Description
These festive Christmas Tree Rice Krispie Treats are a fun and easy holiday dessert that combines crispy rice cereal with gooey marshmallows, green food coloring, and festive decorations. Perfect for holiday parties or family gatherings, they are decorated with white chocolate, pretzel sticks for tree trunks, and colorful sprinkles for a cheerful touch.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 16 ounces marshmallows (1 bag)
- 3 drops green gel food coloring
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 ½ cups rice krispies cereal
Decorations
- 12 pretzel sticks
- Christmas sprinkles
- 4 ounces white chocolate, melted
Instructions
- Prepare the Dish: Lightly grease a 13×9-inch baking dish or line it with parchment paper and set aside. This will make it easier to remove the treats once set.
- Melt Butter and Marshmallows: In a large pot over low heat, melt the butter completely. Add the marshmallows and stir continuously until they are smooth and fully melted, creating a sticky, gooey mixture.
- Add Coloring and Cereal: Remove the pot from heat. Stir in the green gel food coloring and vanilla extract evenly. Fold in the rice krispies cereal carefully until all cereal pieces are thoroughly coated with the marshmallow mixture.
- Set the Mixture: Pour the cereal mixture into the prepared baking dish. Use a spatula or your hands (lightly greased) to press the mixture gently and evenly into the pan. Avoid pressing too firmly to keep the treats soft.
- Let Treats Set: Allow the Rice Krispie treats to stand at room temperature for at least one hour to firm up.
- Cut into Tree Shapes: Once set, slice the treats horizontally in half to reduce thickness, then cut into small triangles to resemble Christmas trees.
- Decorate Trees: Melt the white chocolate according to package instructions. Insert one pretzel stick into the base of each triangle to serve as the tree trunk. Pipe melted white chocolate onto each tree and sprinkle with festive Christmas sprinkles. Allow the chocolate to set before serving.
Notes
- Use fresh marshmallows and rice krispies cereal for the best flavor and texture. Stale ingredients lead to stale treats.
- Store leftover treats in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
- Press the mixture gently into the pan to keep the treats soft. Pressing too firmly can make them hard.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 treat
- Calories: 190
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 15mg
