I was never a big fan of Rice Krispy treats because it felt kind of styrofoam-y. In fact, until making these cheese crispies, I don't think I've ever bought a box of Rice Krispies cereal at all! Amusingly, I still have a huge box after using some to make these. I guess it's time to either make a lot more cheese crispies, or find another way to enjoy this cereal.
This recipe came from the locally published cookbook Catering to Columbia, where to author notes that her grandmother would serve these cheese crispy treats to Circle meetings. I guess this means sewing circle perhaps? Who knows, but these would be great for any meeting or gathering in the future, from book club, to a contribution for a kids' class snack time (or whatever they call it these days!).
One of my favorite things about collecting cookbooks is sometimes there are little notes handwritten into them to help future cooks recreate the recipe better the next time it is made. This particular recipe includes the note to change the bake time from 10 minutes to 15. Of course, this could be specific to the past cookbook owner's oven running hot, but I set the timer for 10 minutes initially and tested them and yep, they were too soft. So I put the crispies back in the oven for 5 more minutes and they were perfect.
It's like the vintage version of comments on recipes! Thanks past cookbook owner for your sage advice!
Cheese Crispies
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese (I like extra sharp here)
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups plain rice krispies cereal
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Mix the softened butter and cheese together until well blended.
- Add in the flour, cayenne, and salt and mix until incorporated.
- Use a spatula to fold in the rice krispies and mix until evenly distributed.
- Use your hands to form small balls, about ping pong ball sized, and lightly flatten between your palms.
- Put on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, spaced 1" apart at least, and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Cool and serve immediately, or store in an air tight container for up to a week (put in the fridge if it's humid out to keep them from growing mold).
After making these, I thought about another improvement these could benefit from: pimentos! I haven't tried it, but a small jar of diced pimentos would definitely add even more of a Southern kick to these crunchy little cheese treats.
Love cheese? Try a blue cheese dip, hot pimento cheese dip, and beer cheese spread too!