In honor of Memorial Day and the start of (hopefully) sunny, warm days, we thought a few of our kids’ favorites were in order to kick off the long weekend. This slight twist on an old favorite is a big hit for all the kids and adults in our life. My son served these to his class to celebrate his 8th birthday and both of his teachers asked me for the recipe. We call them “Perfect Squares” because they have just the right balance of chewiness and crispness. Plus, my husband, who doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth, can’t get them into his mouth fast enough.     ~ Anna

ingredients

5 tsp vegetable shortening (Spectrum Naturals Organic All Vegetable Shortening, Plain or Butter Flavored), plus extra for greasing

6 cups chocolate crispy rice cereal (Nature’s Path EnviroKids Koala Crisp Cereal)

1 tsp gluten-free vanilla  (Nielsen Massey’s Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla)

1 (12-oz.) bag marshmallows

1 cup chocolate chips (Enjoy Life)

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the shortening. Add the vanilla and the whole bag of marshmallows. Stir until the marshmallows lose their shape. Turn down the heat to low and stir in the cereal until combined. Spread the mixture into a 9×13”  greased pan using a slightly greased spatula. Press down to flatten. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top and press them into the pan using your spatula. Let cool for at least 1 hour and serve.

Serves 8-10

Total time: 15 minutes

*Try swapping the crispy rice cereal with granola, omit the chips and mix in freeze-dried strawberries, blueberries or raspberries. After it cools, use your kitchen scissors to cut them up into very small bite sized squares.

* If your child can eat it, mix in some ground-up flax for extra nutrients.

*  Always read the labels on packaged marshmallows, especially gourmet brands as sometimes they contain eggs.