Description
These festive Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats with Tootsie Roll Stems are a fun and easy no-bake dessert perfect for fall celebrations. Sweet marshmallow-coated rice cereal is shaped into pumpkins and decorated with chocolate and green apple-flavored Tootsie Roll accents to resemble pumpkin stems and leaves, making them a delightful treat for kids and adults alike.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 (10-ounce) package mini marshmallows
- ¼ cup salted butter
- Orange food coloring gel (a few drops)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 cups Rice Krispies cereal
Decorations
- Mini chocolate-flavored Tootsie Rolls (for stems)
- Mini green apple-flavored Tootsie Rolls (for leaves and curly stems)
Instructions
- Melt Marshmallow Mixture: In a large pot or Dutch oven over low heat, combine the mini marshmallows and salted butter. Stir frequently until the mixture is completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat promptly to prevent burning.
- Add Color and Flavor: Stir in a few drops of orange food coloring gel and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract until the color and flavor are well blended throughout the marshmallow mixture.
- Mix in Cereal: Add 5 cups of Rice Krispies cereal to the pot and stir thoroughly until all the cereal is evenly coated with the marshmallow mixture.
- Cool and Set Mixture: Let the coated cereal mixture stand for at least 15 minutes or until it is cool enough to handle comfortably for shaping.
- Shape Pumpkins: With greased hands (to prevent sticking), shape the mixture into pumpkin shapes. Using an ice cream scoop can help form uniform balls. To enhance the pumpkin look, use a skewer or paring knife to create small indentations around each ball to mimic the pumpkin’s ridges.
- Let Harden: Allow the shaped pumpkins to sit at room temperature or refrigerate until completely firm and set.
- Prepare Stems and Leaves: Cut each chocolate mini Tootsie Roll in half to serve as pumpkin stems. Roll out green apple-flavored Tootsie Rolls with a rolling pin and cut them into leaf shapes. Roll some green Tootsie Rolls into thin ropes to create curly stems for decoration.
- Decorate Pumpkins: Attach the chocolate stems, green leaves, and curly stems to the top of each pumpkin-shaped treat. Press gently so they stick to the marshmallow mixture.
- Storage: Store the completed pumpkin treats in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to serve to maintain their freshness.
Notes
- Greasing your hands or using cooking spray prevents the sticky mixture from adhering to your skin while shaping.
- If you prefer, use gloves when handling colored marshmallow mixture to avoid staining your hands.
- These treats can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- For a more intense pumpkin flavor, consider adding a small amount of pumpkin pie spice when melting the marshmallows.
- To make different sized pumpkins, simply adjust the size of the scoops or hand-formed shapes.
- The orange food coloring gel is highly concentrated; a few drops are sufficient to achieve a bright pumpkin color.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pumpkin-shaped treat
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 3.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 7 mg
