Description
These Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats are a fun and festive twist on the classic snack, perfect for fall celebrations. Made with mini marshmallows, butter, and Rice Krispies cereal tinted with orange food coloring, they’re shaped into cute pumpkin balls and decorated with chocolate and green apple-flavored Tootsie Rolls to create stems and leaves. Easy to make and sure to delight kids and adults alike, these treats combine sweet, chewy textures with playful presentation.
Ingredients
Scale
Marshmallow Mixture
- 1 (10-ounce) package mini marshmallows
- ¼ cup salted butter
- Orange food coloring gel (a few drops)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cereal
- 5 cups Rice Krispies cereal
Decorations
- Mini chocolate-flavored Tootsie Rolls (cut in half for stems)
- Mini green apple-flavored Tootsie Rolls (for leaves and curly stems)
Instructions
- Melt Marshmallow Mixture: In a large pot or Dutch oven set over low heat, combine the mini marshmallows and salted butter. Stir often until completely melted and smooth, making sure the mixture does not burn or stick.
- Add Color and Flavor: Remove the pot from heat and stir in a few drops of orange food coloring gel until evenly distributed. Then add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and mix well for flavor.
- Combine with Cereal: Add 5 cups of Rice Krispies cereal to the melted marshmallow mixture. Stir thoroughly until all the cereal is evenly coated with the orange marshmallow mixture.
- Let Cool: Allow the mixture to stand for at least 15 minutes until it cools enough to handle comfortably without sticking excessively to your hands.
- Shape Pumpkins: Grease your hands with butter or cooking spray and shape the mixture into small pumpkin shapes, using an ice cream scoop for uniformity if desired. Place the shaped pumpkins on a surface and let them set at room temperature or refrigerate until firm enough to hold their shape.
- Create Pumpkin Indentations: Use a skewer or paring knife to gently make indentations vertically around the pumpkins to mimic the natural grooved shape of real pumpkins, adding realistic detail.
- Prepare Tootsie Roll Decorations: Cut the mini chocolate-flavored Tootsie Rolls in half to make short stems. Roll out the green apple-flavored Tootsie Rolls with a rolling pin and cut small leaf shapes. Also roll some green Tootsie Rolls into thin ropes to create curly green stems.
- Decorate Pumpkins: Attach the chocolate Tootsie Roll stems to the top of each pumpkin. Arrange the green leaf shapes and curly stems around the top to complete the pumpkin look.
- Store and Serve: Place the decorated pumpkin treats in an airtight container. Store at room temperature or in the fridge until ready to serve.
Notes
- Grease your hands with butter or non-stick spray to prevent sticking when shaping the pumpkin treats.
- If you don’t have orange food coloring gel, you can mix red and yellow gel colors to achieve orange.
- For a firmer texture, refrigerate the shaped pumpkins until set.
- These treats are best enjoyed within 2-3 days for maximum freshness.
- Feel free to customize decorations using other candy or edible markers if desired.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pumpkin treat (approx. 1/14 of recipe)
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 13g
- Sodium: 85mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 10mg
