The Gasparilla spirit is in the air with the famous Tampa parade just a day away. However, it is easy to get caught up in all the excitement while the floats parade by and the pirate ship blasts its cannon, and not notice how hungry you have become. Here’s an easy treat to make to bring with you as you watch the parade.

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter
• A saucepan
• A measuring cup
• A large bowl
• Vegetable/Olive oil
• 1 box of rice krispies cereal
• 1 bag of marshmallows
• M&Ms
• (optional) Hershey’s chocolate syrup for decorating

Steps:

1.  Melt the stick of butter in the saucepan with your oven on low-heat.
2. Get the bag of marshmallows and pour some in (I usually do about half a bag).
3. Melt the marshmallows until there are no lumps. Stir while it melts.
4. Pour 6 cups of Rice Krispies cereal into the marshmallows. Stir until the cereal is while coated. Take it off the heat.
5. Wait about 5-10 minutes for the cereal to cool, then coat your hands in a light layer of oil so the marshmallows don’t stick.
6. Grab the treat and role it into a ball, then lightly squeeze it between the palms of your hands. It should take the form of a rectangle
7. Repeat #6 once more, then gentle press the sides of the two rectangles together enough that it sticks, but not enough that there is no room in between them for the M&Ms.
8. There will be a pocket inside the Rice Krispies treat, fill it with however many M&Ms to represent the treasure.
9. Decorate it with chocolate syrup and M&Ms to your own taste.

The treasure chests were a little more frustrating to make than other recipes I have tried, but the end result was worth it. The treat was extremely buttery, which is a good thing in my opinion, and the M&Ms melted nicely onto the cereal. The only thing you should pay attention to when making this treat is to make sure the cereal isn’t on the stovetop for too long, as it will begin to burn and give your end product a scorched flavor.

I enjoyed the process as it was much faster to cook than most of the other treats I have made, but that is mostly due to the fact that I didn’t have to put it in the oven. Now, I have a tast

y treat for Gasparilla.