Squee! Puffed Rice Bday Prezzies

Say what you will about puffed rice squares: Old school? We say retro. Expected? We say: classic! Basic? We say how dare you. They’re a tried-and-true favourite and even if you theoretically turn your nose up at them, we bet you couldn’t resist a fresh one any more than we could. They’re perfect for bake sales or for any event where you’d want to please a group of kids, but these ones dressed up for a party are just perfect for birthdays. Including ours.

See how this recipe fits into a complete Kids’ Party Dessert Table here!

Birthday Present Puffed Rice Treats

Ingredients

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, divided, plus extra for greasing
• 8 cups mini marshmallows, divided
• 12 cups puffed rice cereal, divided
• 6 tbsp rainbow sprinkles, divided
• 2-3 3.5 oz tubes, edible sparkle gel, various colours

Preparation

Butter a 9-inch square baking tin and set aside (make sure it is greased well). In a large pot over low heat melt 3 tablespoons of butter. When completely melted add 4 cups of mini marshmallows to the pot. Using a wooden spoon, stir constantly until all of the marshmallows are melted. Remove the pot from the heat and add 6 cups of puffed rice cereal stirring gently to combine. Add 3 tablespoons of rainbow sprinkles and stir gently until evenly distributed. Tip the mixture into the baking tin and use something with a flat surface to press the puffed rice gently into the pan in an even layer.

Repeat the process again with remaining ingredients and press the second batch over the first batch. It is important to work in batches because if you try to make everything at once, it is much harder to mix everything together evenly and to press the puffed rice cereal into the baking tin properly.

Once both batches are pressed into the same baking tin, transfer it to the fridge to cool and set for 1 hour.

Run a butter knife along all four sides of the tin in order to release the puffed rice treats from the baking tin. Cut into 9 squares.

One at a time use the edible sparkle gel to draw the ribbon of the present. Start by drawing a line in the center of each side of the gift from the bottom to the top. Then connect the ribbons on the top by drawing a plus sign. Finally, create two loops and two tails of the ribbon bow. Repeat until all treats have ribbons & bows. Feel free to use multiple colours of edible sparkle gel.