Christmas Tree Rice Krispie Treats are the delightful treat that kids love. Hardly any work at all and a crowd favorite every time!
Last minute Christmas parties or school events — they happen to all of us, no matter how busy we might already be during the busy holiday season. I’m not going to lie, when it happens, this food blogger often defaults to Rice Krispies treats. They’re a quick, no-bake solution to the dish-to-pass conundrum and can be dressed up in so many ways.
These Christmas tree Rice Krispie treats have become my go-to during the craze of the holidays when I need to make that last-minute treat to share.
Rice Krispie treats, in general, are SO easy to make (ridiculously easy), they’re okay for my nut-free kids, and they’re relatively neat. Meaning when my toddlers eat them, I won’t have to change their clothes.
Or their teacher won’t have to spend 10 minutes cleaning up the table. And chairs. And the floor. If you’re a parent or a teacher, you totally get my point.
Dressing Rice Krispie treats up as Christmas trees? Well, that’s just a stroke of genius, even if I say so myself. It’s barely any more work, but the final treats are a total delight for kids — and let’s be honest, for adults, too.
Christmas Tree Rice Krispie Treat Ingredients
Making Christmas tree Rice Krispie treats is a cinch! To get started, you will just need a few simple ingredients:
- Rice Krispies: Classic Rice Krispies cereal is the basis of these no-bake Christmas treats.
- Butter: Unsalted butter works best for Rice Krispie treats, so they stay nice and sweet.
- Marshmallows: Mini marshmallows melt down a little easier, but any marshmallows work.
- Food coloring: Green food coloring to create the green of the trees is a must.
- Sprinkles: Fun Christmas-inspired sprinkles or candy to decorate the trees.
- Pretzel sticks: Mini pretzel sticks are used as the trunk of the tree.
How to Make Christmas Tree Rice Krispie Treats
I’ve seen a couple of versions of Rice Krispie treat Christmas trees, but they’ve all been cone-shaped, which can get a little tricky and fussy to make.
These Christmas tree Rice Krispie treats are way easier to make, and I’d argue that they are easily just as cute as the alternate cone-shaped version.
The process is as easy as dying them green, cutting them into triangles, and sticking a pretzel stick in them. The hardest part is getting the pretzel stick not to break.
Seriously, that’s the hardest part. I think you can handle this. Also – gentle but firm pressure is the key to the pretzel sticks.
Plus, if you break any, you have two options: a shorter tree trunk or a delicious pretzel snack.
I’d say this is a win-win situation, wouldn’t you?
Instructions
- Spray a 9×13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large pan, melt butter and marshmallows while stirring constantly over medium-high heat.
- Once the marshmallow butter mixture is nice and smooth, add green food coloring and mix.
- Remove from the heat, stir in Rice Krispies, and mix until cereal is coated.
- Press evenly into your greased pan, then sprinkle with sprinkles.
- Allow to cool for 30 minutes, then cut into triangles (see pattern above for efficiency!).
- Insert a pretzel stick into the base of each triangle to form the tree trunk.
My kids adored these — they were absolutely obsessed. They did turn their mouths green, but that’s part of the fun!
They also turned other things green, but maybe we won’t talk about that. Okay, good.
More Festive Christmas Treats to Make
You’ll love these treats too — and so will your family!
- If you’ve got a few extra minutes on your hands and you really want to impress the other parents at the school Christmas party, give these sandwich cookie snowmen a try.
- Another quick and easy holiday treat is this cookies and cream fudge. Holiday Oreos give it a fun and festive color.
- If you’re looking for more of a chocolate fix, these Santa hat brownies are pretty close to the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
- These reindeer cupcakes definitely are putting up some strong competition for the cutest holiday treat. (Let’s just eat both and call it a tie, okay?)
Now there’s no excuse for not being that mom that brings darling treats into school. Well, besides kids, sleep, and general life craziness.
Those are all fantastic excuses. But you can definitely handle these adorable Rice Krispie treat Christmas trees. You can do it!
Tip: Learn if Rice Krispies (and Rice Krispies treats) are gluten-free.
Christmas Tree Rice Krispie Treats Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 10 ounces Marshmallows 1 package, about 40, or 4 cups mini marshmallows
- Green Food Coloring
- 6 cups Rice Krispies
- Sprinkles
- 20 Small Pretzel Stick
Instructions
- Grease or spray a 9×13-inch pan and set aside.
- In a large pan, melt butter and marshmallows over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Once it almost smooth and melted, add green food coloring little by little until you achieve your desired tree color. Once completely smooth and perfectly green, remove from heat and stir in Rice Krispies. Continue to stir until all the cereal is coated.
- Press evenly into prepared pan (I always spray my hand with nonstick cooking spray to do this, but you can also use a piece of wax paper). Immediately sprinkle with sprinkles. Let cool for at least 30 minutes.
- Cut one cut down the middle of the pan (the long way). Then, cut each of those rows into triangles (you should have 4 scraps leftover, one at each side of each row).
Notes
- Typically I advocate for pressing Rice Krispie treats into the pan very lightly. With these trees, press them in a little more firmly so they hold together well and keep their shape.
Monique
Monday 23rd of December 2024
Christmas Tree Rice Krispie Treats sounds perfect for the holidays, cooking home-cooked meals is a great way to bond but also getting together with the children and making fun sweets is even better. Thanks for sharing.