Cupcake Pebbles Rice Cereal Treats Recipe and a C&H Sugar Gift Card Giveaway!

Have you seen this cereal yet?

Well, when I see something new and fun like this, I start the little cranks a turnin’ in my head and think of fun things to do with it.  So this afternoon when I should have been packing boxes, I decided to whip up a sweet treat.

 

I made the usual rice cereal treats with marshmallows, a little butter and the Cupcake Pebbles.  They are fun in that they have little colored sprinkles in them.  So I thought it sounded yummy to put a layer of colorful buttercream frosting in the middle.  I made up my own frosting recipe.  I’ve always just thrown some butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk in a mixer and whipped it up.  I wrote down what I used this time just for you. 

Cute and fun, right?  I also decided to cut them in to small pieces and put them in some fitting paper liners, then pipe on a little more swirled frosting.  Maybe I was in a girly mood, after being around five guys constantly, sometimes I just want to see pink, you know!  What little girl would not want these treats at a party? Or they’d be great for a girly baby shower.

The treats are pretty sweet with the sugary cereal, marshmallows and frosting, so I thought the little portions were perfect.

I had a lot of fun arranging these on different plates.

 

Here’s how I did the frosting.  I made one batch of it and separated it in to three bowls and colored them with some neon food coloring I have.  I made green, pink and purple.  So festive!  I put half the cereal treats in a 9x9 pan, then put dollops of frosting all over and kind of swirled it around as I spread it.

  

 

Then I layered the rest of the cereal mixture over that and pressed it down.  I was originally going to put more frosting over the top, but these are super sweet/sugary, so I decided to just go with the small squares with a little swirl of the frosting on the top.  These almost made me wish I had a little girl to share them with—but not really!  I took a plateful to our neighbors, they have a little girl who is about 7.

Cupcake Pebbles Rice Cereal Treats, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

10 ounces mini marshmallows

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 cups Cupcake Pebbles Rice Cereal, by Post

For the Frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons milk

Food colorings of choice

Make the frosting by putting the 1/2 cup butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat it until smooth.  Add the extracts, salt and powdered sugar.  While it is mixing, slowly add the milk a tablespoon at a time.  Scrape down sides of bowl a few times.  Beat for a few minutes until fluffy and smooth.  Divide the frosting into three bowls.  Add the three colors and mix together with a spoon until well mixed.  Set aside. 

To make the cereal treats, spray a 9x9 inch square baking pan with cooking spray.  Set aside.  In a large microwave safe bowl, combine the marshmallows and butter and microwave on high for 30 seconds.  Stir.  Microwave again for another 30 seconds.  Stir well.  It only takes one minute in the microwave, but you can also do this in a large pot on the stove.  Add the six cups of cereal and stir together until well mixed.  Spread half the treats in the prepared pan and smash it down evenly (I use a potato masher sprayed with a little cooking spray—it works great!)  You can then put the frosting in the middle any way you’d like, spread it in three sections if you’d like or in dollops like I did and swirl it for a tie-dyed effect.  Then put the rest of the cereal mixture  over the frosting, spreading it evenly.

Let the treats firm up for an hour or so at room temperature or chill them in the fridge.  They are easier to cut chilled, but are better to eat at room temperature.  Cut in to desired sized pieces or one inch squares and set them in to mini paper muffin liners.  Put the remaining frosting into a piping bag in three sections, squeeze together and pipe onto treats.  When you first start piping, just one color comes through, but soon all three colors combine and swirl nicely.

__________________________________________________________________________

Speaking of sweet things, head on over to my giveaway blog and check out the great giveaway from C&H Sugar and join in helping Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale fight childhood hunger by having a bake sale of your own! Head on over and enter to win!