Christmas Rice Krispie Treats Recipe

Rice Krispie Treats are fantastic on their own, but when you add festive chocolate and sprinkles to them, they look (and taste) even better. The classic Rice Krispies cereal turned into such a sweet snack with the invention of the Rice Krispie Treats bar, and to know the bar is to love it. These gooey delights not only come complete with one of the best and most nostalgic cereals of all time, but the added butter and marshmallows make them all the more delicious.

Recipe developer Catherine Brookes of Blue Sky Eating came up with this fun and festive way to enjoy the classic bars. "I love how easy it is to add a fun Christmassy twist to a classic Rice Krispie Treat," Brookes says. "These are always such a crowd-pleaser and so easy to make with no baking required!" We love that there is no baking involved, yet you get such a scrumptious snack. If you're in the same boat, keep reading to find out how to make these festive delights.

Are you ready to get started? If so, you will need to make a grocery list and head to the store to pick up the necessary ingredients to make these sweet treats. Luckily, you won't need to get a lot, and you may already have a lot of the ingredients at home.

Start your trip to the store with butter and mini marshmallows. Then, be sure to swing by the baking aisle, and grab some vanilla extract. Of course, you will also need to get Rice Krispies cereal, Christmas sprinkles, and red and green M&Ms. Once you have all of the items in your cart, you can check out, and head home.

Now that you have all of your yummy ingredients ready to go, you can get started on the actual prep work. First, take out a 9x9-inch square baking pan, and grease it to prevent anything from sticking. As another layer of protection, line the pan with parchment paper. "Greasing and lining the pan makes it much easier to remove the slab [of Rice Krispy Treats] from the pan," Brookes shares. "You can simply lift the paper up, and the slab comes with it." Then, set the pan to the side, as you will need it shortly.

Next, grab a large saucepan, and place it on your stovetop. Crank up the heat to medium, and add in the butter. Continue cooking until the butter melts. This should only take about five minutes or so.

Once your butter turns from solid to liquid, you can continue with the recipe. Go ahead and toss in the mini marshmallows, and stir with the butter until they are completely melted. This should take about five minutes.

Then, take the pan off the heat, and add in the vanilla extract. Stir through to combine everything together. The vanilla extract definitely adds another depth of wonderful sweetness to the marshmallow and butter mixture.

Now, it's time to introduce the star of the show: the Rice Krispies cereal. Add it about ⅓ at a time, making sure to stir after each addition. Then, add the Christmas sprinkles, followed by the red and green M&M's. Be sure to stir and evenly distribute them through the mix so you don't have too much chocolate on one side. 

Then, spoon the mixture into to the prepared baking pan, and smooth it down into a compacted and even layer with the back of your spoon. Add the remainder of the M&M's on top.

Once you finish adding the rest of the M&M's, stick the Rice Krispie Treats in the fridge for two hours. When your two-hour timer goes off, use the parchment paper to lift the slab out of the pan. Then, slice the Rice Krispie Treats into 12 even bars. If you'd like to make the servings smaller or larger, feel free to do so!

As far as serving suggestions are concerned, Brookes says, "You could dip them in melted chocolate or eat with ice cream!" Of course, they're just fine on their own, too. She also recommends storing these at room temperature for up to four days. (That is, if everyone doesn't devour them in one sitting!)