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These festive Halloween Rice Krispie Treats are perfect for parties, treat bags, and after-school snacking. Start with a basic recipe and customize them with frosting and candy to create your favorite characters.
Meggan’s notes
Moms have been making Rice Krispie treats as long as the cereal has been around, so why do so many versions go awry? I never thought a culinary education would help with things like cereal bars, but my lessons in candy-making have been insightful, to say the least!
The secret to a soft and chewy Rice Krispie treat is to melt the butter and marshmallows together slowly and gently over low heat rather than trying to race through the job. I also learned that when it comes to Rice Krispie bars, large marshmallows work better than small marshmallows.
But my best tip of all is to add a splash of vanilla to your marshmallow mixture. This adds warmth and a deeper flavor of sweetness without just adding straight sugar. I swear it makes all the difference!
To transform these Rice Krispie bars into fun Halloween treats, just use your favorite store-bought frosting and candies to create whatever characters or creatures you like. And if life gets hectic, just buy Rice Krispie treats and decorate them! No shame in the shortcut, and the decorating part makes an excellent project for kids at a Halloween party. Life is all about creating moments, and sometimes you need a shortcut to get there.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Butter: I keep salted butter on hand, so that’s what I always use.
- Marshmallows: For best results, use standard (large) marshmallows instead of mini marshmallows.
- Vanilla: This is the secret ingredient that really makes the recipe POP.
- Rice Krispies: This recipe works with other cereals besides crispy rice cereal such as Chex, Cheerios, and cornflakes.
- Decorations: Keep things easy with store-bought orange frosting or green frosting and candy eyes. If you really want to go all out, you can color your Rice Krispie mixture to match your decorations (such as green Rice Krispie bars for the Frankenstein monsters or orange for the pumpkins).
Step-by-step instructions
- Butter a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven (at least 5 quarts) over medium heat, add butter and cook until melted, about 3 minutes. Continue cooking butter, stirring constantly, until the milk solids turn golden and the butter darkens slightly, about 5 to 7 minutes longer. Do not walk away as you want the butter to brown, not burn and turn black.
- Reduce heat to medium low and add marshmallows to the pot. Stir until the marshmallows have melted into the butter completely and the mixture is smooth, about 5 to 7 minutes (aim for a gentle melting and softening process).
- Turn off heat and stir in vanilla. Add the cereal and use a large spatula to stir gently until the cereal is evenly coated.
- Pour into the prepared pan and press down gently (but don’t try to pack them in too tightly). Cool at least 30 minutes, then cut into rectangles.
- Decorate with frosting and candy to create your favorite Halloween characters.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe will make 16 tall pieces (or less or more depending on how you cut them).
- Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Chocolate: Instead of frosting, melt white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments, stirring gently after each, until melted. Dip your bars in the melted chocolate and let harden (or drizzle or pipe it over the top).
- Colorful candy: To lighten your decorating load, skip the frosting and stir in orange, yellow, and brown M&Ms, or use Halloween-themed sprinkles. Or, top with candy corn.
- Scotcheroos: A Midwestern classic, Scotcheroos are peanut butter-flavored Rice Krispy treats with a chocolate-butterscotch topping. They are unbelievable!
Frequently Asked Questions
Be sure to melt your butter and marshmallows gently over low heat. High heat can lead to rock-hard krispies.
The secret to the best rice krispie treats is a splash of vanilla in the marshmallow mixture.
There is enough butter in this recipe that a good nonstick pan should release the bars easily. However, if you’re worried about it, just line your baking pan with parchment paper or use nonstick cooking spray.
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Halloween Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks) plus more for buttering the pan
- 2 (12 ounce) bags marshmallows (see note 1)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 12 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- White Frosting for decorating (see note 2)
- Orange Frosting for decorating
- Green Frosting for decorating
- Candy Eyeballs for decorating
Instructions
- Butter a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. In a large stockpot or Dutch oven (at least 5 quarts) over medium heat, add butter and cook until melted, about 3 minutes.
- Continue cooking butter, stirring constantly, until the milk solids turn golden and the butter darkens slightly, about 5 to 7 minutes longer. Do not walk away as you want the butter to brown, not burn and turn black.
- Reduce heat to medium low and add marshmallows to the pot. Stir until the marshmallows have melted into the butter completely and the mixture is smooth, about 5 to 7 minutes (aim for a gentle melting and softening process).
- Turn off heat and stir in vanilla. Add the cereal and use a large spatula to stir gently until the cereal is evenly coated.
- Pour into the prepared pan and press down gently (but don't try to pack them in too tightly). Cool at least 30 minutes, then cut into rectangles. Decorate with frosting and candy to create your favorite Halloween characters.
Notes
- Marshmallows: For best results, use standard (large) marshmallows instead of mini marshmallows.
- Frosting: If you don’t want to buy orange or green frosting, make some by mixing vanilla frosting and food coloring.
- Yield: This recipe will make 16 tall pieces (or less or more depending on how you cut them).
- Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
What did you use for the black hair and face on the monster and for the brown on the pumpkin?
Hi JG, it’s precolored frosting that comes in a tube like this: https://www.target.com/p/black-writer-icing-1-3oz-favorite-day-8482/-/A-81917980#lnk=sametab. Thank you so much for writing! – Meggan