Chef notes

No matter your age, there’s no denying the pleasure of a chewy marshmallow cereal treat. While the tried and true classic version is hard to beat, this patriotic twist comes close. Sweet and crunchy freeze-dried berries are added to the recipe to lend red and blue pops of color and fruity flavor to the gooey squares.

Though it may be tempting to use fresh or frozen berries in this recipe, stick with freeze-dried. Fresh or frozen berries will add too much liquid to the treats, and regular dried berries are too chewy. You do, however, have flexibility when it comes to what freeze-dried betters you use. Beyond blueberries and raspberries, try strawberries, cherries or a combination of your favorites.

This recipe also calls for an optional splash of almond extract, which heightens the sweet flavor of the marshmallow cereal treats. You can leave it out if you don’t love the marzipan-like flavor almond extract lends, or swap in crowd-friendly vanilla extract instead.

One smart tip to keep in mind when making this recipe: Remove the marshmallows from the heat before they are fully melted. This keeps them from overcooking and will make for chewier treats with a few delicious pockets of unmelted marshmallows. Cut the cereal treats into squares or if you’re feeling fancy, use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut them into extra-patriotic stars. No matter what, these are sure to go fast once they hit the table.

Get Ingredients: If you don’t have everything you need on hand, you can easily purchase all of the ingredients (just click the orange button below that says ‘Get Ingredients’). You can pick and choose exactly what ingredients you need based on what’s in your pantry and they’ll be on your doorstep before you know it.

Ingredients

baking spray, for greasing
8 tablespoons salted butter
1 pound mini marshmallows
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
6 cups crispy rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies
1 cup freeze-dried blueberries, coarsely chopped
1 cup freeze-dried raspberries, coarsely chopped

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Preparation

Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with baking spray. Set aside.

Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the marshmallows to the melted butter, reduce the heat to low and stir continuously, just until marshmallows are mostly melted. Remove from heat, add the almond extract and salt, followed by the cereal. Stir until completely combined, then fold in the freeze-dried berries.

Transfer mixture to the prepared baking pan and use a damp spatula to gently press into the pan. (Don’t pack too tightly — a gentle hand will keep the treats soft and gooey). Let cool 20 to 30 minutes, then cut into rectangles for serving.