These Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats are the perfect Halloween snacks for a party. This Halloween snack is a great way to bring some fun and festivity to any event.
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Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats
This Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats recipe puts a fun twist on an old classic. Molding them into jack-o-lanterns is also a great Halloween activity for kids.
Get them in the kitchen and let them decorate cooled Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats! I used frosting, but you can create a whole pumpkin decorating bar.
Fill the wells of a cupcake tin with fun candy perfect for decorating Halloween treats. Some of my favorites include:
- Spooky Halloween Sprinkles
- Red Hot Cinnamon Imperials
- Candy Gummy Worms (like the worm is coming out of the pumpkin)
- Tootsie Rolls (as pictured for a stem)
- Skittles, for a rainbow fun carved pumpkin
- Licorice rope
- Specialty Halloween Candies
- Candy Corn
Rice Krispie Pumpkins
I love real, homemade Rice Krispie treats. Ever since the pre-packaged treat became available no one makes them from scratch anymore.
It is really a shame. They are a lot less sweet and lot more chewy. Your jaw might be sore after chowing down one. I can probably down an entire tray myself. I’m not proud of that (or am I….)
Lucky for us, Rice Krispie treats are classic and easy to make. The varieties of embellishments are endless, but one of my favorites is to add peanut butter!
I used peanut butter because I wanted to cover up any residual taste from the red food coloring and because it enhanced the pumpkin color.
You can also make Caramel Rice Krispie Treats and decorate the same way. Or just go classic with no extra flavors. For more options, think of adding 1 teaspoon of any extract you like to a batch of plain Rice Krispie Treats. Vanilla, Pumpkin Spice, Almond and Hazelnut are my favorites.
Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats are a great kids project, giving them creative license to decorate to their heart’s content.
I’m not very artistic, so my Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats were decorated by the steady hand of my neighbor, but feel free to get assorted frosting colors and make these really pop!
More easy Halloween desserts:
And these Halloween Party Foods!
Questions you might have about how to make Rice Krispie Pumpkins:
Can I make these ahead of time? Sure! In fact, I would suggest it just so they can cool a little. The frosting will melt off if you try to decorate them too warm.
How long will they last? Personally, I think any Rice Krispie Treat snack stays fresh for about 3 days.
How do I store these? At room temperature in an airtight container.
Can I freeze my Rice Krispie Treat pumpkins? I haven’t tried it myself, but I am going out on a limb to say these probably aren’t the best freezer friendly Halloween desserts.
Tools for making Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats:
Non Powdered Latex Gloves – Say what? Non powdered latex gloves are another one of my kitchen essentials. Anytime I chop a hot pepper (jalapeno, serrano, habanero), you risk the oils permeating your skin and it BURNS! They are also great for sticky foods, like making Rice Krispie treats!
Wooden Spoons– great for stirring anything sticky. I buy them in bulk and when they start to get yucky, I toss them. Make yours last longer by hand washing!
Heavy Bottom Sauce Pan– this will be one of your most used kitchen tools. Having something that is heavy bottom will distribute heat better and prevent burning whether you are using an electric or gas range.
Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- 6 cups Rice Krispies
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 10 ounces mini marshmallows
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 12 drops red food coloring , may vary depending type
- 4 drops yellow food coloring , may vary depending type
- 12 Tootsie Roll Midgees
- Desired Frosting Colors for Decorating
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan melt butter and peanut butter over medium heat for 3 minutes stirring with a wooden spoon. Add marshmallows and food coloring. Continue to stir until marshmallows are melted and sticky like glue. A wooden spoon is important here because the mixture will stick less to this surface.
- Remove from heat and stir in Rice Krispie cereal. Blend well.
- Although I highly recommend wearing powder-free latex gloves, you can also use wax paper to mold the warm mixture into round balls.
- Push a tootsie roll into the top for the stem. The heat from the pumpkin will create a malleable material so the tootsie roll can be gently bent. Ridges in the tootsie roll create a natural and woody effect.
- Allow pumpkins to cool completely, then decorate with frosting.
I made these as squares instead of the pumpkins, but I loved the peanut butter flavors. Will be making them again for Halloween.
May I use salted butter?
Sure can!
These were fantastic fun for my kids. I gave them trays of colored sugar and icing tubes and let them go to town decorating. Perfect for a rainy day activity. And they were delicious, so added bonus! I didn’t have tootsie rolls, so I just used extra frosting on the tops for stems.
These were so good. I never thought to add flavor to rice krispie treats. Trying the caramel next.
How many does THis Recipe make??
It makes 12.
This is so cute, I will definitely be making it
These are just too stink in cute!