Make Christmas Rice Krispie Treats for the holidays! This festive recipe uses white chocolate and peppermint for an easy, fun treat. Perfect for cookie platters, parties and more!
I love Rice Krispie Treats any time of year, but this variation might just be my favorite! The combination of white chocolate and peppermint is not only delicious, but beautiful and festive.
These christmas rice krispie treats are a great treat to make in advance for any holiday event. They’re perfect for Christmas parties, cookie exchanges, dessert platters, and potlucks.
You can also easily make these gluten-free by using gluten-free crispy rice cereal and white chocolate chips. )For more gluten-free holiday treats check out these gluten-free Christmas cookies!)
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on the ingredients for this recipe:
- Crispy rice cereal – To keep these gluten-free I usually use the kind from Aldi or Malt-o-Meal. Of course regular Rice Krispies work great if you don’t need these to be gluten-free.
- White chocolate chips – I usually use the kind from Trader Joes. Nestle has dairy-free white chocolate chips
- Peppermint candies – I usually buy starlight mints or candy canes, then crush them with a rolling pin
- Peppermint extract – This is not the same as mint extract, which is much more potent. If mint is all you can find, use half of what the recipe calls for, then add more if you need it.
NOTE: To keep these gluten-free, be sure to use crispy rice cereal that doesn’t contain malt extract (which comes from the gluten-containing grain barley). Check out this post all about gluten-free rice krispies treats.
How to Make Christmas Rice Krispie Treats
Before you get started you’ll want to prepare the pan. I recommend lining the pan with aluminum foil and greasing the foil with cooking spray.
- Start by melting the butter in a heavy bottom pot on LOW HEAT.
- After it melts, then add the marshmallows and stir them in until they melt.
Tip: I remove the marshmallows from the heat when there are just a few chunks of marshmallow not yet melted. The residual heat will continue to melt them.
- Stir in the peppermint extract and salt first, then add and stir in the crispy rice cereal.
- Lastly you’ll mix in the white chocolate which will start to melt from the residual heat.
- Transfer mixture to the prepared pan. The mixture is very sticky! To help spread it into the pan, you can either butter your hands, or use a silicone spatula. Also, it will be a little warm at first, so be careful.
- Add crushed peppermint candies over the top. To help them stick, you’ll want to press the candies down into rice krispies treats a bit.
- Cool for 20 minutes, then slice and serve!
Storing Rice Krispie Treats
Store these treats in an airtight container at room temperature. They will keep for up to 2 days.
More Christmas Treats
- Caramel Corn – a long-time reader favorite!
- Homemade Caramels – my Grandma’s tried-and-true recipe we make for food gifts every year
- Gluten-Free White Chocolate Peppermint Pretzels – another white chocolate favorite
I hope you like this recipe as much as we do! If you like it leave me a comment/rating below. I’d love to hear from you!
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Christmas Rice Krispie Treats (Peppermint White Chocolate)
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 2 10z bags of mini marshmallows
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- pinch kosher salt
- 1 12oz box Crispy Rice Cereal, use gluten-free if needed
- 1 11oz package white chocolate chips
- 6 oz crushed peppermint candy or candy canes
Instructions
- Line a 9×13 pan with foil and spray the foil with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the marshmallows and stir until almost completely melted.
- Remove from the heat (the residual heat will continue to melt the marshmallows) and stir in the peppermint extract and salt. Add the cereal and stir a few times. Add the white chocolate chips and stir until evenly mixed.
- Pour the mixture into the lined pan and smooth the top. Add the crushed peppermint candy and press into the crispy treats. Let cool for 20 minutes. Slice and serve!
Recipe Notes
Recipe Source: Shared by my friend Brittany from Homegrown Traditions.
Christy Harvey says
This looks wonderful! Do you have a recommendation for a butter substitute for this recipe for those of us who must be completely dairy free?
Erin Collins says
You can easily use vegan butter for this! Nestle also makes dairy-free white chocolate chips. I hope this helps!