There’s a special magic that descends upon our homes as the holiday season approaches, isn’t there? The air fills with the scent of cinnamon and pine, and kitchens become hubs of creative activity. Amidst all the festive preparations, few treats evoke as much nostalgic comfort and widespread joy as classic Rice Krispy Treats. These time-tested confections are a staple in countless households, cherished for their crispy texture, sweet marshmallowy goodness, and incredible versatility. As Christmas draws near, what could be more fitting than transforming this beloved snack into adorable Gingerbread Man Rice Krispy Treats? Not only are they incredibly fun to make, but they also serve as delightful edible gifts that are sure to bring smiles to faces of all ages.
My passion for edible crafts recently led me to an exciting challenge presented by the fantastic teams at Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® and TheMotherhood.com. The invitation was to conceptualize and create a unique holiday treat that families could easily make together, fostering cherished memories in the kitchen. For someone like me, who loves blending culinary delight with artistic expression, this was an absolute dream come true and a perfect fit for my creative endeavors. The prospect of guiding children through the steps of crafting their own festive treats was truly inspiring, and I couldn’t wait to share my ideas.
To showcase these charming creations, I participated in a live stream video feed with TheMotherhood.com, where I demonstrated the step-by-step process for making both the Gingerbread Man Rice Krispy Treats and another equally enchanting holiday treat: the Tree Trimmer Treats. These delightful Tree Trimmer Treats are designed to resemble miniature Christmas ornaments, offering a whimsical and edible way to decorate your home or share with loved ones. The beauty of the Tree Trimmer Treats lies in their endless decorating possibilities, allowing for personalized flair and creative expression. You can discover the full recipe and even more inspiration for these festive ornaments directly on the Kellogg’s Rice Krispies website.
Should you decide to embark on the joyful journey of crafting these Tree Trimmer Treats, I have a few essential tips to ensure your success and make the process even smoother. These insights, all demonstrated in the accompanying video, are based on my experience and are designed to help you achieve beautifully decorated edible ornaments:
- **Prepare Your Ornament Hangers First:** This is a crucial first step. You’ll want to work with warm, pliable Rice Krispy Treats, as they are much easier to mold and shape when fresh from the pan. Having your hangers pre-made and ready ensures you can quickly insert them into the warm treats before they cool and firm up, preventing cracks or difficulty.
- **Crafting the Marshmallow Hangers with Ease:** The simplest and most effective method for creating the hangers involves miniature marshmallows and licorice whips. Begin by gently squeezing a miniature marshmallow between your fingers, flattening and “smooshing” it to make it more receptive. Then, take a licorice whip, holding it as close to the end as possible for optimal control. Carefully turn and twist the licorice whip to poke it through the marshmallow, creating a small hole. Thread the other end of the licorice through this newly formed hole, creating a perfect loop that mimics a real ornament hanger. This technique provides a sturdy yet edible attachment for your treats.
- **The Magic of Vanilla Frosting as “Glue”:** When it comes to adhering candies and decorative elements to the outside of your treats, vanilla frosting serves as an excellent, readily available adhesive. Its slightly sticky consistency and mild flavor make it ideal for securing sprinkles, small candies, or other edible embellishments, ensuring they stay in place as your treats dry and are handled.
- **Simple Powdered Sugar Glaze for Dazzling Effects:** For a versatile and vibrant decorating option, consider preparing a simple powdered sugar glaze. This involves mixing powdered sugar with just enough milk (or water) to achieve a “paintable” consistency – not too thick, not too thin. Once prepared, you can brush this glaze onto your treats using a pastry brush, creating a slightly tacky surface perfect for sprinkling with jimmies, nonpareils, decorator sugar, or various sprinkles. To add an extra pop of color, incorporate a few drops of gel food coloring into your glaze; gel colors provide rich, vibrant hues without significantly altering the glaze’s consistency.
By the way, if you’re curious about creating the beautiful holiday plate featured in some of these photos, be sure to check out my dedicated post on my craft blog: “Make Your Own Holiday Tableware.” It offers another wonderful opportunity to infuse your celebrations with handmade charm!
Now, let’s dive into the stars of our holiday show: the Gingerbread Man Rice Krispy Treats. To achieve perfectly shaped gingerbread men, I highly recommend using a metal cookie cutter. Metal cutters offer superior strength and stability compared to their plastic counterparts, allowing for a cleaner, more defined cut through the slightly dense Rice Krispy mixture. While buttering or spraying your cookie cutter is an optional step, I’ve found it’s often unnecessary, provided you follow the treat recipe accurately. The key to successful Rice Krispy Treats lies in precise measurements. Using too much cereal can result in a dry, crumbly treat that is difficult to shape, whereas too much marshmallow can make them excessively sticky and challenging to handle. Adhering to the exact proportions ensures a perfectly balanced texture that is both easy to cut and a joy to eat.
- **Almond Bark: Your Secret to a Smooth Coating:** For dipping and coating your gingerbread men, almond bark is the superior choice over traditional baking chocolate or chocolate chips. Almond bark is specifically formulated as a candy coating, designed to melt smoothly and set quickly with a beautiful, even finish that won’t seize or become clumpy. This ensures your gingerbread men have a professional and appealing exterior.
- **Unleash Your Creativity with Decorations:** The fun truly begins when it’s time to decorate these adorable guys! You have complete freedom to personalize each gingerbread man. I enjoyed using vibrant gumdrops for buttons or other features, small colorful candies for eyes or embellishments, and both white and black decorator icing to draw intricate details like smiles, rick-rack patterns, or even little scarves. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different candies, sprinkles, and icing colors to give each gingerbread man a unique personality.
- **Lollipop Sticks for Elegant Pops:** If you plan to serve these as “gingerbread pops,” I strongly suggest using lollipop sticks rather than wider popsicle sticks. Lollipop sticks are thinner and more delicate, making them easier to insert into the treats without causing them to crack or break. They also provide a more elegant presentation. You can typically find lollipop sticks in the cake decorating section of your local discount department store or craft supply store.
- **The Ideal Melting Vessel: A Large Measuring Cup:** My final, invaluable tip for dipping involves melting your chocolate almond bark in a large glass measuring cup with a handle. This provides two key advantages: the handle makes it incredibly easy and comfortable to hold and manipulate, while the depth and ability to tilt the cup allow you to fully immerse and coat the entire surface of your treat in one smooth, sweeping motion. This method minimizes mess and ensures an even, generous coating of chocolate.
Remember, all of these helpful tips and detailed demonstrations are available for viewing in the video tutorial (if applicable). I encourage you to watch it for a visual guide! Now, let’s get to the recipe so you can create these festive treats yourself. Enjoy the process and the delicious results!
Rice Krispy Treat Gingerbread Men
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Author: Amanda Davis
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
- 1 10-oz package of marshmallows
- 6 level cups of Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® cereal
- 1 package chocolate almond bark
- Gumdrops and colorful candies (for decoration)
- White and black decorator icing (for decoration)
- Miniature marshmallows (for specific decorations)
- Lollipop sticks (if making pops)
- Metal gingerbread and circle cookie cutters
- Non-stick cooking spray
Instructions
- Spray a rimmed cookie sheet generously with non-stick cooking spray.
- Spray the inside of a large microwave-safe bowl with cooking spray. Place the butter into the bowl, then pour the marshmallows on top of the butter. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Carefully remove and stir the melted mixture together using a heavy-duty rubber spatula or plastic spoon that has also been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. If the mixture is not completely melted and smooth, continue to microwave in 15-second increments, stirring after each, until it reaches a silky consistency.
- Add the Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® cereal to the marshmallow mixture and mix thoroughly until the cereal is evenly coated. Transfer this mixture to the prepared cookie sheet. Lightly spray your clean hands with cooking spray and gently but firmly press the mixture into the pan, ensuring an even layer. Allow the treats to cool and set for at least 15 minutes before proceeding to the next step.
- Once cooled, use your metal gingerbread man cookie cutter (and circle cookie cutters for face pops) to cut out shapes from the treat mixture. Press the cookie cutter firmly through the treats, wiggling it gently back and forth to help loosen the cut shape from the surrounding mixture. Carefully squeeze the sides of the cookie cutter to “grab” the treat and lift it out. Gently push the treat out of the cutter and place it on a clean surface. Continue this process until you’ve cut out all your desired shapes.
- If making gingerbread pops, gently insert lollipop sticks into the bottom of each cut-out treat, twisting and pushing carefully to avoid cracking the treat.
- Cut the chocolate almond bark into smaller pieces and place them in a 4-cup glass measuring cup. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove and stir. If there are still large, un-melted pieces, continue to microwave in 20-second increments, stirring after each, until the almond bark is completely melted and smooth.
- Holding a gingerbread man or circle treat by its lollipop stick (or gently by hand if not using sticks), tilt the measuring cup holding the melted chocolate. Dip the front surface of the treat into the chocolate, ensuring it’s fully covered. Lift the treat, allowing any excess chocolate to drip back into the cup, then place it on waxed paper or a cooling rack to set.
- Immediately decorate your treats with candies before the chocolate dries. For the gingerbread men, use colorful candies for buttons or eyes. For gingerbread circle faces, cut the tip off a gumdrop to use as a nose and use the larger end of another gumdrop as rosy cheeks. Cut miniature marshmallows in half to create cute eyes for the circle faces. The key is to add your candy decorations while the chocolate is still wet and tacky, ensuring they adhere properly.
- Allow the chocolate coating to fully dry and set. Once the chocolate is firm, you can use your white and black decorator icing to add finer details such as rick-rack patterns along the edges, pupils to the eyes, or a happy smile to your gingerbread men.
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The recipes on this blog are typically tested with a conventional gas oven and gas stovetop. It’s important to note that some ovens, especially as they age, can cook and bake inconsistently. Using an inexpensive oven thermometer can assure you that your oven is truly heating to the proper temperature. If you use a toaster oven or countertop oven, please keep in mind that they may not distribute heat the same as a conventional full-sized oven, and you may need to adjust your cooking/baking times accordingly. In the case of recipes made with a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, or other specialized appliance, a link to the specific appliances we use is listed within each respective recipe. For baking recipes where measurements are given by weight, please note that results may not be the same if cups are used instead, and we cannot guarantee success with that method due to potential variations in ingredient density.
