Welcome to Food/Drink Week at Milwaukee Record, brought to you by Woodman’s Markets. From May 11 through May 18, belly up and enjoy adventurous, odd, and elaborate coverage of all things edible and drinkable in Milwaukee and beyond.

Adding to the unending abundance of excellent bars, restaurants, breweries, and distilleries that serve up exceptional food and drinks in and around Milwaukee is the growing number of specialty retailers that stock their shelves with quality consumables that locals and visitors can enjoy at home. Some shops offer artisan cheeses, meat, and other locally sourced fare. Others sell hard-to-find goods from specific corners of Europe and Asia. A few have a sprawling selection of beer, wine, and spirits to suit any palate. And one place—exactly one place—in the region sells only Rice Krispies Treats.

That magical place is Carrie’s Crispies (7122 W. Becher St., 414-858-8228). The West Allis treats retailer opened its brick and mortar store in 2020, following five years of growth and success as a vendor at farmers markets and other pop-up shop opportunities.

Calling itself “the first dedicated Rice Crispie Treat company in the Midwest,” Carries stocks its shelves in its quaint current shop (a new, larger location is in the works a couple miles down the road on National Ave.) with dozens of different crispies options, most of which are gluten free and nearly all of which are unique.

The selection has something for most any preference, including popular options like Peanut Butter Cup, Puppy Chow, M&M, S’mores, and the nostalgic Original.

Beyond those crowd pleasers, Carrie’s also bakes up a number of…let’s call ’em “unconventional” offerings for more more adventurous crispie chompers. Jelly Doughnut? Yep! Dirt Cake? You know it! Amaretto? Yes, actually!

Each Crispie (weighing about 4.25 ounces in most cases) runs $4. You can also get four for $15, and there’s a register-adjacent scrap bin where smaller, less presentable pieces can be had for a buck apiece. We recently dropped by Carrie’s Crispies for the very first time with the mission of spending $20 (before tax and tip) on the most unusual flavors of the approximately 60 crispie types the store had in stock. Here’s what we picked and what we thought!

Banana Split

While it’s an inventive flavor for sure, the Banana Split crispie is a group project where one component’s involvement drags everything else down with it. That underachiever is none other than the banana-flavored portion. Has anything made with artificial banana flavoring ever been good? I struggle to think of a time where that’s been the case. The strawberry and chocolate-tinged thirds, as well as the sporadic chunks of chocolate chips, all do their part to salvage things, but the fake banana flavoring simply dominates this. If you like yellow Laffy Taffy, this might be for you. If you don’t, then I’d recommend a different crispie from Carrie’s collection.

Strawberry Margarita

My cat Biscuit wasn’t wrong for being interested in the Strawberry Margarita crispie. It’s good! The split-level dessert starts with a sweet, strawberry-forward taste, which gradually invites a subtle sour and citrus-y kiss conveyed by lime extract and a surprisingly nice salt accent. When those flavors combine, this creative crispie manages to somehow ably replicate the flavor of a strawberry margarita and also be a legitimately enjoyable Rice Krispies Treat. I fully recommend it!

Maple Bacon

If you’re the type of person who considers bacon to be their spirit animal (or you know someone who has made the enjoyment of bacon a significant part of their personality), give this one a shot! The maple is the mainstay here, and it definitely plays well with the sticky marshmallow to forge a flavorful foundation. Admittedly, the bacon components—bacon extract and butter rendered bacon salt—bring a synthetic smokiness to the crispie that kind of loses me a little, personally. That being said, it’s still worth a try, especially if you and/or someone you’re buying a treat for happen to call bacon “meat candy” or own a “keep calm and bacon” T-shirt or whatever.

Orange Dreamsicle

The instant I bit into the Orange Dreamsicle, I immediately questioned why I would ever consider it to be a so-called “unusual flavor” while I was browsing the selection at Carrie’s Crispies. In hindsight, this absolutely makes sense as a flavor, as the “orange” cereal tastes an awful lot like Fruity Pebbles, Froot Loops, and even a bit like Blue Moon ice cream (which is also a flavor at Carrie’s). It’s bright, sweet, and it complements the mallow. The decision to incorporate white chocolate chips pushes this over the edge and makes the Orange Dreamsicle the number one flavor I had during this Carrie’s visit by a pretty wide margin. Get this one if you see it on the shelves.

Pineapple Jalapeno

You’re crazy for this one, Carrie! While I’ve covered some unconventional rice cereal-based terrain so far, the Pineapple Jalapeno is the first Carrie’s Crispie I would consider to be a “stunt flavor.” I say that because it’s kind of just…there. The pineapple flavor is inert, if even present at all. Meanwhile, a general spiciness—not pepper-based, not spice-oriented, just “spicy” for the sake of being spicy—overtakes everything. If you’re looking for a fruit-centric crispie with a little something extra, you’re better off reaching for the Strawberry Margarita. Of the six selections, this is one of just two I have no plans to finish eating later.

Chocolate Reaper

You know what…I’m gonna just say “pass” on this one. Yeah, pass. Pass! As I prepared to open the Chocolate Reaper crispie to sample at home, I noticed the warning label for the first time. “You will most likely experience sweating, hiccups, burning mouth…and the list goes on.” I think that list’s continuation implies some, um, intestinal matters. It’s also not recommended for children or those who are pregnant.

Though I’m neither pregnant nor a child, I am a 41-year-old dude with places to be, people to see, and insufficient time to be on the toilet when the reaper has its revenge on me. I’ve done plenty of eating challenges for this site, but I’ve learned I call it quits when “we recommend gloves when handling this crispie” is on a product’s label. If you’re a bolder person than I am and/or you’re looking for a gift for that heat seeker in your life, take a gamble. We wish you luck, and make sure to tag #chocolatereaper on Instagram if you want to document your experience.

Epilogue

It’s both super weird and absolutely wonderful that the Milwaukee area is home to a store that specializes in making and selling one thing and that thing happens to be Rice Krispies Treats. I’m honestly glad a store like Carrie’s Crispies exists in West Allis. Beyond the one I didn’t like and the other I was too frightened to try (for now…maybe I’ll clear our calendar for an eventual Patreon video), I thought even their flavors I deemed to be the most “unusual” were still clever and, in many cases, quite good. I’m excited to go back to try more popular and, yes, more normal varieties sometime that I won’t eat for article fodder.