I think we are all familiar with the phrase, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” However, after returning home from the silliest little girls trip to Las Vegas last weekend, I have to disagree. Now that my friends and I are all in our 30s, life has caught up to us. We’re all busy with our own unique life experiences that include new babies, career changes, divorce, first-time homebuying, health scares, loss of loved ones, etc., and it can be hard to find time to truly catch up and spend quality time together like we did in our 20s. Needless to say, when our three-day Vegas trip graduated from group-chat planning to real-life happening, we took full advantage and had an absolute blast together! I think we all left feeling newly rejuvenated, proving that what happens in Vegas can actually come home with you and maybe even provide a sense of joy and whimsy that can bring a fresh perspective into daily life!
As I arrived home late Sunday evening and mentally prepared myself to dive right into a busy week juggling multiple jobs, doctor’s appointments, getting back to the gym (much-needed after an indulgent weekend getaway), and so on, I realized that I still needed to find time to meal prep on top of everything else. Fortunately, trips to amazing Vegas restaurants like Nobu, Chica and Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen inspired me to mix up the usual recipe rotation! I have a huge sweet tooth, so every week I make sure to bake something sweet to have after dinner, but the arrival of summer weather has me avoiding the oven as much as I can. I was brainstorming no-bake recipe ideas when I suddenly remembered a Rice Krispies treat recipe I’d seen a few months ago that incorporated potato chips …
Adding a potato chip to a Rice Krispies treat might sound a little strange, but who amongst us hasn’t ever sprinkled some M&M’s into movie theater popcorn, dipped a french fry into a milkshake or enjoyed a chocolate-covered pretzel? Sweet and salty is an elite flavor combination! I’m willing to bet adding potato chips into a Rice Krispies treat will change how you view these bars entirely because once you start tinkering with flavorful twists on the classic no-bake treat, you’ll realize the possibilities are truly endless!
Now, of course, I had to do a little more than just simply throw in some chips, so to begin, I started by browning my butter. By browning the butter, you can add a ton of depth and complexity to the flavor profile of these treats without much effort. I also added a liberal dollop of vanilla bean paste into my browned butter before melting the marshmallows. Vanilla bean paste isn’t the same as vanilla extract – it’s thick, syrupy and has a more intense flavor profile – and because it incorporates whole ground vanilla pods, it adds those beautiful speckled flecks of vanilla bean into your desserts that give a gourmet taste and appearance! As far as the chips go, I opted for a sea-salted kettle chip – these are a bit thicker and hardier than a regular Lay’s potato chip, so they stand up well to the melted butter and marshmallow mixture without ending up soggy!
These treats ended up being one of the most highly complimented desserts I’ve ever made – like I said, the salty-sweet combination is elite! After a weekend with the girls where we dolled ourselves up every day and then showered each other in complimentary praise, it was a nice taper from vacation to come home and present these chip-infused Rice Krispies treats to friends just for them to offer even more complimentary praise. Whether putting on our very best cheetah print, sequin and hot pink outfits or just mixing up a familiar favorite dessert with something a little salty, let this be your sign to bring a hint of unexpected whimsy into your daily life this summer. And if you’re extra lucky, you’ll be able to share that whimsy with your best friends!
KETTLE CHIP RICE KRISPIES
Ingredients:
2 sticks salted butter, browned
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
2 (10-ounce) bags mini marshmallows, divided (15 ounces melted and 5 ounces mixed in at the end)
6 ounces Rice Krispies cereal
1 (7.5-ounce) bag sea-salt kettle chips, crushed into quarter-sized pieces
Flaky sea salt
Instructions:
■ In a large pot over medium heat, brown the butter until it has become a deep brown color and smells nutty.
■ While the butter is browning, line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or foil and press on the bag of kettle chips to break the chips into smaller pieces, about the size of a quarter. Be careful not to overdo it; you don’t want to turn them into crumbs!
■ Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the vanilla bean paste, stirring quickly to incorporate.
■ Pour in 15 ounces of mini marshmallows and melt until the mixture is quite runny. Stir this frequently and adjust the heat as needed to prevent burning.
■ Once the marshmallow and butter mixture is completely melted, remove from heat.
■ Pour in the cereal and the kettle chips and quickly stir to incorporate.
■ Pour in the remaining 5 ounces of mini marshmallows and stir again, just until combined.
■ Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread with a rubber spatula until evenly distributed. Press them down firmly enough so that they will hold their shape when cut, but again, be careful not to overdo it. You want them to still be fluffy and not so compressed they end up hard to bite into!
■ Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and allow to cool at room temperature.
■ Cut into bars and enjoy!
Kristin is a Columbus local and a graduate of MUW’s Culinary Arts Program. She lives downtown with her husband Jon and her naughty cat Sokka. In her free time she enjoys baking, making stained glass art and hanging out with her friends. If you see her in town, say hi!
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
