Recipe Rice Crispy Treats

Local Entrepreneur Turns Sour Market Into Sweet Treats

When the real estate market started to head south, then-33-year-old Nikki Lewis of White Marsh knew she had to find a new business.

"I’ve always been an entrepreneur," said Lewis, who owned a real estate investment company with her husband Tre for eight years.

"When the market turned we were on the wrong end. We sold our last property and I was looking for a new business to get into," she said.

Lewis knew just where to look: her childhood.

"I have always loved making Rice Krispie treats—I made them with my mom as a kid," she said. "I've been to fancy restaurants and gotten dessert, but when I’m at home I always make Rice Krispie treats."

In June 2009 the down-on-her-luck ex-investor started testing different recipes for marshmallows in her home kitchen. One of her secrets? Beef-based gelatin. Lewis doesn't eat pork, and wanted to find an alternative way to make her marshmallow.

"Making that marshmallow from scratch just tasted so good," Lewis said.

After meeting with food scientists at Ticgums in White Marsh to learn about shelf life, Lewis decided on all-natural ingredients for her treats, which she called "Mallow Munchies," a name that stuck. 

Lewis started selling her treats—huge blocks of crisped rice held together by homemade marshmallow either plain, topped with chocolate, caramel, or filled with a variety of "mix-ins" like roasted pumpkin seeds and cranberries—at the Owings Mills farmers market.

"I went there just to get feedback from people and find out if this could be a viable business for me," Lewis said. "The feedback was extremely positive and I just expanded the business from there."

When Lewis says that "she" expanded the business, she means it. The operation is pretty much just one woman, she said. Although she gets a great deal of support from her family, it's Lewis who makes the 500 or 600 treats, each roughly 3 inches by 4 inches by 3 inches in size, each week in a rented commercial kitchen space.

S'mores Rice Krispie Treats Recipe | Two Peas & Their Pod

This week we celebrated National S’mores Day-yes, there is an actual day, by making S’more Rice Krispie Squares. I found the recipe on Tasty Kitchen and fell in love. I have already made them twice:) They are super easy to make and you don’t even have to turn on the oven. I love no-bake treats during the hot summer months.

I love S’mores and make a treat similar; I use cocoa krispies and less chocolate chips inside. When cool I top with chips, put under the broiler for 1 minute, spread it out and top with mini marshmallows. After broiling until brown, I fold the whole thing in half – the mess is inside, but you get all the deliciousness of gooey marshmallows oozing out!

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