Gourmet Rice Crispy Treats...The New Cupcake?

Gourmet rice crispy treat could slowly start to challenge the ubiquity of the gourmet cupcake.  At first, we would see them popping up in well-established bakeries and restaurants as novelty desserts--key lime treats and red velvet treats and maple bacon treats and caramel turtle treats. Then, entire establishments dedicated to their production and dissemination would pop up in places other than NYC. We would order them for our friend's baby showers and as an alternative to wedding cake. Wedding guests would both marvel and curse them. "I came specifically for the cake," they would hiss to their spouse before scarfing down the treats. Then, on the shelves of grocery stores, we would be able to find crispy treat-pop kits right next those for cake-pops.  All this could happen, except for the facts that: 1. Most college dorm rooms have the necessary appliance to make them. 2. They take about ten minutes to make. 3. The combinations (white chocolate chip and macadamia nut or peanut butter and milk chocolate chip are the ones I want to try next) are all available at every grocery store.

Some of us know the recipe for the basic treat by heart:

6 cups of rice crisp cereal

1 bag of regular size marshmallows

3 tablespoons of butter

All you have to do to make them "gourmet" is add your own favorite ingredients.  

I added:

1/3 cup coconut

2/3 cup dark chocolate chips 

1/3 cup cranberries

1 more tablespoon of butter 

(I figured if I'm adding other stuff, I probably need a bit more butter. More butter=more gourmet, right?)

Instructions: Microwave the marshmallows and butter for three minutes, stirring after two minutes.  I also added in the coconut at two minutes.  Take out of the microwave and stir in rice cereal.  Add chocolate chips and cranberries and stir.  The chocolate will melt a bit, which will be scrupmtious.  Press into a greased pan and let sit for as long as you can wait. Cut and enjoy!

Also, if there is anything I have learned from eating gourmet cupcakes, you'll need to plan some type of filigree for the top. I just dusted mine with extra coconut flakes.