How to Make Rice Krispie Treats Out of this World

Name: Earth Day Rice Cereal Treats
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 16
Ingredients: 6 CUPS Puffed Rice Cereal; 3 TBS Butter; 4 CUPS Marshmallows; Sprinkles; Food Coloring - Blue and Green

May 19, 2020 by Emma 3 Comments

Thanks to the pandemic, we were homeschooling on Earth Day. I decided to have some fun and make a dessert with the boys as a way to celebrate. Food coloring and sprinkles turned plain old Rice Krispie Treats into an Earth Day dessert that was out of this world delicious!

If you’re looking for a great book to read for Earth Day, definitely check out Earth: My First 4.54 Billion Years. This adorable book is J’s favorite and is loaded with fun Earth facts and colorful pictures for the kids to enjoy.

Earth Day Rice Krispy Treats with Earth My First 4.5 Billion Years Book via muddybootsanddiamonds.com

Yield: About 16

Earth Day Rice Cereal Treats

Food coloring and sprinkles turn a classic dessert into a fun way to celebrate Earth Day!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

6 CUPS Puffed Rice Cereal
3 TBS Butter
4 CUPS Marshmallows
Sprinkles
Food Coloring - Blue and Green

Instructions

Flat Lay of Rice Krispie Treat Ingredients cereal butter marshmallows butter food coloring sprinkles

1. Divide 6 cups of rice cereal into 3 separate bowls.

2. Add 10 drops of food coloring two of the bowls. Stir gently to coat the cereal. Add more food coloring a few drops at a time to get the desired color.

3. Melt 3 TBS butter in a large pot.

4. Add 4 cups of marshmallows, stir to melt. (This part always seems to take forever!)

5. Take the pot off heat. Mix in rice cereal then sprinkles.

6. Spread the cereal mixture into a greased pan.

7. Allow the treats to cool.

8. Cut and enjoy!

Notes

I used sprinkles that came with the frosting that I used for J's outer space birthday cake (I used different sprinkles for that). You can use any sprinkles that strike your fancy!
For this recipe, I used Campfire Marshmallows, which are made in a peanut/tree nut-free facility. They were Giant Roasters, but I measured out 4 cups and it worked just fine!
Serving sizes will depend on the size of your baking dish and how big you cut the pieces.

For another fun recipe, check out my Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats. Even candy corn haters love them!

ROLO Pretzel Turtle Bites (Peanut Free!)

October 15, 2019 by Emma Leave a comment

One thing about Food Allergy Life is that you learn to make your own versions of recipes that typically contain an allergen. I’m learning how to make my own Chinese dishes since take out at those restaurants isn’t safe for peanut allergies. Desserts are another area that I find myself making at home so that L can enjoy them too.

I love the combination of nuts and chocolate. Unfortunately, so many store-bought candies are either made with peanuts or have “may contain” warnings on the wrapper, making them unsuitable for L. And finding tree nuts without peanut warnings has almost been like finding a needle in a haystack.

Mini Pretzels and Foil Wrapped ROLO candies on a silicone mat

Turtles candies — the yummy caramel-pecan goodness covered in chocolate — are one of the candies I often miss. I got lucky last year and came across peanut-free pecans and ROLO Pretzel Turtle Bites was the first recipe I thought of making with them. They’re super simple, making it a quick treat to have on hand. The addition of pretzels gives these bites a nice salty crunch.

ROLO Pretzel Turtle bites on a silicone baking mat

Rolo Pretzel Bites

An easy to make treat and a yummy peanut-free alternative to Turtles candies.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword Chocolate, Peanut Free, Pretzels, Quick

Author Emma

Ingredients

1 bag Rolos
Mini Pretzels
Pecan Halves

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 250°
Arrange mini pretzels on a sheet pan. (Using a silicone mat or parchment paper will help make clean up a breeze!)
Unwrap the Rolo candies from their wrappers and place one on top of each pretzel.
Warm in the oven for 3-5 minutes. Candies will be soft, but not melted.
Immediately place 1 pecan on top of each Rolo, pressing it down into the candy.
Cool at room temperature.
Store in an air-tight container.

Recipe Notes

I place the candies in an air-tight container and put them in the fridge to make them last longer. If you like a softer bite, let them thaw out a bit on the counter before enjoying.

These ROLO Pretzel Turtle Bites are easy enough for your kids to make. I had L help me unwrap the candies and place them on the pretzels. It was good fine motor skill practice for him. We may or may not have eaten a few ROLOs while we worked (he was SO EXCITED about this treat!).

ROLO Pretzel Turtle Bites in a bowl

To make ROLO Pretzel Turtle Bites peanut-free, you’ll need to make sure the ingredients you’re using don’t contain any peanut ingredients or warnings on the label. I use the following brands when I make these:

Peanut-Free Pretzels

Peanut-Free Pecans

San Saba Pecans

If you don’t want to make a big batch, you can also make these ROLO Pretzel Turtle Bites in the microwave! This is perfect if you have better self-control than I do and only want to make one or two 😉 Just place the desired number pretzels on a microwave-safe plate, place a ROLO on top, and heat them up for about 10 seconds. Place the pecan half on top and enjoy once it sets!

RELATED: Candy Corn Rice Cereal Treats

Super Easy and Addictive Halloween Rice Krispie Treats

October 16, 2018 by Emma 4 Comments

I remember the first time I had candy corn Rice Krispie treats. A co-worker made them for a Halloween potluck and I couldn’t stop eating them! Up until then, I had never thought to add candy to this classic childhood dessert. I’m not a huge fan of candy corn but they actually work really well in these. It’s the only way I enjoy candy corn now.

I don’t think I’ve made them since L was born as candy corn isn’t a very allergy-friendly treat. It was a year or two after his peanut allergy diagnosis before I learned of any brands that made peanut free candy corn.

I was so excited to learn that Dollar Tree sells bags of peanut free candy corn made by Coastal Bay at this time of year. L was finally able to try a Halloween staple for the first time last year and he loves it!

Now that I know where to go for candy corn, I bought a bag last week and finally made candy corn Rice Krispie treats for the boys. They didn’t even last 24 hours! This is a recipe I’ve been itching to share with you all for a while now, and I’m so happy I can offer up a version that has peanut free candy.

FOOD ALLERGY NOTE:

The ingredients you use will depend on YOUR comfort level. At the moment we go by label reading and do not call brands to learn more about their manufacturing/cleaning processes. Not all families are comfortable with that. If you have any food allergies or intolerances, please use ingredients/brands that you are comfortable with when making these cereal treats.

Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats

Elevate this classic childhood dessert with candy corn candies. These super easy and addictive Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats are sure to be a hit at your next Halloween party or potluck!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Candy Corn, Marshmallow Treats

Author Emma

Ingredients

3 TBS butter
12 oz marshmallows 1 bag of jumbo size or 4 cups of mini marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1 bag of candy corn

Instructions

Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir to melt completely.
Remove from heat and add cereal and candy corn. Stir to combine.
Using a buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into a pan coated with cooking spray.
Allow the mixture to cool then cut into smaller pieces.

Recipe Notes

If you're not a huge candy corn fan, you can chop up the candies into smaller pieces.
A 13x9-inch pan is recommended, but I used a 7.5x11 which made them thicker.
I put the pan into the refrigerator to help them cool quicker, but when you do this you’ll have to take the treats out and come up to room temperature a bit before cutting them.
These will keep in an air-tight container for a couple of days -- if they last that long!

Who sells peanut-free candy corn?

I like to buy our candy corn from the Dollar Tree now (they also sell peanut free candy pumpkins!), but Jelly Belly is also a big supplier that is peanut free as well as YumEarth Organics.

Do you like adding candy to your Rice Krispie treats? What’s your favorite?

Easy Summer Recipes to Please a Crowd

May 15, 2018 by Emma 2 Comments

Spring seemed to take forever to get here in Virginia, but I’m already thinking about summer: making dinner on the grill, Memorial Day, 4th of July, family reunions, beach vacations, and backyard BBQs with friends.

If you follow me on Pinterest, you may have noticed one of my favorite things to pin is recipes. Being a mom who is juggling school schedules, doctor and therapy appointments, extracurricular activities, and a part-time job, I’m always on the lookout for EASY recipes to make my family.

Easy is also good when you’re hosting a gathering or need to feed a crowd. I don’t think that these easy summer recipes I’m sharing with you today will disappoint.

The easy summer recipes in this roundup are by members of the Influential Mama Network, a members-only Facebook group made up of mom influencers (bloggers and social media).

Patriotic Fruit Bars

Fruit Popsicles via Healthy Happy Thrifty Family — via Healthy Happy Thrifty Family

These fruit popsicles from Healthy Happy Thrifty Family use coconut milk and fresh fruit for a healthy way to keep cool this summer. They’re perfect for Memorial Day or the 4th of July if you’re looking for something red, white, and blue!

Strawberry Mango Salsa

Cut up mangoes and strawberries to make this easy salsa. It goes really well with grilled chicken — or as a snack all on its own!

Pineapple Mint Water

via Sweet Tea & Baby Brie

Ice water can get pretty boring. Sweet Tea & Baby Brie helps shake things up a bit with her recipe for Pineapple Mint Water. It’s a flavor combo I would never have thought to try, but want to now that I know about the bonus health benefits of pineapple and mint! It definitely sounds like a refreshing drink on a hot summer day.

Easy Bacon Ranch Deviled Eggs

I cannot host a party without deviled eggs. New Mom at 40‘s Bacon Ranch Deviled Eggs sound delish, and she has tips on how to make easy-to-peel hard-boiled eggs. (Also how awesome do those fresh eggs look? I wish I had it in me to raise my own chickens!)

Caprese Toast Points

Fresh tomatoes are one of my favorite things about summer. If they’re also a summer favorite of yours, or if you’re growing your own and are looking for a way to use them up, check out these Caprese Toast Points from Jasper and Willow.

Strawberry Mango Salsa

April 26, 2018 by Emma 12 Comments

The weather is getting warmer which means I’m incorporating grilled foods into our dinner rotation! One of my favorite dinners during the summer is grilled chicken, and last year I discovered how much I loved eating it with mango salsa.

Strawberry-Mango-Salsa-Onion-Lime-via-Muddy-Boots-and-Diamonds

I’ve been playing around with different mango salsa recipes, but today I’m sharing a strawberry mango one. It not only goes well with chicken, but tacos, tortilla chips, or even on its own as a snack.

Strawberry-Mango-Salsa-via-Muddy-Boots-and-Diamonds

Strawberry Mango Salsa

Strawberry Mango Salsa is a great topping for grilled chicken for a light summertime meal or on its own for a healthy snack!

Course Salad, Side Dish

Keyword Fruit Salsa, Mango, Salsa, Strawberry, Summer Salsa

Author Emma

Ingredients

1 cup strawberries about 3-4 large strawberries
1 cup mango about 1 large mango
3 TBS red onion finely chopped
1 TBS lime juice freshly squeezed
1 TBS Fresh Cilantro chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Chop strawberries and mango so they are roughly the same size.
Chop red onion and cilantro. I tried to chop it so the pieces would be smaller than the fruit.
Put everything into a bowl and gently mix together along with the lime juice. Place in the refrigerator for a few hours to let the flavors marinate. (I have found that if my ingredients are in season, I can skip this step.)
Before serving, add salt and pepper to taste. Stir and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

This recipe is enough for 2-4 people.

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Divide 6 cups of rice cereal into 3 separate bowls.

2. Add 10 drops of food coloring two of the bowls. Stir gently to coat the cereal. Add more food coloring a few drops at a time to get the desired color.

3. Melt 3 TBS butter in a large pot.

4. Add 4 cups of marshmallows, stir to melt. (This part always seems to take forever!)

5. Take the pot off heat. Mix in rice cereal then sprinkles.

6. Spread the cereal mixture into a greased pan.

7. Allow the treats to cool.

8. Cut and enjoy!

Notes

Did you make this recipe?

For another fun recipe, check out my Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats. Even candy corn haters love them!

Rolo Pretzel Bites

Ingredients

Instructions

Recipe Notes

Peanut-Free Pretzels

Peanut-Free Pecans

RELATED: Candy Corn Rice Cereal Treats

FOOD ALLERGY NOTE:

Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats

Ingredients

Instructions

Recipe Notes

Who sells peanut-free candy corn?

Do you like adding candy to your Rice Krispie treats? What’s your favorite?

Pineapple Mint Water

Strawberry Mango Salsa

Ingredients

Instructions

Recipe Notes

Are you ready for warmer weather and grilling out? What’s your favorite summertime meal?