Next Time You Make Rice Krispie Treats, Add One Boxed Ingredient To The Mixture

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Rice Krispies treats are a quintessential taste of childhood that still manages to satisfy even the most jaded adults. Crunchy, sweet, and with an irresistible marshmallow pull, they are as satisfying to eat as they are to concoct. We can't speak to the validity of eating Rice Krispies treats as a pre-workout boost, à la the viral TikTok trend, but we sure will munch them up for a snack. And, now, we're even more motivated to whip up a batch of these no-bake desserts, because we discovered a hack to make them even more special. All you need is a box of cake mix.

Cake mix and Rice Krispies treats are a natural marriage of great flavors — just look at the corresponding social media trick of stirring marshmallows into boxed cake mix. To make your Rice Krispies treats cakier and more dense, simply mix up your butter and marshmallow mixture as you normally would, then fold in the powdered cake mix. You don't need any of the other cake ingredients, like eggs or oil. Use a spatula to incorporate the mix fully into your gooey binder, which will be delectably thick, then add your Rice Krispies cereal at the end and spread it in a pan to set. When you slice up your bars, you will find them to be chewier, thicker, and tastier than ever before, thanks to the inimitable flavor of cake batter. Best of all, this recipe is delightfully customizable and open to fun, yummy experimentation.

The "standard" mix-in for Rice Krispies treats is a box of either white or yellow cake powder — if you are budget-minded, Aldi makes an affordable yellow cake mix that customers love — but you need not settle for the ordinary concoction if your imagination and taste buds are up for a challenge! How about some Cocoa Pebbles, devil's food cake mix, and a handful of chocolate chips all mixed up for the fudgiest, richest chocolate treat ever? In autumn, we would also go crazy for pumpkin spice cake mix and Rice Krispies under a thick layer of spreadable brown butter frosting. Or, for Valentine's Day, why not pair red velvet cake with white and pink sprinkles incorporated into the bowl? The possibilities are practically endless.

We implied it above, but you need not even restrict yourself to just Rice Krispies cereal, either. Any breakfast cereal that has small individual flakes, pebbles, or grains will do the trick just fine and will give you greater variety for mixing up (see what we did there?) your bars. Cinnamon Toast Crunch is a flavor sensation, for instance, that would vibe most excellently with a spice cake. We can also see Chex cereal (use half the amount usually called for), and white cake with rough-chopped pretzels, peanuts, and M&M's candy stirred in for a rich take on a kitchen sink cookie, only in treat form. Brown your butter for extra nuttiness! Or you can full-send the marshmallow experience and use colorful, sugar-kissed Lucky Charms along with a box of strawberry cake for the most aesthetic, rainbow-licious bars around!