Peppermint Bark Rice Krispie Treats. What’s not to love here? These are one of my all-time favorite holiday treats because they’re kind of fancy, yet so super easy to make and everyone loves them.
Ingredients Needed
- mini marshmallows
- butter – no substitutions!
- Rice Krispie-style cereal
- peppermint extract
- semi-sweet dark, or peppermint chocolate chips
- white chocolate chips
- vegetable oil
- candy canes – you’ll want to crush these, and then separate the “dust” from the “bigger chunks”.
How to Make Peppermint Bark Rice Krispie Treats
- Line a 9×13 pan with foil and lightly butter the bottom and sides.
- Crush candy canes in a plastic bag; separate larger pieces from the peppermint “dust.”
- Melt butter in a large bowl, add marshmallows, and heat until smooth.
- Stir in Rice Krispies, peppermint extract, and a few tablespoons of candy cane dust.
- Press mixture into prepared pan with buttered hands.
- Melt white and dark chocolate chips (separately) with a little oil, stirring until smooth.
- Drizzle chocolates over the treats and sprinkle with crushed candy canes.
- Let chocolate set (chill if needed), then cut into squares.
Storage & Other Tips
- Sizing: I wrote this recipe for a 10oz bag of marshmallows, because that’s a common size. If you make them in a 9×13 pan as written, they will be on the thinner side. If you like your Rice Krispie treats thicker, you can make them in smaller pan, or do as I did for the ones photographed here and 1 1/2x the Rice Krispie part of the recipe. That works out perfect for the brand of Kroger marshmallows that I buy that come in a 15oz bag.
- Line your pan. It makes it SO much easier to cut out nice bars without having to smash half the pan in first. I used tin foil here, but you can also use parchment. Once that’s in place, use butter to grease the bottom of your pan as well. If you use non-stick spray, it will leave a foul tasting residue on your delicious little treats and then they won’t be delicious anymore.
- Huge peppermint fan? You can also add a little peppermint oil (not extract) to the chocolate, or use melted mint chocolate chips instead of regular.
- Chocolate streaks: when drizzling the chocolate, I like to use a spoon and let big chunks of the chocolate fall on there. It’s yummier that way.
- Use a sharp knife to cut. Warming the knife slightly and coating it with butter helps create clean, smooth edges.
- Press mixture gently: Lightly grease your hands or spatula with butter to press the crispy mix into the pan without compressing it too much.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make the bars thicker?
Yes! If you prefer thicker treats, either use a smaller pan or increase the Rice Krispies and marshmallow mixture by 1½×, especially if your marshmallow bag is larger than 10 oz.
Why butter instead of spray the pan?
Butter prevents that weird taste from nonstick sprays and still makes it easy to remove the treats cleanly from the pan .
What’s the best way to melt and layer the chocolates?
Melt each chocolate with a touch of oil in short microwave bursts or over a double boiler. Drizzle or spoon on and refrigerate between layers so they don’t blend together.
How should I store them?
Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–4 days.
Peppermint Bark Rice Krispie Treats
These Peppermint Bark Rice Krispie Treats are perfect and festive for the holiday season! See the recipe notes for lots of tips.
Servings servings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 10 – 11 ounce bag mini marshmallows see notes
- 4 tablespoons butter no substitutions, plus extra to butter pan
- 6 cups Rice Krispie-style cereal
- ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract more if desired; I like a little extra; see notes
- 3 tablespoons chocolate chips semi-sweet, dark, or peppermint
- 3 tablespoons white chocolate chips
- ¼ teaspoon vegetable oil divided
- 3-4 candy canes crushed, medium-sized
Instructions
- Line a 9×13 pan with foil or parchment paper, and lightly butter bottom and about 1 inch up the sides.
- Place unwrapped candy canes in a heavy duty plastic bag and smash until crushed. Pour into bowl and gently shake so large pieces settle on top and “dust” settles on bottom. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a very large bowl in the microwave. Add marshmallows and stir to coat. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. (You can do that whole process on the stovetop as well.)
- Add Rice Krispies, peppermint extract, and a few tablespoons of candy cane “dust” and stir to evenly combine. With buttered hands, press mixture into prepared pan.
- Place white chocolate chips and ⅛ teaspoon oil in a small bowl. Heat in microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Repeat same process with semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips.
- Drizzle both chocolates on top of Rice Krispie treats and sprinkle candy canes on top. Let sit until chocolate is set, place pan in fridge to speed process along. Cut into squares and enjoy!
Notes
- Sizing: I wrote this recipe for a 10oz bag of marshmallows, because that’s a common size. If you make them in a 9×13 pan as written, they will be on the thinner side. If you like your Rice Krispie treats thicker, you can make them in smaller pan, or do as I did for the ones photographed here and 1 1/2x the Rice Krispie part of the recipe. That works out perfect for the brand of Kroger marshmallows that I buy that come in a 15oz bag.
- Huge peppermint fan? You can also add a little peppermint oil (not extract) to the chocolate, or use melted mint chocolate chips instead of regular.
- Chocolate streaks: when drizzling the chocolate, I like to use a spoon and let big chunks of the chocolate fall on there. It’s yummier that way.
- Use a sharp knife to cut. Warming the knife slightly and coating it with butter helps create clean, smooth edges.
- Press mixture gently: Lightly grease your hands or spatula with butter to press the crispy mix into the pan without compressing it too much.
Nutrition
Calories: 98kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 8mg, Sodium: 81mg, Potassium: 38mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 788IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 9mg, Iron: 3mg
Calories: 98kcal
Cost: $5
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Questions & Reviews
I just realized I have peppermint extract, not oil. Will that ruin the melted chips?
I am obsessed with making different versions of Rice Krispy Treats and I love this idea!
I was up late, the night you posted this, flipping through my blog list and almost couldn’t go to sleep because I was so excited to make these. I dropped my kids off at school the next morning and went directly to the grocery store. 2 1/2 hours later they were being shared with everyone. My husband went nuts! GREAT recipe! 🙂
I made them last night. They were SUPER!! I think I’ll be whipping up another batch tomorrow. (And I can’t believe I never tried the microwave method for Rice Krispie treats before — DUH!! So much easier!!) While at Wal-mart picking up these yummy marshmallows I also saw they have chocolate mint marshmallows. So, please come up with a delicious recipe using those now, okay? Thanks. ;o)
Made these yesterday and they were delish! Our store didn’t have the peppermint marshmallows but the regular ones with peppermint and food coloring worked great! The amount of peppermint you suggested worked great! Thanks!
Oh I made these this morning! So good, just the rice krispies and marshmallow part even. But…neither my walmart nor my food lion had the peppermint marshmallows, so I used the substitute you gave (but boy howdy, they had gingerbread men ‘mallows–what?! yes I did get them). Then my white chocolate chips must have been old or I overcooked them because they never would get smooth enough to drizzle fo’shizzle so I HAPPENED (I think that was inspiration) to pick up some candy cane hershey’s kisses and melted them instead. since they were already flavored I didn’t flavor the chocolate drizzle. can’t wait to get home from work and cut them and eat one, because of course I must first taste them before serving them to my Young Women at church tonight!! LOL…
Thanks a lot for the extra 45 pounds I am now planning to gain after making these every day until Christmas! I tried these last night and they were GONE before breakfast this morning. With these and your mint brownies – I’m in trouble!!
My advent calendar is full of things I can make with the kids, both edible and not. This will definitely be one thing I can make with them 🙂 Thanks for the ideas….
You can’t believe how fast I went and made these! I found and used Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips (“Creamy chips with Bits of Peppermint Candy”) on top….WOW is all I can say! Huge hit with the fam! Thanks for this recipe!
Oh my gosh I saw those in Walmart too and thought of your gingerbread marshmallow rice krispie treats from last year but I wasn’t sure if peppermint and rice krispies would work. Thanks for doing the research for me!