Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats

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Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats makes an adorable and festive Halloween or Fall treat! Made with a gooey marshmallow cereal mixture that tastes like traditional rice krispies treats, then shaped into cute little pumpkins that are topped with candy.

PIN this Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats recipe to try later!

If you love Halloween rice krispie treats, try my Mummy Rice Krispies and Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispies!

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Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats

Fall is here and we are loving all things Pumpkin! If you’re looking for a quick and fun treat to make for Halloween or Fall this year, these cute Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats are perfect! Made in less than 30 minutes and kids can easily help make and decorate them any way you want.

The whole family will love them and they can easily be made for all Fall festivities like a Halloween party, classroom parties, Fall potlucks, wrap them in treat bags, or stuff them in lunch boxes for a fall dessert. Rice Krispie Pumpkins are made with simple ingredients and are a fun twist on the classic treats. 

These little pumpkins don’t actually have any pumpkin puree in them, they are just shaped like them. If you wanted to add pumpkin spice flavor, you can add some pumpkin pie spice to the marshmallow mixture to make these even more flavorful.

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key ingredients

• Rice Krispies or crispy rice cereal: The main ingredient and base of this recipe. Any rice krispie brand will work and you can also use brown rice cereal.
• Mini marshmallows: You’ll need one 16 ounce bag. The marshmallows will melt and bind the other ingredients together. Mini marshmallows works best for this recipe as opposed to the large size. 
• Butter: I use salted butter to balance the sweetness a bit. You could also use unsalted butter and add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the recipe.
• Orange food gel: Or orange food coloring. This will help give make the “pumpkin” color. Add as much or little color as you want. You could also use red and yellow food gel to make orange (4 drops of red and 11 drops of yellow should make the perfect orange color).
• Rolos: Used to make the pumpkin stem. You could also use a pretzel stick, mini Tootsie roll, mini Reese’s peanut butter cups, or brown frosting.
• Green candy: Used to make the green stem on the pumpkins. You could also use green frosting or icing gel. I used Mike n Ikes candy but other options are string candy, fondant, green Air Heads, green m&m candy, or pieces of green fruit roll up.

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how to make pumpkin rice krispie treats

Melt butter: Bring a large saucepan, large pot or stock pot to medium heat and add butter and melt.

Melt marshmallows: Reduce the heat to low heat and add bag of mini marshmallows. Stir until melted.

Add food gel and add cereal: Remove the pot from heat and add in a few drops of orange food coloring to the melted marshmallows until desired color is achieved. Stir in the cereal until the orange marshmallow mixture completely coats the cereal. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes before shaping into pumpkins.

Form into pumpkins: Spray your hands with nonstick spray and a regular sized ice cream scoop equivalent to about a 1/2 cup and form the mixture into pumpkin shapes. It should about the size of a baseball. Place on a serving platter or parchment paper lined baking sheet and immediately place a Rolo candy on top of each pumpkin and press down lightly so it sticks. Place the green candy on the side of the Rolo, then serve and enjoy!

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tips & variations

• Marshmallow tips: Be sure to use melt the marshmallows on LOW heat to insure they stay soft and will make the treats fluffy. Only use fresh marshmallows- stale marshmallows won’t make these treats as gooey.
• Brown the butter: If you’ve ever had Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats, you already know how amazing they are. Follow the steps in this recipe to brown the butter first before adding the marshmallows. This will add a rich, caramel, nuttiness flavor to your treats. 
• Grease your hands: Use either cooking spray or rub them with butter before rolling the cereal mixture into balls. The mixture will be VERY sticky and greasing your hands will help.
• Add ins: M&Ms, crushed Oreos, chopped nuts, pretzels, milk or white chocolate chips, or any other of your favorites for added crunch, texture, and flavor. 
• Alternative cereal: You can use are chocolate rice krispie cereal (these will make darker pumpkins), Cheerios, or Chex cereal. 

how to keep these treats soft

Keep them away from the refrigerator as they will get hard and the marshmallows will loose their softness and gooeyness. You also want to store leftovers in a sealed airtight container and keep out as much air as possible.

CAN I USE MARSHMALLOW FLUFF INSTEAD OF MARSHMALLOWS?

You can, however, I don’t recommend it because it will take away from the fluffiness and softness. It will also be extra sweet since extra sugar is added. I’ve never used marshmallow fluff so if you do try it, let me know.

CAN I FREEZE pumpkin rice krispie treats?

Place cooled treats in an airtight container and layer with wax or parchment paper to prevent them from sticking. Be sure to let the treats sit out at room temperature for at least 15 minutes or until softened before serving again. Store for up to 1 month.

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leftovers & storage

To-store on counter: Place leftover rice krispie treats in an airtight container or cover a plate tightly with plastic wrap. They will store for up to 4-5 days without tasting stale. You can also store in a large ziplock bag. 

To-store in the refrigerator: These treats will last a bit longer if you store them in the refrigerator. They will store well for up to 1 week. Be sure to let sit out for at least 30 minutes because they will become hard. 

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