Puffed-rice treats with a strawberry shortcake crumble & white chocolate. The strawberry powder can be skipped.
Ingredients
Strawberry powder — optional
- About 2 kg fresh or frozen strawberries
or 1 box strawberry jello powder
or 1 cup ground freeze-dried strawberries
Shortcake crumble
- 1 cup strawberry powder (or jello powder / freeze-dried powder)
- 1 box vanilla sandwich cookies
- 1 bag graham crackers
- ½ cup melted butter
- 5 drops strawberry extract
- Red food coloring, optional
Puffed rice treats
- 6 cups puffed rice cereal
- 50 to 60 regular marshmallows, or 6 cups mini marshmallows
- 3 tablespoons butter, plus more for the pan and spatula
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 drops strawberry extract
- Red food coloring, optional
Chocolate
- 1 cup white chocolate
- 5 drops strawberry extract
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, if the chocolate seizes
- Red food coloring, optional
Method
Powder (optional — start 2 days ahead if you dehydrate)
Skip this & use jello powder or ground freeze-dried strawberries.
Slice about 2 kg of strawberries ¼ inch thick. Pat dry. Single layer on parchment (oven) or in the dehydrator.
Oven: lowest setting, mine was 175°F. Check every 30 to 60 minutes. Mine took 8 hours.
Dehydrator: 135°F / 60°C, up to about 15 hours. Check sooner. Done when they snap.
Grind to a powder. Two dehydrator batches gave me about 1 cup, plus a little leftover.
Crumble
Heat the oven to 275°F. If it runs hot, use 225°F.
Pulse the sandwich cookies coarse, a few small chunks left. Pulse the graham crackers coarse. Mix with 1 cup strawberry powder.
Add the melted butter, strawberry extract, & food coloring if you want it pink. If you used jello powder, skip the extract and coloring.
Spread on a parchment-lined sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, just until slightly dry. Cool.
Rice treats
Put the cereal in a large bowl. Grease an 8×8 pan. Grease a spatula.
Melt 3 tablespoons butter over low heat. Stir in the vanilla, strawberry extract, and coloring if you want it. Add the marshmallows & stir until melted. More marshmallows = gooier.
Off the heat, pour into the cereal. Mix with the spatula, or with gloved hands so it sticks less. Press lightly into the pan. Don’t pack it hard.
Chocolate
Microwave the white chocolate 30 seconds, stir, & repeat until smooth. Add the strawberry extract. If it seizes, stir in the coconut oil. Color it if you want.
Finish
Spread about ¾ of the chocolate on the treats. Sprinkle the crumble on while the chocolate is still soft. Drizzle the rest of the chocolate on top.
Cut into squares.
