The minute I saw the recipe for these, I knew I had to make them for our middle guy and his Nutella-lovin' tastebuds. And I got it in just under the wire, whipping them up a couple of hours before he left for his summer internship in DC, so that he got to take a little last minute care package with him. Whew! Holding on to "good mom" status by the skin of my teeth!!

Who among us does not have a soft spot for the Rice Krispie treat, that staple of school parties, bake sales and afternoon snacks? You can practically define your childhood by them, right? These are perhaps a little bit more adult (although I'm sure that little ones would love them too) but still just as easy to whip up!

I mean, really, how could adding Nutella and chopped nuts to the original brilliance of the rice krispie treat be a bad thing?!! Crispy and chewy with the added crunch of chopped toasted nuts on top and that amazing Nutella flavor in each bite, these take the traditional treat to even greater new heights!

And the timing for these easy-to-make treats seems so right too, what with all the summer picnics, BBQ's and lazy summer days upon us. All you have to do is keep the ingredients for these on hand and in only a matter of minutes you can sink your teeth into one. Perfect when you need a no-bake, last minute dessert! Make them today for all your Nutella-lovin' peeps!!

Nutella Rice Krispies Treats

Makes 16 squares

Prep Time:  10 minutes

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
• 6 cups toasted rice cereal
• 10 ounce bag marshmallows
• 1 cup Nutella or other hazelnut spread
• Toasted, chopped hazelnuts or almonds for garnish

The Recipe

1.  Grease a 9-inch square baking pan with butter. Set aside.

2.  Place the cereal in a large mixing bowl. Place the butter and marshmallows in a medium skillet and place over low-heat. Whisk until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth, about 7-8 minutes. Stir in the Nutella, combine well and then quickly pour the mixture over the cereal in the bowl, stirring well with a large spoon. Don't dawdle here, because the mixture will harden almost immediately and become very thick and hard to work with. 

3.  Turn the mixture out into the prepared pan and press down spreading it out so that it's in an even layer. Scatter the chopped nuts across the top and press down on them lightly so that they stick. Let cool for about 10 minutes or so. Then cut into bars and serve. If not eating right away, make sure to wrap these well and store them at room temperature so that they don't dry out.

Enjoy!

Note:  Recipe adapted from The Sprinkles Baking Book by Candace Nelson. The original recipe calls for chopped toasted hazelnuts but I didn't have any in the house and subbed in chopped almonds instead which tasted great.