Who doesn’t love Rice Krispie treats? Well… people who don’t like marshmallows, I suppose. Clearly, they are monsters. But as I have yet to actually meet anyone who falls into that category, I think we can safely say the better answer is “just about everyone”. They are both chewy and crispy at the same time. They are impossibly addictive. And they are so quick and simple that even children can (and do) make them.
Dressing up Rice Krispie treats with mix-ins or flavorings is certainly nothing new, nor is the concept of giving them a more adult flair. We’ve seen more than a few recipes out there that incorporate a variety of alcoholic beverages into the mix, and we are absolutely down for that. Chele in particular is a fiend for Rice Krispie treats, and she has no shortage of ideas on how to doctor them up. The top of her list has been occupied with one of her favorite alcoholic beverages: plum wine.
Our first attempt at these started with simply adding some plum wine into a standard Rice Krispie treat recipe. The result was tasty, but the flavor of the wine was too subtle, buried under the marshmallow and added vanilla. We wanted to really kick that flavor up, and after a little experimenting we finally hit on it: make a plum wine reduction to concentrate the flavor, and back down the marshmallows to keep it front and center.
You will probably want to make sure you buy enough ingredients to make several batches – otherwise they may disappear out of the pan before you have a chance to even try them!
Plum Wine Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- 1 cup plum wine
- 4 cups mini marshmallows
- 6 Tbsp butter (or low-water plant-based butter – we recommend Country Crock Plant Butter with Avocado Oil for this recipe)
- 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
Instructions
- Heat wine in a small pot or saucepan over low heat until reduced by half (watch carefully, as this can go quicker than you might expect). Remove from heat and set aside.
- Melt butter in a large pot over. Reduce heat to low, stir in reduced plum wine and simmer for 1 minute. Add marshmallows. Stirring frequently, continue to cook an additional 4 minutes, or until marshmallows are completely melted. Remove from heat.
- Fold in cereal. Once fully combined, spread into a lightly-greased 9"x13" pan and allow to cool for about an hour before cutting into squares and serving.
Notes
- If you are using a non-dairy butter in this recipe, be sure to pick one that has a lower water content (the easiest way to tell this is to check the ingredient label. You want one that lists something other than water as the first ingredient). Using a non-dairy butter with too much moisture in the formula will turn the cereal soggy. As mentioned in the ingredient list, we recommend Country Crock Plant Butter with Avocado Oil as a non-dairy substitute in this recipe.
- While we frequently use ghee as a substitute for regular butter in our recipes, it does not work in this one. Again, it has too much moisture and will ruin the texture of your cereal.
- We went a bit light on the marshmallows in this recipe in order to maximize the flavor of the plum wine. If you want these to be a more on the gooey side, you can up the quantity to the standard 6 cups that most Rice Krispie treat recipes call for – but it will likely dilute the flavor somewhat.
