i'm chinese and in my culture, the highest compliment one can give or receive about a sweet treat is that it's "not too sweet." by nature or nuture, i've always veered more towards the less sweet side of sweets, preferring dark chocolate over milk or white and shortbread cookies over gooey brownies.

one of my favorite snacks ever, these rice crispy treats have less sugar and flavor made special. i like my rice crispy treats crunchy and chewy but not crumbly and of course, not too sweet. 

i don't have a thirstrap photo for this recipe but trust, this one's bomb! and you can add-in any flavor combo you want. 

check out my video making this here!

reducing sugar (it takes practice)

out of all the testing i did, making this recipe with 50% more cereal (9 cups) than the original called for (6 cups) was the easiest less-sugar ratio to work with. i was able to gradually increase the cereal with similarly good results.

the first 2 times i tried with double the amount of cereal (12 cups), it come together just ok during the mixing stage, and ended up being too crispy and messy to eat, crumbs everywhere. but then on my third and fourth try of this ratio it seemed ok! i think adding extra butter, quickly and gently folding the mixture in a warm pot and then pressing it into the pan prior to cooling helped a lot.

so with this being said, play with the 9-12 cup cereal amount and see what works best with your equipment, technique and taste. i suggest you start with the 9 cups and go from there.

i also find that by adding just a touch of salt to sweet recipes (usually topping them like on chocolate chip cookies, but sometimes mixing it in like in this recipe) helps enhance the sweetness without adding extra sugar.  i think it's especially helpful for lower sugar recipes.

have fun with the flavor combos, and good luck with finding the right marshmallow to cereal ratio. please let me know what combos you end up with ☺️

flavor combos

you can add whatever you want to this, so long as the melted marshmallow and butter mixture can coat those add-ins and the cereal thoroughly, otherwise the cereal may not stick together.

also consider chopping bigger ingredients into smaller sizes to better distribute through out the mixture, and make it easier to eat. like chopping up a dried apricot into pea-sized pieces would be more ideal than gnawing on a whole half a dried apricot jammed in there willy nilly in the rice crispy.  you know?

recipes 

original rice krispies treat base recipe (from the cereal box):

my modified base recipe: 

directions

1. grease the pan you'll use to mold the treats in with butter (or roasted sesame oil, if you're doing the sesame & strawberry recipe).

2. melt the butter in a big pot with high sides, then add the marshmallows. gently warm and melt thoroughly, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.

3. once melted, add your optional mix-ins. (i like to add the strawberries and let them "cook" a little while, so they can rehydrate a bit and add extra flavor to the marshmallow mix.)

4. now, add in all your cereal. using a quick and gentle folding motion (similar to working egg whites into a batter so as not to deflate them), use your spatula to scoop from the bottom of the pot, bringing all the things to the top. repeat for several minutes until all is fully incorporated, and you notice no more loose cereal or clumps of melted marshmallow. turning the pot helps protect your wrist posture and mixing technique!

5. when all is thoroughly combined, empty your pot out into the prepared pan. 

6. using a silicone mat (like i do in the video) or clean and damp hands, press down on the treats to flatten them. this helps the finished treat be more dense and chewy, rather than airy and crumbly. i think this step is crucial the higher cereal ratio you go.

7. cut into pieces while warm (i like using a cheese or butter knife), it's easier than when it's all cold. 

8. enjoy!