinch of Salt
• ½ teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• Cooking Spray
• White Candy Melts
• Petal Dust in various shades
• Tinker Dust
• Large Heart Shaped Cookie Cutter
• Alphabet Hearts Candy Mold

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Over medium heat in a large stockpot or Dutch oven, melt butter, then stir in salt & vanilla
• Then add marshmallows, stirring constantly with a buttered spatula. Once all marshmallows are melted, stir in rice crispy cereal until fully coated marshmallow mixture.
• Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper, then coat parchment with cooking spray. Carefully press and spread rice cereal into the pan with a buttered spatula, until evenly distributed. Don’t press too hard or your crispy treats will be hard instead of fluffy. Allow to cool completely.

• Spray your heart-shaped cookie cutter with more non-stick spray and press into pan. Using a sharp knife, cut the remaining crispy away from the heart and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.
• Reserve excess for late-night Netflix & chill.

To Make The Alphabet Hearts:

• First, plan out what your heart will say. We kept it simple, XO, BAE, QT, etc. In 3-4 small bowls, carefully melt a square of candy melt in the microwave on low power, stirring every 45 seconds until fully melted.
• Leaving one bowl white, use Petal Dust or food coloring to create different shades of red & pink in the remaining bowls. Adding a tiny bit of blue or purple to red can create a lovely ombre effect!
• Very lightly spray our Alphabet Hearts mold with more nonstick spray. Using a butterknife, spread a bit of tinted candy melt into the mold to spell out your desired messages. Pop into the fridge for a few moments, then pop out the hearts. Repeat as needed to create all needed letters.

To Assemble The Conversation Hearts:

• After all, letters are created to spell out your messages, you may need to pop the remaining tinted candy melt back into the microwave.
• Using a spoon, drizzle rice crispy hearts with the various tinted melt. Top with heart letters to make your messages while the drizzle is still a bit wet.
• Sprinkle with a bit of Tinker Dust® if desired & allow to cool completely. Keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days!

From Bakell to you, Happy Valentines Day!