olive oil and fleur de sel crispie treats

The inspiration for these little crispie treats came from three people: Pussycat, Carol, and 2.0. When I was visiting Pussycat last month, she described her hardcore belief that swapping out the butter for olive oil and fleur de del in this recipe was very bourgeoisie. (You could probably leave the couch for a minute to look that up in a dictionary.)

Pussycat said that when she made a version of these in NYC it rocked her world or changed her life, or something. Then a colleague, Carol, gave me some amazing olive oil that was begging to be tested in a few recipes, so that’s what I’ve been doing this week. And since 2.0 refuses to say “fleur de sel,” and yells, “SALT,” every time I say it, I plan to make as many things as possible in the coming months with fleur de sel.

Now, I’m not going to mislead you here. You aren’t going to make these treats and find that they are completely and totally different than the cripsie treats you’ve been eating for years. I didn’t throw fairy dust in there. But I am confident that you will like them. Swapping the butter for olive oil gives a subtle change to the flavour, and the addition of fleur de sel cuts the sweetness a little. Just a tiny, tiny bit. You’re going to add some into the melted marshmallows, and then you’ll sprinkle some on top at the end. That way you’ll get in on some of that salty-sweet action that’s all the rage nowadays. That’s almost a reason to put on real pants and walk away from TLC for a few hours.

Also, I wanted to tell you about the olive oil I used in this recipe. I got it from my oil pusher, Carol. She’s a ballet teacher, and pretty damn funny if you ask me. Anyhoo, she and her husband import olive oil here in Halifax. And this olive oil is the bomb. It’s from Tunisia, and it’s all light and tasty like. Apparently, it’s cold pressed, which means it has more nutrients. That’s probably why I’ve been feeling extra smart these days. It might even explain my new found font fanaticism. Also, you should know that Carol didn’t pay me to say that. Not the font fanaticism thing, the part about how the olive oil is awesome. I just figured that you might want a lead on some tasty stuff. Click here to visit Carol’s website – and you can find Carol’s husband at the Halifax Seaport Farmer’s Market most weekends. Check ’em out!

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Olive Oil & Fleur de Sel Crispie Treats

recipe: inspired by Bobbie Marchand, adapted from The Original Treats (Kellogg’s Rice Krispies)

print, make and eat

Yields one 9 x 13 baking dish full of tasty treats.

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 package (10 oz. or about 40 marshmallows) regular marshmallows or 4 cups of mini marshmallows
• heaping 1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel, divided
• 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Grease a 9×13 baking dish and a spatula.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over low heat. Stir in the marshmallows and continue stirring until completely melted and smooth. Don’t be tempted to raise the heat under your pot – slow and steady wins the race (and you don’t want to fry those lovely marshmallows).

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in a heaping 1/4 teaspoon of the fleur de sel and the cereal. Once combined, quickly spread into your prepared pan. Use the greased spatula to spread the crispie treats evenly into the pan, and press firmly down. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of fleur de sel (or more, to taste) over top of the treats.

Let cool, and cut into squares.