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My old college roommate couldn’t eat gluten, so the overlap between our respective diets was pretty slim (since most gluten-free flours and flour-based products have potato in them and I can’t eat nightshades). 

One thing we could both eat, though, was puffed rice cereal treats (aka Rice Krispies). So we alternated buying the ingredients and I’d make them while I was prepping other food. 

I didn’t think much of it until we had a couple people over for Halloween and she asked if I was going to be making my cereal treats, because mine were “the best [she] had EVER eaten.” Well, okay then! 

Honestly, I just make them the way I do because I’m lazy and don’t want to end up with random leftover ingredients. 

The original recipe from Kelloggs calls for 6 cups of cereal, which is in theory about half a box, but seemed to usually be slightly more than half. So if I wanted to make more later I’d have to buy another box and open it, which in turn wouldn’t be used up entirely and I’d need yet another box… rinse and repeat. Much easier to just use the whole thing. 

And if we’re already “measuring” one ingredient by what’s easiest, why not do everything that way?

…And so the World’s Laziest Cereal Treats were born. 

Items Needed

• A really big pot
• A 9”x13” baking dish
• A silicone spatula or something similar that can stir the ingredients without getting super sticky

Ingredients

• One 12-oz box of your choice of cereal (whatever floats your boat — puffed rice cereal like Rice Krispies are traditional, but I like Cinnamon Toast Crunch sometimes)
• One and a half bags (15 oz) mini marshmallows — doesn’t have to be exact, just eyeball it
• One stick (½ cup) of salted butter
• A splash of vanilla extract (probably about ½ tsp, but these are lazy treats so I never actually measure anything)
• Optional: ½ tsp cinnamon, cup or two of chocolate candies, some sprinkles, etc.

Instructions

1. Take your stick of butter and run the end over the pan to grease it. Put remaining butter in the pot and melt it on medium-low heat.
2. Add marshmallows and vanilla to the pot; melt marshmallows.
3. Dump the whole box of cereal into the pot and stir everything together. Pour and press into greased pan. If you’re feeling fancy, add some melted chocolate or sprinkles to the top. Let cool.

And that’s it. It takes like five minutes and you only have one pot and one spatula to clean up. That’s why they’re the “World’s Laziest” Cereal Treats — you barely have to do anything. But they’re still so good! 

What do you think? Will you give them a try? Let me know in the comments how they turn out!

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