Description
These festive Christmas Tree Rice Krispie Treats are a fun and easy holiday snack that combines classic marshmallow rice cereal squares with colorful green food coloring, pretzel stick trunks, and decorative sprinkles. Perfect for parties, kids, or holiday gatherings, they come together quickly with simple ingredients and are sure to delight.
Ingredients
Scale
Base Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 16 ounce 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 (to taste)
- 4 ounce white chocolate, melted
Instructions
- Prepare Pan: Lightly grease a 13×9-inch baking dish or line it with parchment paper and set it aside to prepare for the mixture.
- Melt Butter and Marshmallows: In a large pot over low heat, melt the 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Add the marshmallows and stir continuously until completely melted and smooth.
- Add Flavor and Color: Remove the pot from heat. Add 3 drops of green gel food coloring and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, folding gently to combine.
- Combine Cereal: Fold in 5 ½ cups of rice krispies cereal until each piece is evenly coated with the marshmallow mixture.
- Press into Pan: Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and press gently into an even layer without packing too firmly to keep treats soft.
- Set the Treats: Allow the rice krispie treats to set at room temperature for at least one hour so they firm up properly.
- Cut Shapes: Once set, slice the treats horizontally in half, then cut each piece into triangle shapes to resemble Christmas trees.
- Melt Chocolate and Decorate: Melt white chocolate according to package directions. Carefully insert one pretzel stick at the base of each triangle to serve as the tree trunk. Pipe melted white chocolate onto each tree, then decorate with Christmas sprinkles.
- Serve and Enjoy: Allow the chocolate decorations to set before serving. Enjoy your festive and delicious Christmas Tree Rice Krispie Treats!
Notes
- Use fresh marshmallows and rice krispies cereal for best flavor and texture; stale ingredients result in less tasty treats.
- Store completed treats in an airtight container at room temperature to keep them fresh for up to one week.
- Press the mixture gently into the pan to avoid making the treats too hard; over-packing results in dense treats instead of soft and chewy ones.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 treat
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 110 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
