Reindeer Rice Krispie Treats Recipe Kids Can Make
This time of year it seems like we have Christmas parties and get togethers, or a holiday cookie swap on a daily basis. Instead of running to my local store for Christmas cookies why not make your own?
You only need a few things to make this perfect holiday treat! Homemade rice krispie treats, candy eyes, M&M’s for a brown or red nose, and pretzels.
In my house, we try to have a fun treat each day throughout the holiday season. Today we are going to make these adorable reindeer rice krispie treats!
It’s Christmas Eve and you need quick cookies for Santa? Santa would love a plate covered in these cute little reindeers rice krispie treats! So let’s load up Santa’s sleigh with some yummy treats to take back to the north pole!
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What you need to make Reindeer Rice Krispie Treats
- 6 cups Rice Krispie Cereal
- 3 tbsp Butter
- 5.5 cups Marshmallows or
- Marshmallow Cream
- Candy Eyes
- Pretzels or
- Chocolate Covered Pretzels
- Candy Melts
- Baking Sheet
Optional Supplies:
How to Make Rice Krispie Treats Recipe That Kids Can Make
To start off we are going to make a classic treat, our very own homemade rice krispy treats! The classic version will be sturdy enough to be attached to a popsicle stick or given as a delicious Christmas treat.
Grab a few simple ingredients and you are on your way to an easy Christmas treat your kids can make (or your kids can help with). You will need 6 cups crispy rice cereal, 5.5 cups marshmallows, 3 tbsp butter, a spatula, and a large pot or a large saucepan.
In the past, I have added a small dab (about 1/4 of a tsp) of vanilla extract or peppermint extract to the crispy treat mixture and it came out great. I have also added some mini chocolate chip, sprinkles, or mini marshmallows to the mixture right before I pressed it into the pan a next level to the decorated treats.
Stirring constantly, melt butter and marshmallows over medium heat until the marshmallow mixture isn’t lumpy. Stir, Stir, Stir!
Remove from heat and stir in the 6 cups of rice crispies mixing really well.
Prepare a baking pan or a jelly roll pan by buttering the pan or lightly spray it with cooking spray or nonstick spray. If you are really worried you can add a layer of parchment paper and then butter the paper.
*Pro Tip* Parchment or wax paper will also make it easier to cut by lifting the crispy treats out of the pan and onto a flat surface.
Pour rice crispy mixture into a prepared pan and press down with a spatula into one even layer. You want the rice crispies to be packed down enough to hold their shape. Let the crispy treats set for about an hour before moving on to the next step.
How to Make Reindeer Rice Krispie Treats Recipe Kids Can Make
Once the Christmas rice krispie treats are set and at room temperature, It’s time to cut!
Depending on the size triangle you want and how large your pan is… If you have a large jelly roll pan you may need to cut a straight line 3 times and from there cut zigzags to make triangles. Just pretend that you’re cutting a square pizza.
Gather your M&M’s, mini pretzel, and two candy eyes per reindeer. If you are making a regular reindeer just use a brown M&M as a nose but if you want a Rudolph Rice Krispie Treat you will need to add a red candy nose such as a red m&m.
If you want a regular reindeer then you will need a brown m&m to make a brown nose. If you choose to make Rudolph then the red m&m nose needs to be placed at the bottom point of the triangle. Pretzel antlers going to be placed onto the top corners of the triangle with the corner of a mini pretzel set at a curve. You can also dip the pretzels in chocolate to make some chocolate antlers.
Have fun and make some memories no matter how your kids decorate their Christmas treats. If you are worried about the reindeer treats having 3 eyes and 4 antlers coming out of their head I’d say for best results just hand each child a set or 2 candy eyes and the same does for the antlers. If your child will have delicious treats if they made a Picasso reindeer or a normal looking one. All that matters is that they have as much fun as they can while doing it!
If you are using almond bark to attach the yummy reindeer face you need a large knife and a clean cutting board. Carefully cut the almond bark into smaller pieces so it can be easily melted. Almond bark is my go-to because a brick will go a long way when decorating a lot of Christmas treats. However, if you are looking for candy melts I like the Wilton brand of white chocolate melts. They seem to work the best and reheat with no problem at all.
Melt your candy melts, white chocolate chips, or almond bark in a microwave safe bowl stirring every 10-15 seconds until the chocolate is smooth. If the chocolate burns or seizes up add some oil a 1/2 tsp at a time until the chocolate is smooth again. If that doesn’t work, throw it out and start over again. If you want to use a piping bag or a ziplock bag (with the edge cut off of the ziplock bag for the icing to come out) that would actually be easier to pipe onto the candy.
To attach the reindeer face to the rice krispie treat you will need to either spoon on a dab of melted chocolate onto the back of each eye, pretzels, and M&M’s for the reindeer nose. Candy eyes can be found on Amazon or at your local craft store. Walmart now carries candy eyes on the cake decorating aisle. A small amount of the melted white chocolate (or colored chocolate) will hold eyes onto several reindeer faces.
Regular reindeer will need a brown nose while Rudolph reindeer rice krispies treats will need a red nose. A small amount of melted chocolate can go a long way when attaching the reindeer’s face. Be sure to firmly attach the nose and antlers to the tip of the triangle. There are 3 tips and the nose needs to be on the long side while the antlers go on the shorter triangle side.
Store these in cellophane bags or just an airtight container for longer usage. I use a pyrex glass safe container for storing my rice crispy treats. You can also turn these reindeer triangles upside down and make some Christmas tree rice Krispie treats. No matter what you make these yummy treats are good for any holiday party or any Christmas school events.
