Sweeten your Fourth of July (or any celebration) with these crunchy-creamy bars. The cheesecake layer is the perfect yin to the yang of the crackly rice cereal. Make the bars a day ahead, then cut and top with berries before serving.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr 35 min |
| Prep: | 5 min |
| Inactive: | 2 hr 25 min |
| Cook: | 5 min |
| Yield: | 16 bars |
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 5 ounces mini marshmallows
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Kosher salt
- 4 cups crispy rice cereal
- One 1/4-ounce packet unflavored powdered gelatin
- Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Kosher salt
- 2 cups mixed raspberries and blueberries, for topping
Instructions
- For the crispy layer: Line a 9-inch square pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Lightly coat the foil and a wooden spoon with cooking spray.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the marshmallows, honey, vanilla and a pinch of salt, and stir with the prepared wooden spoon until the marshmallows have completely melted, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the rice cereal, and stir until the mixture is fully combined. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, and press into an even layer. Let sit at room temperature until firm, about 20 minutes.
- For the cheesecake layer: Meanwhile, combine the gelatin with 2 tablespoons water in a small microwave-safe bowl, and set aside to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer) until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the sour cream, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and a pinch of salt, and beat on medium high speed until incorporated and smooth, about 1 minute.
- Microwave the gelatin until melted, stirring as needed, about 30 seconds. Add the gelatin to the cream cheese mixture, and beat on medium high speed to combine, about 30 seconds.
- To assemble: Pour the cream cheese-gelatin mixture over the cooled crispy layer, and spread out evenly. Wrap the pan loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until the cheesecake layer is set, about 2 hours. (The bars can be assembled and refrigerated overnight.) Cut into 16 bars, and top each with raspberries and blueberries before serving.
- Copyright 2014 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 16 servings |
| Calories | 253 |
| Total Fat | 16 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 26 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 17 g |
| Protein | 3 g |
| Cholesterol | 43 mg |
| Sodium | 240 mg |
Reviews
Good recipe. Everyone liked it! Easy to make. I used the 8×11 pan and felt it was still too small. I pressed the Rice Krispie layer down into the pan too much and it was a bit hardcore cut through . Lesson learned for next time. Should have known better as I make it a point not to compress RK bars when I make them.
Major Hit! I prepared these thinking they wouldn’t make enough for a pool party, but sliced 25 of these after chilling properly. I used a slice of a strawberry and a black raspberry I picked that morning to top each piece. I consider myself a cook, not a baker, so I follow baking recipes to a T. Used the 9″ square pan, used the foil underlay as I could lift the frosted, chilled bars and slice to my liking. Thanks!
These were easy to make and like others, I used a 9 x 13 pan. I increased the ingredients of the crispy treat layer, to give it a thicker base. I made the top layer just as described. What I did NOT like was the addition of gelatin to the cheesecake layer. I understand it was needed to solidify the layer but it gave the cheesecake layer a very strange, jello-like texture that was not appealing… Not really cheesecake, not really jello. but somewhere in between. I thought they would be a hit and they looked very pretty, but they were just average.
The crispy rice with the creamy cheesecake layer was a nice balance of sweetness and texture. Like another poster, I made mine in a 9×13 and that was perfect. No way would it have fit in a square! My hubby’s coworkers gobbled it up and I’m making it again for work tomorrow so I’ll call it a good one! 🙂
This was pretty good! Definitely a unique dessert. The sweetness of the crispy balances the cheesecake nicely. I did use a 9×13 instead of the square pan. My square pan seemed like it was going to be too small.
This is a great dessert. I did use 2 cups of mini-marshmellows instead of 5 oz. Also make sure your pan is a true square otherwise the edge pieces will topple over. One last thing I did not sure foil, I buttered my pan.