Sweet Sundays: Alisa Fleming ~ Wow, time sure does fly by doesn't it? It is so hard to believe that summer is already coming to a close. Growing up, Labor Day Weekend was bittersweet. I was always eager to see friends, wear my new fall clothes, and get into a routine again ... but, that routine was school, and homework, and waking up to an alarm ... ugh.

As little "rewards" for making it through the day (or at least until noon!) I would often bake chocolate chip cookies or whip up some crispy treats for my lunch. Yes, my sweet tooth and love of baking started at a very young age. However, I wasn't very creative in those days. I pretty much stuck to the Tollhouse recipe, and the directions on the box of crispy rice cereal.

My friend Katie on the other hand, is always reformulating old favorites. She took the organic cocoa crispy cereal (pictured at left), added some strawberry jam, and tossed it all into the traditional rice crispy treat recipe for a delicious back to school (or work!) reward. Enjoy her super easy recipe below ...

Strawberry Cocoa Crispy Treats

Photos and Recipe by Katie of Making Food and Other Stuff.

• 6 cups Erewhon Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice cereal
• 10 Ounces Marshmallows (I like the mini ones best…its easier to “steal” one or two or twenty) [Use marshmallows like Dandies if you want to keep the recipe vegan]
• 1/4 Cup Dairy-Free Margarine [like Earth Balance]
• 1/4 Cup Strawberry Preserves
• Sprinkles!!

Measure the cereal into a large mixing bowl. Spray a 9 x 13-inch pan with cooking spray.

Melt the marshmallows, margarine, and jam over medium heat in a saucepan, stirring constantly until the marshmallows are just dissolved. Immediately pour into the mixing bowl with cereal and stir until it is completely and evenly coated. Pour the mixture into sprayed pan and flatten.

[I usually flatten the treats with my hands, after liberally spraying them with more cooking spray. You can also spray a spatula if you want to be more civilized, but then there isn't anything to lick off your fingers. Not that I would do that.]

These may be my new favorite easy no-fuss dessert. I cut them and put them in the freezer and they were GREAT still partly frozen.

And I know you’re thinking this can’t get any better, but YOU’RE WRONG. Because sprinkles make everything better.

More Crispy Treat Recipes for you to enjoy:

• S'more-Style Crispy Rice Treats
• Chocolate Peppermint “Oreo” Crispy Treats
• Easy Fudge Crispies
• Chocolate Chip Crispy Cereal Treats

Article by Alisa Fleming, founder of GoDairyFree.org and author of Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living. Alisa is also a freelance writer for several publications, with an emphasis on creating recipes for various types of special diets.