They’re bursting with flavor but still really low-calorie!
Every two or three months, I frantically phone my favorite hair stylist, practically begging her to snip off my billions of split ends. Yes, I realize most ladies regularly schedule hair appointments for six-week intervals, but I’m too easily distracted by perfecting recipes for cookies and brownies and forget to set aside the time. Thankfully, my angelic stylist always manages to squeeze me in the same day I call, and she greets me with a smile as I pull open the door.
I first discovered her shop about three years ago, and it’s the first salon where I felt completely comfortable the second I walked in. She decorated her small, two-seat space with cozy olive green paint and classy gold embellishments, stacking the waiting area seats with squashy pillows and a Lego table for kids. (I always want to play with it myself!)
Even more importantly, the stylist is real. No thick layers of make-up or posh designer clothes or perfectly curled highlighted hair. A motherly character, full of warmth and love, she usually turns the radio to the classical station, and the soft notes of Beethoven and Bach (the composers of my high school concert band days!) comfortably swirl throughout the store.
She originally called me “Amy the Chemist,” but after my career change, she now inquires how my baking is going whenever I visit. She typically suggests something fancy to try—French macarons, Scandinavian princess cake, tiramisu—and even offered to lend me her favorite dessert cookbook during my last haircut.
We chitchat while she measures and snips (well, until she plugs in the blow dryer), and after she brushes each strand and lays it in place, she always compliments me with her thick Middle Eastern accent, “You have such beautiful hair! The color, the texture… Just beautiful.” By the time I reach my car, I’m positively glowing.
Just like every visit to her salon, these special rice krispie treats are sweet and comforting. Although they resemble the classic squares, these low-calorie bars hide a fun flavor twist. Juicy strawberries stud each square, providing a bright burst of flavor against a delicious cheesecake background, but they’re still really light: only 86 calories each!
Although they sound elegant, these Strawberry Cheesecake Rice Krispie Treats are so simple; you only need 5 ingredients to make them! Rice krispies, marshmallows, butter, strawberries, and instant pudding. That’s it! Even with this short list, make sure you set out everything before beginning because the process goes rather quickly.
I always add in extra marshmallows compared to the classic Kellogg’s recipe. More marshmallows = extra gooey. Nobody enjoys dry rice krispie treats, and mixing in more marshmallows always prevents that. I usually opt for mini marshmallows because they’re easier to measure, but jumbo-sized ones will work just as well.
The instant pudding mix provides all of the cheesecake flavor. I chose a box of sugar-free to keep the calorie count lower, but whatever you normally stash in your pantry is fine. Not a fan of cheesecake? Try white chocolate, lemon, or even chocolate fudge—all of those flavors pair perfectly with strawberries!
Although I really enjoy fresh berries, my wallet complains about their out-of-season price tag during the winter. To avoid its whining, I picked frozen strawberries for this recipe—just like with these chewy granola bars—so you can make these all year round! The fruit adds a lot of moisture to the rice krispie treats, which turns them soft and chewy. These will NOT be hard and crunchy like typical rice krispie treats, but I actually like that a little better. The super crunchy ones tend to hurt my gums when I bite into them, but not these!
Look at that gorgeous color! The perfect shade of Valentine’s Day red, these skinny Strawberry Cheesecake Rice Krispie Treats still taste like summer—sweet, juicy, and fun. With their soft chewy texture, every gooey bite will bring a smile to your face… And your tummy!
These soft, chewy treats are full of flavor and so easy to make! They’re best if eaten the same day they’re made, but you can store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Lightly coat an 8”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray, and set aside.
- In a large pot, melt the butter or margarine over medium-low heat. Add in the marshmallows, stirring constantly with a spatula until melted. Stir in the instant pudding until completely incorporated.
- Turn off the heat, and stir in the cereal and diced strawberries until they’re entirely coated with the marshmallow mixture. Gently press the cereal mixture into the prepared pan. Cool to room temperature before slicing into squares.
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To be honest, I should get a haircut soon as well haha. My undercut has gone wild and I’m starting to look like a lion :–( It it so difficult to schedule appoinments with school, training and recipe developement though!
These bars look so delicious! Strawberry cheesecake is a favorite of mine, and a skinny version is always welcome 😉 Love these! xx
Thanks Consuelo! It’s so true; scheduling hair appointments is hard. I originally went to this stylist just because she was the only one in town open past 5 pm, and she gladly waited around in her store until 7 pm when I finished work and classes. I feel so fortunate to have found her, so hopefully you can find someone with hours like that too! 🙂
You know I have a love for rice krispie treats! As simple as they are, they are one of my most favorite desserts! Must be the kid in me!
I love the ‘grown up flavor’ of these – even though I know my kids would totally love them, too! They are just … special! 🙂
I understand how you feel about your hairstylist! I found mine about 9 years ago, and followed her to her new salon and spa – which she opened herself (which is doing awesome!). I have to book my appointments a year in advance so I get the times I want! Of course, by the time go every 12 weeks (yeah … it’s a long time. I’m working on growing out my hair!) I’m ready for her to just take the clippers to it. I say, ‘Just shave it off! I’m sick of it!’ And she just looks at me and smiles and starts chatting away. And by the time, I leave I’m feeling fabulous – and I still have my hair! Good stylists are something to hold on to!! 🙂
I think that’s one of the best qualities of rice krispie treats — they’re SO simple! They’re basically my guy’s all-time favorite dessert too, so I really love how quickly I can make them for him. 🙂 That’s wonderful about your hair stylist and her new salon! I’m working on growing out my hair again too; I’ve done Locks of Love twice and haven’t been able to grow it past the middle of my upper arms since then. I’ve heard that cutting it more frequently helps, which would make sense with the amount of split ends I get between cuts. I hope you have more luck growing your hair out Gretchen!
Thanks for the recipe it looks good!! Is there a way to replace the pudding mix (I may not be able to find it)
Thanks Julie! I don’t know of a good way to replace the pudding mix, but if you can find other flavors (vanilla, chocolate, etc.) you could try substituting those. Or if you didn’t mind strawberry rice krispie treats (without the cheesecake flavor), that’d be fine too. The pudding mix mainly provides a fun background flavor, but the recipe will still work without it!
I was excited to make these after finding the recipe on pinterest. However, after following the recipe to the letter, the results were disastrous. Instead if being “soft and chewy” they turned out completely soggy, like I could ring them out like a wet towel soggy. Perhaps too much fresh fruit. I will try these again because the concept is so intriguing, but I am going to attempt using dried strawberries.
I’m sorry they didn’t turn out the way you expected Lacey; that must have been disappointing. I hope your next batch turns out exactly how you’d like!
These tasted pretty good but the texture is all wrong. They are soggy. It’s from the strawberries, I’ll try them again sometime but I’ll use dehydrated strawberries instead. I’m sure they’ll turn out better that way.
I’m glad you enjoyed their flavor Jen, and I hope that you like the ones made with dehydrated strawberries better!
Hiya Amy—
I used Strawberry Preserves and the treats came out wonderfully, The fresh or frozen strawberries are often too watery, as others have commented. Hint: use a high quality preserve; the cheap stuff tastes cheap.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these treat TJ! Thanks for sharing your insights — that’s great to know! 🙂