We were talking about rice krispie treats because I needed to make some for a friend. Alex wondered what they would be like if we made them with potato chips and...he looked up at the fridge, Rolos. That bag of Rolos has been with us since before Christmas. They were actually intended to go with rice krispie treats though I never had time to make them. Rolos are one of the childhood candies that aren't quite as good as I remember them simply because the chocolate coating is not very good. On the bright side when you bake with them, this problem largely disappears leaving only the chewy goodness of the caramel. Amaya has discovered that she loves Rolos as much as I did when I was her age so we've been doling them out, 1-2 a day for the last several weeks. I love the combination of sweet and salty so his idea resonated with me immediately. In the meantime though, I made the plain rice krispie treats for my friend because there was a deadline involved and the idea of Alex's rice krispie treats percolated in the back of my head.
I didn't know if he intended them to be made with all potato chips but that concept didn't work for me. They definitely needed some puffed rice to hold everything together and ensure the proper texture. So when I had a lull this afternoon (sort of) I looked in the cupbord and found a 6-ounce bag of Kay and Ray's Dark Potato Chips. Perfect. I broke them up a bit so there would be different sized pieces scattered through the treats and folded them into the butter-marshmallow-rolo mixture. I didn't add any salt because I figured the chips would be salty enough but a quick taste proved me wrong. I reached for the fleur de sel and gave the top of the treats a light sprinkling. Now they were perfect. The hard part is not eating them all, by yourself, before anyone else gets home to share.
The name came from the addition of the chips. Loaded french fries are one of my guiltiest pleasures and after one bite of these the name popped into my head. We're giving you the recipe but don't blame me if you can't stop eating them. They're that good.
Loaded RIce Krispie Treats
56 grams unsalted butter
370 grams (1 13-ounce package) marshmallows
170 grams lightly crushed potato chips (your favorite brand of course)
200 grams rice krispies or other puffed rice cereal
325 grams rolos
Fleur de Sel
buttered 9x13-inch pan
Melt the butter over medium heat in a large pot. Add the marshmallows and stir until they are completely melted. I tend to do this over medium high heat so that the butter browns and the marshmallows toast a bit but if you have a short attention span lower heat or the microwave may be better options. Once the marshmallows are completely melted, add the potato chips and rice krispie treats. Add the rolos to the top and gently fold everything together with a silicone spatula. Once the mixture is well-blended turn it out into the prepared pan and gently press it into an even layer. Sprinkle the top with the fleur de sel. Let it cool to room temperature before cutting the treats. Store in a ziploc bag or airtight container for as long as they last.
Years Past
January 21, 2005
