Maple Tahini Rice Krispy Treats by Lucy Burdette

LUCY BURDETTE: I do not think I’ve ever in my life made a pan of rice crispy treats. However, when I saw a recipe in Real Simple written by Jenna Helwig from a cookbook by Leah Koenig (The Dessert Table), I was tempted. This recipe had tahini and maple syrup in it, in addition to the traditional marshmallows and rice krispies. That sounded good! Plus, I was due to bring some treats to our church’s post-service coffee hour. I thought these could be cut up into lots of little pieces and that they would be popular.

By the way, Jenna is not only the food director for Real Simple and a cookbook editor, she has her first suspense novel set in Paris coming out in October. It’s called The Foreign Correspondent’s Wife and I can’t wait to read it!  

Ingredients

5 cups Rice Krispies cereal 

6 tbsp. unsalted butter (3/4 stick)

10 oz marshmallows (not mini)

1/3 cup well-stirred tahini 

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Toasted sesame seeds for topping (white, black, or a mix)

Melt the butter in a frying pan and cook on medium low until beginning to brown. Turn the heat down, add the marshmallows and stir until those are melted too. Take the pan off the heat and add the tahini, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt. In a large bowl, stir the butter mixture into the cereal until everything is coated.

Scrape this into an 8 by 8 inch pan, which you will have lined with parchment paper in the bottom and lapping over the sides. Press the cereal mixture in lightly and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Let this cool for at least half an hour before you move the whole batch to a cutting board.

Cut into squares and serve immediately, or else store in an airtight container until the time is right. Beware that if you’re anything like me, the marshmallow ingredient will possibly send you into a sugar coma.

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A Delicious Deception has a slightly different tone than some of the earlier books, with more emphasis on family, but I loved it just as much as the rest of the series. Ms. Burdette has created characters who have grown in such natural, believable ways. She delivers an excellent mystery while also weaving in a major, emotional turning point in their lives. There is drama, murder, secrets, late-pregnancy feelings and hormones, a sick father-in-law, home renovations, a fun baby shower, and friends and family ready to tackle whatever comes their way. And in the end, a beautiful baby! Escape with Dollycas

This cozy mystery expertly balances personal stakes with a fast-paced plot in a consistent Burdette fashion. It’s a suspenseful, heart-filled addition to the series that proves Hayley is just as effective at solving crimes as she is at critiquing menus. Netgalley reviewer

Book 15 in the Key West series, paperback edition of THE MANGO MURDERS, is in bookstores now!

USA Today bestselling author Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including A POISONOUS PALATE and A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. Join her mailing list right here.