Christmas Rice Krispie Treats
These Christmas tree rice Krispie treats are such a fun way to dress up a classic treat for the holidays! They’re molded into little Christmas trees, dipped in colorful chocolate, and decorated with festive sprinkles. They’re simple to make, fun to decorate with the kids, and perfect for sharing during the Christmas season!
Easy Christmas Tree Rice Krispie Treats
Let me tell you, if there is one thing that I know how to make, it’s a delicious rice Krispie treat. My original homemade rice Krispie treats are classic, but I wanted to make them festive for Christmas. I came up with these adorable Christmas tree treats that are perfect for the holidays. Not only are they divine, but they also are completely customizable and easy to make. I’ve listed everything you will need to make these in the post below.
The Cowboys’ Rating: 10/10
Every time I make a new recipe, I have my family rate the recipe out of 10. By the time, these recipes make the blog, they’ve been tried and tested by some of my hardest tiny critics!
Helpful Ingredient Tips
- Rice Krispie Cereal – I’m not too picky when it comes to choosing the cereal for this treat. I usually just buy the generic brand crisp rice cereal.
- Vanilla – I prefer to use pure vanilla rather than vanilla extract. It has a richer flavor rather than the flavor you get with vanilla extract.
- Salted Butter
- Marshmallows – This is a controversial topic, but I don’t think it matters if you use mini marshmallows or large marshmallows. Either will work just fine.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk – My SECRET ingredient to the BEST Rice Krispies ever. It makes the softest, chewiest, most divine rice Krispie treats you’ve ever had. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT, skip this part.
- Chocolate Candy Wafer Melts – I found these white candy wafers at Walmart. You can find many different colors online or you can add food coloring to the white chocolate when melted.
- Holiday Sprinkles – This is not necessary, but if you want these Rice Krispies to look extra, add some fun sprinkles. Here’s a little tip, if you go to the bakery section and ask for some sprinkles, they will give you some cute holiday sprinkles for cheap.
Tools You’ll Need
- Large Stock Pot
- Spatula
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Christmas Tree Silicone Mold – I found these on Amazon and this is what I used for this recipe.
Christmas Tree Rice Krispie Treats Recipe
- Add the candy wafers to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until completely melted and smooth.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of melted candy wafers into each silicone mold. Use the back of a spoon to spread the melted chocolate evenly across the bottom of each mold.
- Place the molds in the refrigerator until the candy coating has completely hardened.
- In a large stockpot, melt butter over medium low heat.
- Once butter is melted, add in marshmallows. Gently stir frequently until all marshmallows are melted.
- Remove from heat and add in vanilla and sweetened condensed milk. Stir until well combined.
- Fold in Rice Krispie cereal and stir until well coated.
- Remove the molds from the refrigerator and spoon the Rice Krispie mixture into each mold. Press down firmly to fill each mold evenly and create a compact tree shape.
- Return the molds to the refrigerator for about 45 minutes, or until the treats are fully set.
- Carefully pop each Rice Krispie tree out of the silicone molds.
optional decorating
- Melt additional candy wafers in a microwave-safe bowl, using 30-second intervals and stirring until smooth. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of each Rice Krispie tree.
- While the chocolate is still wet, add your favorite Christmas sprinkles or other festive decorations.
- Allow the chocolate to harden completely before serving or packaging for gifts.
Tips for Decorating Christmas Tree Rice Krispie Treats
- The first thing that you are going to want to do is melt your chocolate and pour it in the molds so that it can harden while you are mixing together the rice Krispie mix.
- Smooth finish: When the Rice Krispie treats come out of the molds, they’ll be smooth and fully set. To get the decorated look pictured, melt additional candy melts or chocolate and drizzle it over the top of each tree.
- Use different colors: I love using green, red, and white candy melts to give each tree a fun Christmas look. You can use any combination of holiday colors you like!
- Add sprinkles: Add Christmas sprinkles, mini M&M’s, or small candies while the melted chocolate is still wet so they stick.
- Drizzle with contrasting colors: Once the first layer of chocolate has set, melt another color and drizzle thin lines across the trees for a fun decorated look.
- Use a piping bag: Transfer melted chocolate to a piping bag or a small zip-top bag with the corner snipped off. This makes it much easier to control the drizzle and create neat lines.
- Let them set: Allow the chocolate to fully harden before stacking or packaging the treats so the decorations don’t get smudged.
Gluten Free Monster Rice Krispie Treats
This recipe can be adapted to make it gluten free by switching out the Rice Krispie cereal. Below are a few gluten free cereals that would work for this recipe:
Nature’s Path Organic Gluten Free Rice Cereal
365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Brown Rice Crisps Cereal
How to Store Christmas Tree Rice Krispie Treats
Room Temperature: Store the Rice Krispie treats in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Place parchment paper between layers to keep the chocolate decorations from sticking together.
Refrigerator: You can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. However, I recommend room temperature storage for the best soft and chewy texture.
Make Ahead: You can make these a day or two ahead of time. Let the chocolate decorations fully set before placing them in an airtight container.
How to Package Christmas Rice Krispie Treats for Gifts
These Christmas tree Rice Krispie treats make such cute homemade gifts! Here are a few easy ways to package them:
- Individual treat bags: Place each Christmas tree in a clear cellophane treat bag and tie the top with a festive ribbon.
- Treat boxes: Arrange a few trees in a small bakery box lined with parchment paper. These are perfect for neighbor gifts or holiday goodie boxes.
- Christmas tins: Place the treats in a festive tin with parchment paper between each layer to keep them from sticking together.
- Add a gift tag: Tie on a little Christmas tag with ribbon for an easy homemade gift.
Make sure the chocolate is completely set before packaging. I also recommend keeping each treat in its own bag or separating them with parchment paper to protect the decorations.
Loaded Rice Krispie Treats
If you love Rice Krispie treats, I have a few other delicious variations you should try! Here is a list of the different recipes I have!
- Snickers Rice Krispie Treats
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
- Reeses Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
- Fruity Pebbles Rice Krispie Treats
- Smores Rice Krispie Treats
- Oreo Rice Krispie Treats
Try More of My Easy Recipes
Christmas Tree Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 16 oz. marshmallows
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 10 cups Rice Krispie cereal
- 16 oz colored chocolate candy wafer melts (plus more for decorating)
- sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Add the candy wafers to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until completely melted and smooth.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of melted candy wafers into each silicone mold. Use the back of a spoon to spread the melted chocolate evenly across the bottom of each mold.
- Place the molds in the refrigerator until the candy coating has completely hardened.
- In a large stockpot, melt butter over medium low heat.
- Once butter is melted, add in marshmallows. Gently stir frequently until all marshmallows are melted.
- Remove from heat and add in vanilla and sweetened condensed milk. Stir until well combined.
- Fold in Rice Krispie cereal and stir until well coated.
- Remove the molds from the refrigerator and spoon the Rice Krispie mixture into each mold. Press down firmly to fill each mold evenly and create a compact tree shape.
- Return the molds to the refrigerator for about 45 minutes, or until the treats are fully set.
- Carefully pop each Rice Krispie tree out of the silicone molds.
Optional Decorating
- Melt additional candy wafers in a microwave-safe bowl, using 30-second intervals and stirring until smooth. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of each Rice Krispie tree.
- While the chocolate is still wet, add your favorite Christmas sprinkles or other festive decorations.
- Allow the chocolate to harden completely before serving or packaging for gifts.
