Cookie Trivia: Rice Krispie Treats History (2024)

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Rice Krispie Treats are a no-bake cookie bar made from crisprice cereal (like Kellogg brand Rice Krispies), melted butter or margarine, andmelted marshmallows.

The treats have become immensely popular not only becausethey are delicious and easy to make, but also because variations of theoriginal recipe abound. (Here's the most popular Homemade Rice Krispie Treats recipe.)

Unlike many happy accidents, the treats were intentionallydeveloped.

The First Treats

In 1928 Mildred Day, a recent home economics graduate of IowaState University, was recruited to work for the Kellogg Company in BattleCreek, Michigan. Her job was to test recipes in the company’s kitchens and totravel across the country to conduct cooking schools for Kellogg’s customers.

According to Day’s daughter Sandra Rippie, Mildred and co-worker Malitta Jensen created Rice Krispie Treats. Many believe the recipe was inspired by Puffed Wheat Squares, a recipe in Lucy Mary Maltby’s 1938 cookbook, It’s Fun to Cook, with ingredients that included butter, sugar, molasses, puffed wheat cereal, and vinegar. Marshmallows are less sticky than molasses, Day is reputed to have said about the substitution.

Soon after, Kellogg’s was contacted by a Kansas City-areaCamp Fire Girls organization, who pleaded for ideas for a fundraiser. Kellogg’sdecided to test what it initially called “marshmallow squares” developed byMildred and Malitta. Day took a train to KansasCity where she set up a temporary kitchen. For two weeks,working daily from 6:30 AM to 10 PM, she made batch after batch of the treats. Meanwhilethe mothers of the CampFire girls wrapped thebars and the girls sold them door to door.

The original recipe first appeared on the cereal box in 1941 … andcontinues to do so to this day.

The World’s Biggest Rice Krispie Treat

Image: Hometown Pasadena

In April 2001, IowaState Universityhonored Day’s memory by creating the then-world’s largest Rice Krispies Treat.The project took 8 hours to make, created from 818 pounds of Rice Krispies,1,466 pounds of marshmallows, and 217 pounds of butter. Volunteers made theconfection at the university’s Friley Hall kitchen, and poured the mixture intoa waterproof Plexiglass form that measured 12 feet long, 6 feet wide, and 2feet deep. After it was loaded onto a flatbed truck and weighed in at 2,480 pounds,the Treat was featured in the university’s spring parade, then eventually cutinto pieces and sold.

The record was surpassed in March 2010 when a team ofhundreds of volunteers worked for more than 48 hours to make a 10,460-poundTreat, using 5,000 pounds of Rice Krispies donated by Kellogg's along with7,000 pounds of marshmallows. Slabs ofthe confection were auctioned to benefit La Cañada Flintridge Community Center in California.

Treat Timeline

1928: Rice Krispies cereal is introduced to the public by Kellogg

1939: Kellogg employee Mildred Day and co-worker Malitta Jensen created the Treats, likely inspired by a recipe that used puffed wheat and molasses

1940: Kellogg trademarked the name “Rice Krispies Treats”

1941: the recipe for the Treats first appeared on a cereal box

1940s: Treats became a popular snack to make and mail to service men abroad

1995: Kellogg introduced the first commercially-prepared Rice Krispies squares

2001: The biggest Rice Krispie Treat to date was created at Iowa State University to commemorate alumnus Mildred Day, weighing 2,480 pounds.

2010: Current largest Rice Krispie Treat record holder weighed in at 10,460 pounds, made for fundraiser to benefit the Community Center of La Canada Flintridge in California.

Cookie Trivia: Rice Krispie Treats History (2024)

Get 6 Easy Cookie Recipes from The Cookie Elf

The First Treats

The World’s Biggest Rice Krispie Treat

Treat Timeline

References