Rolling With The Weekend

01.20.11 Crispy cereal balls are a state of mind

Perhaps the first person to make a rice crispie treat came upon the idea on a long weekend, when it was too cold to head to the park, and their toddler had just outgrown napping. Probably.

In any case, making crispie treat balls was one of many tactile projects Leo enjoyed indoors this weekend, along with gluing pompons to foam board and painting with popsicle sticks. While forming the treats, we discovered that ever so slightly damp hands are the key to avoiding getting totally stuck to the rice crispies. And we dumped in a bunch of our favorite ingredients, including almond butter and cocoa, just for fun, and, I suppose, to cut the sweetness a bit.

Whoever invented these instant-gratification treats has my gratitude this long, lazy weekend. If only everything in life came together as pleasingly as hundreds of rice crispies glued to each other with chocolate-mallow glop.

Recipe: Cocoa-Nutty Crispie Balls

 

Zoe Singer is a freelance food writer and cookbook editor and co-author of The Flexitarian Table. Food Editor and blogger for The Faster Times, she tries not to eat for two now that her son is a toddler.