Holiday Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats
If you’re looking for a fun, delicious and EASY Christmas treat to make with your kiddos, this holiday Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats recipe is the one!
Who doesn’t love rice krispie squares? They take me right back to my childhood, which I love. One of my favorite parts of being a registered dietitian is teaching parents and kids to embrace the joy that food can bring and the memories that it can create. That’s right – food isn’t just valuable from a nutrition perspective, it can also create connection, trigger positive memories, make you feel good and help you celebrate! We often place value on foods strictly based on nutrient quality, which, quite simply, can suck the joy out of eating (not to mention perpetuate diet culture). Are rice krispie treats nutritious? Well they are a source of carbohydrate, which helps to fuel our body, as well as some micronutrients, but no—we aren’t really eating rice krispie treats to improve our nutrition. And that’s ok!
Mix and Match this Rice Krispie Treats Recipe
What I’ve noticed is that there aren’t many holiday-inspired Rice Krispie treat recipes out there, so I decided to create one. It’s simple and delicious and tastes like Christmas! Out of all of the holiday cookies and treats we’ve made, these ones go the fastest (with my kids anyways). Because we are such chocolate fans around here, I decided to make it a chocolate rice krispie square and add in crushed candy canes and holiday m&ms (these add-ins are optional and you can switch them up if you like!). I also sprinkled a bit of sea salt on them at the end which was the best idea ever. Dark chocolate + sea salt is my favorite!
I used full-size marshmallows because that’s all I had, but I would probably recommend using mini marshmallows instead. I melted butter and the marshmallows over medium heat in a sauce pan, added semi-sweet chocolate chips and cocoa powder and then threw in the rice krispies. I then added crushed candy cane, and m&ms, and then transferred the entire mixture over to a greased 9 X 11 glass baking dish. One thought I had was that I could have rolled out the mixture and cut it into holiday shapes with cookie cutters. Something to try at home if you’d like! But if you’re in a rush like me, the old fashioned baking dish works great.
Holiday Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats
this holiday Chocolate Rice Krispie Treat recipe is the one!
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter
- Bag of mini marshmallows about 6 cups worth
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- heaping 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
- 7 cups rice krispies cereal
- 1/3 cup crushed candy cane
- 1/3 cup holiday m&ms
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt optional
Instructions
- Line a 9X11 baking dish with parchment paper or foil (or coat with butter like I did)
- In a large pot, add the butter, marshmallows and cocoa powder. Turn the heat to medium high, and melt while stirring continuously. Once melted, stir in chocolate chips and mix well until melted.
- Add about 80% of the crushed candy canes and m&ms (or Smarties) to the mixture and blend well.
- Add the rice krispies cereal to the pot gradually (one cup at a time, continuously stirring. It will be an ooey gooey mixture!
- Press the warm mixture into the baking dish, using buttered hands to flatten it evenly.
- Sprinkle the remaining 20% of the candy on top, as well as the sea salt, and then let rest for 2 hours before cutting and serving!
Sarah Remmer, RD, is a registered dietitian and mom of three, specializing in family and pediatric nutrition. She’s the founder of Centred Nutrition Collective and has nearly 20 years of experience helping families feel confident about feeding their kids.
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