Rice Krispies Recipe Challenge & Giveaway (ends THIS Thursday!)

One yummy treat that almost every adult and child has had at least once (probably more) in their life, is Rice Krispies Treats. They are a favorite in my family, which is why I was excited when I learned that I had been chosen as one of ten bloggers by TheMotherhood.com and RiceKrispies.com to be a part of a Rice Krispies Recipe Challenge! At first I was unsure of how creative I could be, but with some thought and input from family and friends, I ended up having a lot of fun with this challenge!

To begin, each of the 10 bloggers was sent a package to help give us an idea of what the clue might be. As you can see from it's contents (pic below)...it was pretty evident that the recipe we were to create must have something to do with 'back-to-school'.

To make it even more challenging, and fun, we each received a special word in our packages. Mine was 'Krispies'. When put together (which we all got on Twitter to do), we put our words together and came up with the following theme for our recipes:

Make your Rice Krispies Treats Recipe an after school conversation starter.

Before getting started, we were given the rule of making sure that the recipe included either a fruit or nut (in any form). We were also sent Rice Krispies and a bag of marshmallows to use as well. I have to admit my mind was going in all directions at first. I knew that whatever I came up with, I wanted to make sure it was something kids could help make and something that would be appealing to them, as well as a great after-school conversation starter. It took me a couple of days of thinking and talking to some very creative and helpful family members, to come up with an idea I loved.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of large marshmallows
• 5 cups of Rice Krispies
• 3 T of butter
• 1 C of banana chips
• 5 squares of chocolate almond bark
• 1/2 C of chopped peanuts
• Jumbo popsicle sticks
  

Directions:
1. Melt Butter
2. Add Marshmallows and melt.
3. Add chopped banana chips
4. Add Rice Krispies
5. Form Rice Krispies into the shape of a banana on a Jumbo popsicle stick
6. While the Rice Krispies Treats set up, melt chocolate almond bark in a sauce pan and pour into a mug.
7. Dip Rice Krispies Treats halfway into the chocolate and then places stick in foam to stand straight up so chocolate can set and drizzle.
8. Sprinkle chopped peanuts on the tops of each Rice Krispies Treat with a spoon.

My inspiration for this recipe came from the popular chocolate covered banana on a stick...a tasty treat many of us have probably tried and love! I decided to add the banana into the Rice Krispies Treats recipe and shape them like a banana. Placing them on a stick not only makes it an easy snack to eat, but also allowed me to write 'conversation starters' on each of the sticks. Here are some of the ones I came up with.

Once the 'banana' was on the stick, I of course, could not leave out the chocolate. With the help of Kaelyn (who absolutely loved helping with this recipe by the way!), we dipped each one into a cup of melted Almond Bark Chocolate and then sprinkled chopped peanuts on top.

Once the chocolate had set, we gave it a taste! All I can say is yum! The banana, Rice Krispies, chocolate and nuts all went so well together. Kaelyn told me they were 'delicious'. We had a great time making these, and it was fun having the opportunity to get creative and come up with a fun recipe that would spark conversation about school too!

Out of the 10 recipes submitted, one will be chosen as the best and will actually be featured on RiceKrispies.com! The winner will be announced on Thursday, Sept. 9!

Win It: One very lucky reader is going to win a set of two Rice Krispies™ Snap™ Crackle™ and Pop™ Bowls.

Mandatory Entry - To enter, leave a comment letting me know a favorite way you like to eat your Rice Krispies Treats. (Do you like to eat something special with them, put something special in them when making, etc?).

The sponsor's rules state that there be only one entry per person for this giveaway. By answering the question above, you will be entered to win a set of 2 Rice Krispies™ Snap™ Crackle™ and Pop™ Bowls.

This giveaway ends Thursday, September 2nd! It's a short giveaway, so be sure to get your entries in! It is open to the US Only!

**This products for this review were provided for free by Rice Krispies and TheMotherhood.com. I was compensated as part of this program, however all opinions are my own.**