Peppermint Bark Rice Krispie Treats

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. 

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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

  1. Line a 9×13 pan with foil and lightly butter the bottom and sides.
  2. Crush candy canes in a plastic bag; separate larger pieces from the peppermint “dust.”
  3. Melt butter in a large bowl, add marshmallows, and heat until smooth.
  4. Stir in Rice Krispies, peppermint extract, and a few tablespoons of candy cane dust.
  5. Press mixture into prepared pan with buttered hands.
  6. Melt white and dark chocolate chips (separately) with a little oil, stirring until smooth.
  7. Drizzle chocolates over the treats and sprinkle with crushed candy canes.
  8. 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.
Peppermint-bark-rice-krispie-treats our best bites

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 from Our Best Bites

Peppermint Bark Rice Krispie Treats

5 from 26 votes
These Peppermint Bark Rice Krispie Treats are perfect and festive for the holiday season! See the recipe notes for lots of tips.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Cooling Time 1 hour
Servings16 servings

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
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American, Christmas
Keyword: Peppermint Bark Rice Krispie Treats
Calories: 98kcal
Author: Sara Wells
Cost: $5
Did You Make This Recipe?Snap a picture, and hashtag it #ourbestbites. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @ourbestbites!
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Meet The Author

Sara Wells

Sara Wells co-founded Our Best Bites in 2008. She is the author of three Bestselling Cook Books, Best Bites: 150 Family Favorite RecipesSavoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites, and 400 Calories or Less from Our Best Bites. Sara’s work has been featured in many local and national news outlets and publications such as Parenting MagazineBetter Homes & GardensFine CookingThe Rachel Ray Show and the New York Times.

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Questions & Reviews

  1. 5 stars
    Made these over the holiday for a treat with family visiting. They were a big hit! I used more chocolate chips to melt since we love our chocolate!

  2. Do you by chance have your original recipe that was made with the peppermint marshmallows? I had it pinned, but now only shows the revised.

    1. You can use either peppermint or regular marshmallows in this recipe, feel free to swap out if you prefer!

  3. 5 stars
    I had to take something pink to a potluck, and this was the perfect addition. The girls went crazy for them because, honestly, who doesn’t love a rice krispie treat, especially ones jacked up like this?! Thanks for the recipe!

  4. 5 stars
    I just made these but a little differently. I had Andes Peppermint Candy Bits, that I used. I put 1 cup of them in with my marshmallows and they are delightful!! So if you can’t find the marshamallows try for the Andes Peppermint Bits! Thanks for the post!!

  5. I am a new reader to your blog and have spent the past couple days or so trying to “catch up.” I saw this recipe and it looks delicious but I thought of something that would make it even better (at least to me). I absolutely love mint chocolate, so the idea immidiately came to me to use Cocoa Krispies intead of regular Rice Krispies…..HEAVEN!!!

  6. 5 stars
    These were fabulous – perfect for my husband whose favorite things were combined – rice krispies and peppermint bark! We loved them so much I decided to take the concept and try strawberry marshmallows and drizzle chocolate on top! 🙂

  7. 5 stars
    A friend made these and they are amazing! All I could find though was a 28 oz package of jumbo peppermint mallows & they are flat discs. Any suggestions on how to convert the measurements in place of the miniture sized marshmallows?

  8. 5 stars
    these are awesome! i love anything mint and these are so easy and tasty. I made these for a family Christmas party and they were a hit!

  9. I once saw a recipe in a magazine for little Christmas Trees made of Rice Crispy Treats. You added green coloring and peppermint flavoring to the marshmallow and butter mixture. After mixing the treats, butter your hands and shape the treats into little cone shapes (about 1 tablespoon at a time). Roll them in green sugar and little colored candies. Stand them on the broad end. You can squeeze them a little to make them look more like a tree. These look very cute on a cookie plate.