Searching for a spook-tacular treat that is sure to bring a smile to your keiki this fall? These gluten-free rice cereal treats are a fun, easy, and relatively inexpensive Halloween dessert! Bonus points: they can be made allergy-friendly, nut-free, and safe for sharing with most friends at school. If you are short on time, purchase already prepared plain rice cereal treats and move on to the decorating portion of this recipe.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter (plus more for greasing your pan and spatula)
- 1 10 oz package of marshmallows or about 6 cups of miniature marshmallows
- 6 cups rice cereal
For decorating (optional)
- Popsicle sticks or straws to place as a holder in treats
- White chocolate candy melts or white chocolate chips
- Oil-based food coloring
- Edible candy eyes or other candies
- Piping bag or small plastic sandwich bag snipped at the end
Directions
- Prepare your pan. Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with parchment paper and butter pan or spray with nonstick spray.
- In a hefty-sized saucepan, melt butter over low heat.
- Once the butter is melted, add in all of the marshmallows and stir until everything is melted.
- Remove the pan from the heat, turn off the burner, and add rice cereal to your pan. Stir well to coat all the cereal with melted marshmallows.
- With a spatula lightly coated in butter or nonstick spray, transfer your rice cereal mixture into the prepared 9 x 13-inch pan. Try not to press too hard as the cereal could compact and become harder to chew.
- Cool treats to room temperature on the counter.
- When treats are cooled, cut into desired square sizes. Poke a popsicle stick or half straw into each treat and set aside.
- Melt 1-2 cups of white chocolate candy melts or chips over a double boiler, being careful not to let your water boil—a gentle simmer is best. Or, you can microwave on a low setting in a microwave-safe bowl for 30-second increments, stirring as you go.
- Once the chocolate is melted, dip or smear chocolate onto rice cereal treats with a spoon, creating a design of your choosing. At this point, add in oil-based food coloring if using. (Note: regular liquid food coloring will seize your melted chocolate, while oil-based coloring should create a smooth finish.)
- Place candy eyes on top of chocolate-coated rice cereal treats and any other candies before the chocolate sets.
- To create a two-dimensional mummy design, coat the rice cereal treat in one layer of melted chocolate, add candy eyes on top, and let it firm up fast in a three to five-minute burst in the freezer before piping more white chocolate in a thin line back and forth across the top.
