Are you ready for some football? The vibrant energy of game day, the camaraderie of friends and family, and of course, the irresistible spread of delicious snacks are what make football season truly special. As the crisp autumn air signals the return of gridiron action, our kitchens transform into hubs of culinary creativity, all focused on fueling the cheers and celebrations. And what better way to celebrate than with a treat that perfectly blends a classic childhood favorite with a sophisticated, crave-worthy twist? Get ready to score big with our incredible Salted Caramel Rice Krispies Football Treats!
Salted Caramel Rice Krispies: The Ultimate Game Day Dessert
There’s something universally appealing about Rice Krispies treats. Their crispy texture, marshmallowy chewiness, and sweet simplicity make them a timeless classic, evoking fond memories for many. But imagine elevating that nostalgic delight with the rich, buttery depth of salted caramel. It’s a flavor combination that hits all the right notes – the perfect balance of sweet and salty that will have everyone reaching for more, whether they’re passionately cheering for their favorite team (like John and our neighbor getting loud over the Seattle Seahawks!) or simply enjoying the festive atmosphere of a casual get-together.
Football season, for many, is more than just watching a game; it’s an excuse to gather, to enjoy hearty, comforting meals like a big pot of slow-cooker chili, and to indulge in sweet treats that add to the joy. These Salted Caramel Rice Krispies Football Treats are designed to be exactly that: an easy-to-make, crowd-pleasing dessert that adds a touch of thematic fun to your game day spread. They’re a guaranteed touchdown for any gathering, from a relaxed watch party at home to a lively tailgate party before the big game. Their portability and unique presentation make them a standout on any dessert table.
Why These Football Treats Will Be Your New Favorite Game Day Snack
When planning your game day menu, you want items that are not only delicious but also easy to prepare and fun to look at. These Salted Caramel Rice Krispies Football Treats check all those boxes and more. Here’s why they’re destined to become a staple in your football season celebrations:
- Irresistible Flavor Combination: The magic lies in the contrast. The classic marshmallow-bound Rice Krispies treat provides a familiar sweetness and satisfying crunch, while the homemade salted caramel sauce adds a sophisticated layer of rich, buttery, and slightly salty indulgence. The sprinkle of sea salt on top ensures every bite delivers that coveted sweet and salty sensation.
- Effortlessly Easy to Make: Forget complicated baking techniques. This recipe is wonderfully simple, requiring minimal cooking and straightforward steps that anyone can follow. You’ll spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying the game and the company of your guests. It’s perfect for busy hosts who still want to offer something special.
- Festive and Fun Presentation: Using a football-shaped cookie cutter instantly transforms these humble treats into a thematic dessert that will impress your guests and elevate your game day spirit. The white icing laces are the perfect finishing touch, making each treat look like a miniature edible football, ready for kickoff.
- A Guaranteed Crowd-Pleaser: Rice Krispies treats are a beloved classic for both children and adults. The addition of salted caramel takes them to a gourmet level without being overly fancy, making them appealing to a wide range of tastes. Expect them to disappear quickly!
- Versatile and Customizable: While perfect for football, the base recipe can be adapted for any occasion. Simply change the cookie cutter shape and sprinkles to match other holidays or celebrations throughout the year.
Crafting Your Salted Caramel Rice Krispies Football Treats: A Step-by-Step Guide
This recipe is incredibly straightforward, yielding a 9×9 inch pan of treats. From this pan, you should be able to produce approximately 8 delightful football shapes, though the exact number can vary slightly depending on the size of your football cookie cutter. Let’s gather our ingredients and dive into the simple steps to create these game-winning snacks.
Essential Ingredients for Game Day Success
Gathering your ingredients is the crucial first step to creating these delectable football treats. Opting for quality ingredients ensures the best possible flavor and texture in your final product.
- Unsalted Butter: We specify unsalted butter because it gives you precise control over the overall saltiness of the treats and caramel. You’ll need it for both the crispy base and the luscious caramel topping.
- Mini Marshmallows: These are ideal for Rice Krispies treats as they melt more quickly and evenly than larger marshmallows, resulting in a smoother, more cohesive, and perfectly chewy base. Always make sure your marshmallows are fresh for the best gooey texture.
- Rice Krispies Cereal: The undisputed star of the show! Use classic Rice Krispies cereal to achieve that signature light, airy, and crispy crunch that everyone loves. Generic puffed rice cereals may not yield the same texture.
- Sea Salt (for the treats base): A small amount of fine sea salt in the Rice Krispies base enhances the flavors without making it overtly salty.
- Caramel Squares: Individually wrapped, soft, and chewy caramel squares are perfect for melting down into a rich, smooth, and easily pourable sauce. They provide that classic, comforting caramel flavor.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: This magical ingredient adds incredible creaminess, richness, and a beautifully smooth consistency to your caramel sauce. It helps create a luscious texture that clings perfectly to the treats.
- Extra Sea Salt (for sprinkling on top): This is where the “salted” in “salted caramel” truly shines! A flaky or coarse sea salt sprinkled over the finished caramel adds delightful bursts of briny flavor and a wonderful textural contrast.
- Wilton White Icing Tube: This pre-filled tube makes piping those iconic football laces incredibly easy and precise, giving your treats that authentic, professional game day look.
- Football Cookie Cutter: This is the essential tool that transforms ordinary squares into festive, themed footballs! A sturdy metal cookie cutter works best for clean cuts.
The Full Recipe: Salted Caramel Rice Krispies Football Treats
Summary
These delicious and easy-to-make Salted Caramel Rice Krispies Football Treats are the perfect snack for game day, tailgates, or any festive gathering!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yields: 8 Servings
Calories per serving: 720 kcal
Author: Tammilee Tips
Ingredients
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter (2 sticks)
- 20 Ounce Mini Marshmallows
- 10 cups Rice Krispie Cereal
- ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt (for the treats base)
- 12 Ounce Caramel Squares
- 1 (14 Ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
- ¼ cup Butter (½ stick, for caramel sauce)
- Extra Sea Salt (for sprinkling on top)
- Wilton White Icing Tube
Instructions for Rice Krispies Base
- Prepare Your Pan: Lightly spray a 9×9 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Ensure an even coating, especially in the corners. This step is crucial to prevent sticking and make it easier to remove the treats later. Set the prepared pan aside.
- Melt the Butter: In a large saucepan (choose one that’s big enough to hold all the cereal later), melt 1 cup of unsalted butter over low heat. It’s crucial to use low heat and patience to avoid browning or burning the butter, which can impart an undesirable flavor to your treats.
- Add Marshmallows: Once the butter is fully melted, add the entire bag of mini marshmallows to the saucepan. Continue stirring constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until the marshmallows are completely melted and the mixture is smooth and gooey. This step also requires patience; resist the urge to increase the heat, as rapid melting can lead to hard treats.
- Incorporate Cereal: Remove the saucepan from the heat immediately after the marshmallows are melted. Add the 10 cups of Rice Krispies cereal to the hot marshmallow mixture. Stir quickly and thoroughly, ensuring every piece of cereal is evenly coated with the sticky marshmallow. Work fast before the mixture cools too much.
- Press into Pan: Transfer the cereal mixture to your prepared 9×9 inch pan. Using a buttered rubber spatula or your buttered hands (buttering prevents sticking!), press the mixture down firmly and evenly into the pan. However, be mindful not to press too hard or compact the treats excessively, as this can make them dense and hard instead of delightfully chewy.
- Cool Completely: Allow the Rice Krispies treats to cool in the pan completely at room temperature. This will take at least an hour, or you can speed up the process by placing the pan in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes until they are firm.
- Cut Shapes: Once the treats are completely cooled and firm, carefully remove the entire block from the pan. Grease your football-shaped cookie cutter with a little cooking spray or butter to prevent sticking, then use it to cut out individual football shapes. Re-grease the cutter as needed. Gather any leftover scraps and gently press them together to cut out additional shapes, minimizing waste.
- Prepare for Caramel: Line a clean baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper. Carefully transfer the cut-out football shapes onto the lined baking sheet, arranging them with a little space between each. Now, it’s time to prepare the delectable salted caramel sauce!
Salted Caramel Sauce and Decoration
- Melt Caramel Ingredients: In a separate medium saucepan, combine the unwrapped caramel squares, ¼ cup of butter, and the sweetened condensed milk. Place this saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Stir Until Smooth: Stir the mixture occasionally, but consistently, until all the caramels are completely melted and the sauce is smooth, homogenous, and well combined. This process may take 5-10 minutes. Ensure the heat is not too high to prevent scorching the caramel. Do not bring the mixture to a boil.
- Cool Slightly: Remove the caramel sauce from the heat and let it cool for about 5 minutes. This cooling period allows the sauce to thicken slightly, making it easier to manage and less likely to run off the treats when applied.
- Drizzle Caramel: Now, generously ice each Rice Krispies football with the warm salted caramel sauce. You can spoon it over, drizzle it artfully, or even gently dip the tops of the footballs into the sauce for a thicker coating.
- Sprinkle Sea Salt: Immediately after applying the caramel to each football, sprinkle a touch of extra flaky or coarse sea salt on top. This enhances the “salted” aspect and adds a beautiful, professional visual touch and a delightful crunch.
- Add Laces: With your Wilton white icing tube (or if you prefer, a piping bag fitted with a small round tip), carefully pipe the iconic laces onto each football treat. A simple “I” shape with three small horizontal lines across the middle works perfectly to mimic real football laces.
- Set & Serve: Allow the decorated treats to set for 5-10 minutes on the parchment-lined baking sheet, or until the caramel has firmed up slightly and the icing is dry to the touch. Once set, they are ready to serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips for Perfect Salted Caramel Rice Krispies Football Treats Every Time
Achieving perfectly chewy and delicious Rice Krispies treats, especially with a luscious caramel topping, is simple when you follow a few key tips:
- Avoid Overcooking Marshmallows: Melt the marshmallows just until they are smooth and fully incorporated with the butter. Overcooking them can cause the sugar to crystallize, resulting in treats that are hard and brittle rather than soft and chewy.
- Grease Your Tools Generously: A little non-stick cooking spray or butter on your baking pan, rubber spatula, and especially your cookie cutter goes a long way in preventing sticky situations. This ensures clean cuts and easy release.
- Don’t Press Too Hard: When pressing the cereal mixture into the pan, be firm enough to create an even layer, but gentle. Over-compressing the treats will compact the cereal too much, making them dense, tough, and difficult to bite into, instead of maintaining that desired light, chewy texture.
- Cool Completely Before Cutting: Patience is a virtue here! Ensure your Rice Krispies base is completely cool and firm before attempting to cut out the football shapes. This will result in clean, crisp edges and prevent the treats from falling apart.
- Use Quality Caramels for the Sauce: The flavor of your caramel sauce is paramount. Using good quality, soft caramel squares (like Kraft Caramels) will yield the best, smoothest, and most flavorful caramel sauce.
- Flaky Sea Salt for the Finish: While regular sea salt is fine for the base, a coarse or flaky sea salt (like Maldon or Himalayan pink salt) works wonders for sprinkling on top of the caramel. It provides a beautiful textural contrast and a more impactful burst of salty flavor.
- Work Quickly with the Caramel: Once the caramel sauce is ready and slightly cooled, work relatively quickly to apply it to the treats and sprinkle the sea salt, as the caramel will continue to thicken as it cools.
Serving Suggestions & Storage
These Salted Caramel Rice Krispies Football Treats are best served at room temperature, allowing the caramel to remain soft and chewy. Arrange them appealingly on a festive platter alongside other game day favorites to create an impressive spread. For a truly unforgettable celebration, consider pairing them with some of our other fantastic party-ready recipes:
- Banana Pudding Poke Cake (for another delightful sweet option that feeds a crowd)
- Jalapeno Beer Brats (a savory, hearty crowd-pleaser for the grill)
- Crab Roll Sliders (for a touch of gourmet elegance amidst the casual fare)
- Easy Broccoli Slaw (a refreshing and healthy side to balance the indulgences)
- Bruschetta Chicken Pizza (a gourmet appetizer that’s always a hit)
- Rolo Pretzel Turtles (another addictively sweet and salty delight, perfect for snacking)
To store any leftover treats, place them in an airtight container at room temperature. They will retain their delicious chewiness and flavor for up to 3-4 days. While they are undoubtedly best enjoyed fresh, they make excellent grab-and-go snacks for the days following your game day celebrations.
Explore More Delicious Recipes!
If you loved creating (and devouring!) this recipe, you’re in for a treat! We have a treasure trove of culinary delights waiting for you to discover. Dive into our extensive collection of copycat recipes to recreate your favorite restaurant dishes right in your own kitchen, indulge your sweet tooth with our delightful dessert recipes that cater to every craving, or simplify your weeknight meal prep with our convenient and delicious Crock Pot recipes. There’s always something new, exciting, and easy to discover that will inspire your next kitchen adventure!
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Nutrition Facts
Calories from Fat 333
Recipe originally shared on September 6, 2015. Updated October 2020.