Raise your hand if you’re a sucker for a sweet treat. *Hand shoots up.*

If you have a sweet tooth like we do, then you probably have lots of favorite desserts coming to your mind right now. From brownies to cookies and ice cream, our mouths are starting to drool. They’re all just so yummy!

If we had to choose just one, we might go with the ever-popular Rice Krispies Treat. The marshmallow-y goodness mixed with the crispy cereal is a classic. There’s just something about the ooey gooey and crunchy delight that dances on our taste buds and makes us want another. And another and another.

Thinking about Rice Krispies Treats makes us wonder how and when they even got started. Allow us to take a trip down history. A very sweet history.

The history of the Rice Krispies Treat

The first recipe similar to a Rice Krispies treat appeared in a cookbook 1918, though it wasn’t called a Rice Krispies treat then. Known as “Puffed Rice Brittle,” the recipe was then followed by yet another recipe called “Puffed Wheat Squares,” in a book written by Lucy Maltby. The recipe called for ingredients such as cereal, butter, sugar, molasses and vinegar.

So how did it actually become the Rice Krispies treat? Well, one day, a Campfire Girls troop leader, Mildred Day, was trying to come up with a way to raise money for her summer camp and activity programs. She came across the Puffed Rice Brittle recipe and decided to give it a few modifications. In place of the molasses and vinegar, she wanted to keep things cost-effective and added her Campfire Girls Marshmallows in their place.

The result? Pure magic. They became an absolute hit, even getting its own claim to fame as a recipe on the back of Rice Krispies boxes in 1941. Rice Krispies treats still remain a sensation today, be it served at your kid’s birthday party to if you’re eating it as a midday snack when you’re craving something sweet.

While you can be convenient and purchase a pre-packaged Rice Krispies treat, the recipe to make them from scratch has remained pretty simple throughout all these years. With just a handful of ingredients like Rice Krispies, marshmallows and butter, really anyone can make Rice Krispies treats—even the worst of bakers!

If you’re looking for something a bit (a BIT) more challenging, and possibly even more delicious, you need to try this spin on the Rice Krispies treat. These are especially going to be a hit for any peanut butter lover out there.

Appropriately called the Reese’s Rice Krispies treat, this recipe takes the classic Rice Krispie’s treat and adds a touch of pizzazz with peanut butter and Reese’s peanut butter cups. Add some cereal, chocolate chips and a few other ingredients, and you’ve got one delicious dessert that anyone will enjoy.

Best of all, just like your regular Rice Krispies treat, the recipe is super simple to make. Don’t believe us? Check out this step-by-step instructional video below and learn how to whip up these treats in no time.

Are you a Rice Krispies treat fan? Would you ever try this peanut butter version? What’s your favorite simple dessert to make?