I heard it was National Oreo Cookie Day. On March 6th, I shall henceforth rejoice in the name of Nabisco’s magical midnight-hued cookies, which I’ve mentioned on a number of occasions that I *adore*. I typically don’t pay a lot of attention to these food-themed days, or more precisely, I don’t usually know about them until I see a bunch of hashtagged posts in my Instagram feed. And I confess that I didn’t know about today either until this morning (and somehow missed it every year up to now). Normally I’d shrug and lament the fact that I had to go to work instead of spending all day baking treats to celebrate an arbitrary food holiday, and the day would pass as all the others do. But when it comes to Oreos, things are a little different; who am I to deny a national day of celebration in honor of my favorite sandwich cookie?? I am no one– I BOW DOWN TO OREOS. So I had to pull together a little something, and I’m so glad I blew off the gym to do it. (See how I justified that?)
These Salted Cookies & Cream Rice Crispy Treats are one of my favorite variations thus far, and probably one of my favorite uses of Oreos in a while. And if there’s anything I’m constantly hunting for, it’s new and different ways to use Oreos. The cereal is mixed with crushed Oreo cookies, white chocolate, and black cocoa powder, which is the type of cocoa used to achieve the deep, overroasted signature flavor of Oreos. I wanted to incorporate as much Oreo-ness as possible. These treats are quick to pull together, as are most (all?) rice crispy treats. So really, it would have been wrong not to make them, amiright?
Salted Cookies & Cream Rice Crispy Treats
Yields 28-36 scoops or 24 squares
These can be made as scoops or traditional squares. I got the idea for scoops from Ovenly’s Instagram— so cute!
- 8 cups (210g) Rice Krispies cereal
- ½ cup (60g) + 2 tablespoons Oreo crumbs, divided
- 8 Oreo cookies, crushed to various sizes
- 1 cup (2 sticks/16 tablespoons/225g) unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 20 ounces mini marshmallows
- 2 tablespoons black cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- Rounded ¾ cup (140g) white chocolate, chopped
- Flaky sea salt, to taste
Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper if you plan to make scoops, or line a 9×13″ baking pan with a large sheet of parchment paper so that it hangs over on all sides if you prefer to make squares.
Toss the Rice Krispies with ½ cup (60g) Oreo crumbs and the crushed Oreos in a shallow, large heatproof bowl.
Place the butter in a pot with high sides and set it over low heat. Melt the butter, swirling the pan occasionally. When it is bubbly, add the vanilla extract and swirl the pan around to combine it with the butter; it will sizzle for a few seconds. Continue swirling/stirring occasionally, and after several minutes the butter will start to brown (you’ll see the browned bits in the pan). Watch it carefully at this stage, as it can burn quickly, and scrape the bottom of the pan. Once the butter is well browned, pour in the marshmallows, then add the salt and black cocoa powder. Stir constantly until the marshmallows are completely melted and the cocoa is fully blended into the mixture.
Remove the pot from the heat and quickly pour the marshmallow mixture over the cereal/Oreo mix in the large bowl, scraping as much as you can from the bottom of the hot pot. Use the wooden spoon to stir together the mixture, coating the cereal evenly and distributing the cookie chunks and crumbs. Add the chopped white chocolate into the mixture after the marshmallow has been mostly incorporated; the pieces will start to melt, though I try to maintain some unmelted chunks so they look like smudges of Oreo cream filling.
If you’re making scoops, use a large spring-loaded ice cream scoop to shape domes of the warm rice crispy mixture, pressing each portion into the scoop to compact them. Set the scoops on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle them with the flaky sea salt and remaining 2 tablespoons Oreo crumbs. Work quickly so that the treats remain sticky enough to grab the toppings.
If you’re making squares, scrape the rice crispy mixture into the prepared baking pan and quickly press it down and into the corners in an even layer. Sprinkle the top with the cookie crumbs and flaky salt.
Let the rice crispy treats cool for at least 1 hour before cutting and/or serving. They can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
© Dafna Adler & Stellina Sweets, 2018.
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