Toasted Coconut N Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

Cooking is sheer stress therapy for me and the joy of indulging in it alongside my little daughter is simply priceless. Now I know why my mom used to love or rather bear me and my sister in the kitchen

Have you cooked alongside your kids? If not, I highly encourage it- its fun and they get to learn a lot of things and I think they also get a lot of appreciation for all the little things that come together to create that dish they enjoy. Here is a picture of my little sous chef in action

Did you notice the gorgeous gray baking pan in the pictures above? This heirloom pan was my grandmother’s. I am sure she would have been really glad to see it still in use.

Recently on my visit to the grocery store my daughter asked me to pick up some Rice Krispie treats. I used that nudge as the perfect excuse and quickly grabbed a box, secretly wanting to indulge myself in some crunchy sugary goodness. But then, my usual habit of reading the ingredient label kicked in and seeing the rather long list of unfamiliar junk that helped create this seemingly innocent pack of Rice Krispies, I decided that box was better off on the shelf. It took some time to convince the little one but when I offered her a chance to cook with Mommy she gladly conceded. So we walked down to the cereal aisle, grabbed a box of natural cocoa rice cereal and a bag of marshmallows. Since our family is a big fan of dessert combinations that pair chocolate with coconut (remember the Coconut Macaroons & Lamingtons),  I decided to add some toasted coconut for a unique twist.

Ingredients

4 Cups – Cocoa Rice Krispie cereal
2 Cups – Cheerios
6 Cups – Mini Marshmallows
4 Tablespoons – Coconut oil
1 Cup – Desiccated coconut (unsweetened)
4 Tablespoons – Chia seeds (optional)

Directions

• Spray oil in a 9*13 inch pan and keep it aside
• Add desiccated coconut to a non-stick pan and toast them until they turn into a golden color. Transfer it to a bowl
• Return the pan to stove and add coconut oil
• Add marshmallows and stir until they melt
• Take the pan off the heat and mix in cocoa rice krispie cereal, cheerios, toasted coconut and chia seeds and mix until all the ingredients are incorporated
• Immediately transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and set it with a spatula. You can also use a piece of parchment paper and press it to get a even spread
• Once cooled cut it into squares or any desired shape

Notes and Tips

• The options with rice krispie treats are endless. Here are a few ideas:
• You can dunk the rice krispie treats in melted chocolate to make it extra chocolaty
• You can cut them in any desired shape
• You can drizzle melted peanut butter or chocolate on top
• You can plain rice krispies with pink marshmallows for pink colored treats.
• Add sprinkles to make it extra fancy for kids