Peppermint Cheesecake Rice Krispie Treats

Medically reviewed by Christiana George Updated Date: June 9, 2023

After my first Rice Krispie recipe failed, I went back to the pantry to see what else I could find to make Rice Krispie treats. I went looking through all the goodies I found at World Market, Walmart, and Target. I had some Jet-Puffed Peppermint Mallows, a box of cheesecake flavored Jell-O Pudding, a bag of Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips, and a bottle of Peppermint Pigsy Dust. Well, now that got the creative juices flowing. I never had peppermint cheesecake before, but it does exist. So why not try it as Rice Krispies.

The cheesecake flavored Jell-O pudding I found at Walmart and the marshmallows are from Target. The peppermint flavor in the marshmallows is mild, but I found something else to amp up the flavor.

These little treasures I found at World Market. I think they may have them at other store also. They have a nice peppermint flavor, but are oh, so creamy. I have to go by some more of these.

The marshmallows melted into a very pretty pink color. To bad it’s not Valentine’s Day.

These baking chips boosted up the peppermint taste to the max. Then I added the powdered cheesecake Jell-O mix.

I was going to leave them like this and just drizzle some melted chocolate on top, but then I went to the fridge and realized I still had some heavy cream and mascarpone cheese left from making my No Bake Butternut Squash Cheesecakes the other day. Well, this was supposed to be a peppermint cheesecake flavored dessert, so why not top it off with a whipped mascarpone frosting.

After I spread the frosting over the treats, I sprinkled it generously with Pigsy Dust. Isn’t this bottle the cutest? I found it at World Market. It’s basically a fine dust of crushed peppermint candies. Great for sprinkling on anything.

I had placed the treats back in the fridge for the frosting to set and when I removed the tray, I noticed the Pigsy Dust had melted into my frosting, making little red polka-dots. I love it!

But I wasn’t done yet. I still wanted to add some melted chocolate and a few more bits of Peppermint Crunch. I used Ghirardelli Baking Chips because they melt very easily in the microwave and come out smooth, not lumpy. But you can use whatever chocolate you like best.

I choose to cut the squares before I added the chocolate because I wanted nice clean cuts. You also need to clean you knife after every cut if you want the lines precise. I just used a fork to drizzle the chocolate, but you can use a piping bag for a clean look.

You have a nice crunchy peppermint cheesecake base topped with a light, fluffy frosting, a drizzle of chocolate and another hint of peppermint. This is a lovely decadent treat. This isn’t just for kids. Welcome to my Peppermint Paradise.

Peppermint Cheesecake Rice Krispie Treats

by The Sweet Chick

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Keywords: stove top no bake dessert snack peppermint Jell-O Cheesecake Pudding Mix rice krispies Jet-Puffed Peppermint Mallows Christmas bars rice krispie treats American winter

Ingredients (24 Squares)

For the treats

4 tablespoons butter
1 bag (10.0 oz.) Jet-Puffed Peppermint Mallows
1/2 cup Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips
1 box (3.4 oz.) Jell-O Cheesecake Instant Pudding mix
5 cups Rice Krispie cereal

For the frosting

1 cup heavy cream
8 oz. mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon Peppermint Pigsy Dust

Additional Toppings

1/2 cup Ghirardelli 60% Cocoa Baking Chips
1/4 cup Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips

Instructions

For the treats

In a large sauce pan, melt butter and marshmallows over low heat. Stir until completely melted.

Remove from heat and add the peppermint baking chips. Stir until the candies are all melted and mixture is smooth.

Next add the dry pudding mix and stir until completely blended.

Then add Rice Krispies and stir until completely incorporated.

Pour the mixture into a greased 9 x 13 pan or a cookie sheet and spread it evenly with a piece of greased waxed paper.

For the frosting

With a stand mixer on medium to medium/high speed, whisk heavy cream until stiff peaks form (be careful not to overbeat, or cream will be grainy).

In another bowl, blend together mascarpone and confectioners’ sugar until smooth.

Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture until completely incorporated.

Spread the frosting evenly over the treats with a spatula.

Sprinkle with Pigsy Dust and place in fridge to cool (about 10-15 minutes).

Cut treats into squares with a sharp knife, wiping down knife after every cut.

For the additional toppings

Place chocolate baking chips in a microwave safe container and microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until chocolate is completely melted and smooth.

With a fork or piping bag, drizzle chocolate over cooled treats and sprinkle with peppermint baking chips.

Rice Krispie Treat recipe adapted from Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats by Shugary Sweets
Mascarpone Frosting Recipe by Martha Stewart

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Slow-Roasted Tomatoes, and other Weekend Stories

Salad

Christiana George

Updated Date:
June 8, 2023

This weekend was beautiful, warm but not hot, today especially. So I took a break from the kitchen.

I bought grapes, the first of the season! While I was sad to learn that my favorite kind, muscat, is not grown in this area, I was delighted to discover many other varieties that smelled like perfume and tasted as sweet as candy. Apparently a lot of grapes are grown up near Ithaca. That’s not so very far away from here, is it?

I saw a man walking nonchalantly by my favorite home on Manhattan. It’s beautiful, and he didn’t even bat an eye. Maybe he walks by it all the time, maybe he lives just a few doors down, maybe he has no appreciation for lush, gorgeous ivy covering a stately brick exterior. Or maybe I’m just particularly sensitive towards the aesthetically pleasing. All I know is, whenever I pass it, I have stop, sigh, and admire.

I went to Chinatown and bought boba, also known as bubble milk tea. Have you ever had it? It’s probably my favorite beverage in the world, un-eclipsable by anything else, alcoholic or non-. Truthfully, Chris and I make the trip to Chinatown often to buy boba, at least twice a week. Our favorite spot is located on Canal Street, but it’s too expensive for addicts like us. So we go to another spot that’s decent, but made all the sweeter by the fact that it has a 2-for-1 deal. Alas, Chatime we’ll have to reserve for special occasions.

I had two credit cards stolen. I believe the theft occurred in a coffee shop near NYU, the unlikeliest of places if you ask me. And the funny thing is, I’d scooted my purse in closer because I’d felt uncomfortable by how near the party behind me sat. The exact same thing had happened to me in Bolivia: a man who’d sat a little too close for comfort, me preemptively pulling my purse in. He’d managed to get away with about $7 worth of cash. The thief in New York had unsuccessfully tried making a $900+ purchase at the Apple store on both cards. It serves her (her? him? Would a man try to pass a card with a woman’s name on it as his?) right.

Before all this happened, on Friday, I roasted tomatoes.

I think I might’ve mentioned that I like my tomatoes raw, with just a touch of olive oil and salt. But in the case of cherry tomatoes, well, roasting them slowly on low heat, is a one-up.

The taste pierces. It’s so sharply sweet and intense, tomato condensed and condensed some more until all its taste is packaged in a shriveled, innocuous mass. For these tomatoes, I’m willing to turn my oven on, the oven that had traumatized me weeks ago, the oven that I’d vowed to part ways with until after Labor Day, until after temperatures dip below the 80′s once and for all.

A little goes a long way. I’ll be tossing them in salads, on sandwiches, on bagels, in pasta, whenever I need a boost of tomato action. Which could be anytime inspiration strikes, like when I walk by the fridge.

Yup, my weekend was punctuated by tomatoes. They’re a good thing to have around when I’m dealing with my credit card companies’ fraud departments on the phone. And for easing myself back into the work week.

Happy Monday, friends.

SLOW-ROASTED TOMATOES

Ingredients:

Cherry tomatoes
Olive oil
3 to 4 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees (Note: My oven only goes down to 300 degrees, so I had to roast them at this temperature.)

Cut the tomatoes in half. Toss with the olive oil (so they’re lightly covered) and lay the halves on a baking sheet, cut side up, along with the garlic cloves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Roast the tomatoes for 2 to 3 hours until they shrivel but are still juicy on the inside. (Note: Because my oven was at 300 degrees, I had to turn the oven off after about an hour and 15 minutes because the tomatoes in the corners had started burning. I won’t lose any to the carbonizing effects of heat!)

To store, let the tomatoes cool and put them in a covered jar in the fridge. You may need to cover them with some extra olive oil.