Rice Krispies Christmas trees are an easy, fun and festive holiday treat! These cute trees can be decorated in lots of ways and will be a hit with kids and adults alike!
Funny this Rice Krispies Christmas trees recipe is going live on the blog today because I made them AGAIN yesterday for my daughter's bake sale.
I let her pick the treat we would make and she chose these, without hesitation. They're fun, they're so tasty and you can get crazy with the decorations. ❤️
Plus, they are super easy to make so I was happy to help her in the kitchen. In fact, I suggested we make a double batch so we didn't have to give them all away.
These cute trees are a different holiday take on my Rice Krispies Christmas wreaths, which have a long, long history in my family. We make them every single year. A kid and adult favorite for sure.
Today though we're doing these fun trees and they are even easier than the wreaths, really.
First off though, I should point out, mine are flat. (I mean, I know you can see that in the photos, but I wanted to explain.)
I didn't realize until a couple of years ago that other people make a similar thing and create cylinders for a more 3D type of tree.
That's cool. That also seems like a lot more work. And since I'm not really crafty and I'm not looking for more to do at the holidays, I'm sticking with my classic.
These Christmas tree Rice Krispies are mixed on the stove to get the marshmallows melted and colored green, then the cereal is stirred in. Then you pour the mixture into your greased pan, just like you would do with regular Rice Krispie treats.
Add some sprinkles, let them cool down, then cut and enjoy. No shaping, no getting sticky hands and clumps of green goo all over you.
Just really easy.
But you can absolutely decorate these up! I've got tons of fun ideas for you below.
Recipe Tips & Tricks:
Coloring: Make sure your marshmallows are completely melted before you start adding drops of the food coloring. Start with 7-8 drops and add more to get it to the right color.
Cutting: After you press the mixed rice krispies into your pan and let them set up, you'll need to cut them into tree shapes. Start with a line cutting your pan in half down the longest side to give you two long rectangular shapes. Next cut diagonal lines to make tree-shaped triangles. See photo above. (You will have small scrap pieces on the ends of the pans. Those are a fun taste-test for the cook!)
Decorating: There are so many ways to dress up your trees! Any type of white, red, green or mixed sprinkles will work great here. (Or try some special holiday sprinkles.) Other decoration ideas: mini white pearls, small red hot candies, drizzles of melted white chocolate, icing gel, etc.
Just remember to add any sprinkles or candies as soon as you put the Rice Krispie mixture into the pan so that they will stick to your trees and not just fall off.
Tree stump: I use a small thin rod-shaped pretzel for the tree stumps. Insert it about halfway up the tree so you have an inch or so sticking out the bottom. One or two might break on you, just toss those and try again.
You can also dip your pretzels in melted white or regular chocolate for a fun twist. You could try mini tootsie rolls or halved small candies (like Milky Way) but it might be hard to get it inserted so that it'll stick.
I hope you give these a try soon for a yummy festive snack. ❤️
Enjoy and happy holidays!
XO,
Kathryn
Rice Krispies Christmas Trees
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 10 oz. package marshmallows (regular or mini)
- 6 cups Rice Krispie cereal or another crispy rice cereal
- Green food coloring
- 12-15 small pretzels sticks (for the tree stumps)
- Sprinkles and decorations of choice (see notes)
Instructions
- Grease an 8x12 inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside. (See notes.)
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat.
- Add marshmallows and stir until coated in butter. Melt over low heat, stirring occasionally.
- Once marshmallows are completely melted, add green food coloring. Start with 7-8 drops and add more until it's the right color. Stir well.
- Turn off heat and carefully stir in Rice Krispies cereal until it's completely coated.
- Spread the green Rice Krispie mixture into the prepared pan and use a spatula (or your hands) to pat into an even layer. It will be sticky so it helps to spray your hands or spatula with cooking spray.
- Cover the top of the trees with a layer of sprinkles. (You need to do this immediately so they will stick.) Let the Rice Krispies cool for at least 10 minutes to allow them to firm up.
- Cut into tree shapes. Start with a line cutting your pan in half down the longest side to give you two long rectangular shapes. Working with one side at a time, cut diagonal lines to make tree-shaped triangles. (You will have scrap pieces on the ends of the pans. Those are the cook's treat!)
- Repeat on the other side until all the cuts have been made. Let the trees cool completely in the pan. It will look like this:
- Once cooled, remove the Rice Krispie trees to a piece of wax paper and insert a small stick pretzel into the bottom of each one. A firm, steady push helps but one or two will probably break on you.
- Serve immediately or keep in a covered container at room temperature for up to 4-5 days.
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Notes
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Nutrition
Need some more fun and festive holiday treats? I got you.
We love snacking on this reindeer chow at the holidays; it's pretty irresistible! And these cute Christmas treats are perfect for an easy food craft with kids around the holidays.
Some of our favorite cookies include these pretty peppermint chocolate chip cookies and these bourbon chocolate chip cookies.
My kids also always insist we make these gingerbread cookie bars every year.
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