Rice Krispies Dipper Treats

Last Wednesday night was Annika's (3) turn to take snack to her Rainbows class at church.  She had originally just told me she wanted to take fruit snacks, but I talked her into helping me make something more fun than that.  I had seen this recipe in both my Taste of Home and Parents magazines and thought it would be a great treat for kids.  Annika agreed and was more than happy to help me make them.

Two notes:  Some of the bars may not want to stay on the sticks too well...you just have to smush them around the stick as well as you can.
Also, I thought there was a tad too much oil for the chocolate - it set up okay but was quick to get soft and melty again at room temperature, so next time I'll just use about a teaspoon of oil.

Unfortunately, I don't know how the treats were received by the children, as Annika had to leave class before snack was served due to an accident I'll detail below.

Recipe: (from Rice Krispies)

3 T. butter or margarine
1 (10 oz) package regular marshmallows
6 cups crispy rice cereal
18 wooden ice cream sticks
1-1/2 cups semi-sweet or white chocolate morsels
1 T. canola oil (can and will use less next time)
Multi-colored sprinkles (optional)


In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat.  Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted.  Remove from heat.  Add cereal.  Stir until well coated.
Using buttered spatula or wax paper, press mixture into a greased 13 x 9" pan. Cool.  Cut into 18 3x2 inch bars.  Push one stick into the bottom of each bar.
In a small microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate and oil.  Microwave on high for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.  Dip bars into chocolate (or drizzle over each bar) and decorate as you like.  Place on wax paper. Refrigerate until chocolate is set.

SO.  What happened to Annika?

Apparently she thought it would be fun to climb on top of a bookcase in her classroom (have no idea what got into her, she normally doesn't behave like that.....really.) and when her teacher caught sight of her and told her to get down, she turned around and jumped off, catching her lip on the bookcase somehow and ripping her frenulum in the process (the piece of tissue that connects the upper lip to the gum).

  Ouch.

Grant had to bring her and the other kids home and decided to take her to an urgent care clinic to see if she needed stitches.  (I'm just glad he didn't even suggest stitching her up himself, like he did with his own injury a couple of years ago.)  Two and a half hours later they returned home....no stitches, no shots, as she was proud to tell me, just some saline solution to rinse with several times a day and a prescription for an antibiotic as a precaution, along with instructions to follow up with her pediatrician in a couple of days. 

Would you believe that in 7-1/2 years with four children, this is the FIRST time any of my kids has been on antibiotics?  It's true!  We have been blessed with very healthy kids.  Plus the fact that we home school and they're not around other kids all day every day probably helps.  And breastfeeding for a year each certainly doesn't hurt.  

Anyways, poor Annika's biggest regret about all of this is not the terrible tasting liquid antibiotic she has to take twice a day or the discomfort of her injury - it's that she missed getting one of her Rice Krispy Dipper Treats at class.  I promised her we'll make another batch soon.  

And at her follow-up appointment today, the doctor said she's healing great and will be as good as new in a few days.  I'm really glad mouths heal quickly.  

And I'm really glad she couldn't really see her injury, because then she would have reacted MUCH more dramatically.