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Everyone here has probably made Rice Krispie Treats at least one time in their life, but there might be someone who needs the recipe. And nobody should have to suffer through life without tasting one of these sweet, chewy, sticky, delightful treats! No kid, for sure. And I would go so far as to say no adult, either! So here is my recipe for Candy Corn Crispy Rice Treats.
Plus, these chewy treats are so easy to make, with just a handful of ingredients. Of course, you may choose to skip the candy corn and simply make plain treats, and that would be good, too. But if you’re in the “I Love Candy Corn” camp — like me, then I encourage you to make the recipe just as written. Because it’s really good. Like, hard to stop at just one, good.
Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about candy corn for a minute. If you like this ridiculous candy, shaped like a kernel of corn, then you already know that you have to buy it when you see the bags in the store at the first of the autumn season. Because it’s seasonal. And stores will typically run out of it before the end of October! I remember just a few years ago when no one could find candy corn in the stores, and there was a real crisis in the recipe world.
You may also buy the type of candy corn that is brown at the bottom. I think this is usually mixed in with pumpkin candy, and might be called harvest candy mix. Maybe.
So, as mentioned above, you may refrain from adding the candy corn to this recipe, but if you decide to use it, I encourage you to chop it into rough pieces. Maybe in halves or thirds. Not too small, because you want to still see the candy in your treats. And be sure to save about 1/4 cup of candy that has not been chopped, to use as decoration for the top.
Ingredients for Candy Corn Crispy Rice Treats
(As a Walmart Affiliate, I earn from qualified purchases at the links below. See the full recipe at the bottom of this post.)
Instructions for Making This Recipe
Gather the ingredients and have them close at hand on the counter or table.
I used a generic brand of crispy rice cereal for this recipe, and it turned out just fine. So don’t worry if you don’t have a box of Rice Krispies in the pantry. It’s okay to use a store brand. Also, my miniature marshmallows had been sitting in my cupboard all summer, and they weren’t exactly soft. But we’re going to melt them in butter, so again, no worries.
Using a knife or wavy cutter, roughly chop the candy corn, but be sure to leave some whole for the top.
Line a square pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy removal of the treats later. (I tried using waxed paper, but it actually stuck to the treats a bit, so I would advise against using it.)
Melt the Marshmallows
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the miniature marshmallows to the butter and cook and stir until the marshmallows have melted about halfway. This might take 1-3 minutes, depending on how fresh your marshmallows are.
I removed them from the heat when they were still kind of blobby. This seemed to work well for the recipe.
Prepare the Crispy Treats
Remove from heat and add in the vanilla extract and also the chopped candy corn. Quickly stir to combine.
Next add in the crispy rice cereal and mix in with a long-handled wooden spoon. The mixture is quite thick and sticky at this point, but that’s the way you want it. Do the best you can.
Place the mixture in the prepared square pan. The pan I used was 8″x8″, but a 9″x9″ pan would also work. I wanted the cereal treats to be nice and thick, so I went with a smaller pan. Using either your spoon or your fingers, lightly press the cereal into the pan. You don’t want to press too hard, however, or the treats won’t be soft and chewy.
Next, decorate the top with the whole candy corn, lightly pressing them into the cereal. Use your creativity and design a pretty pattern on top, or just toss them on like I did. I wished later that I would have taken time to place maybe 2 or 3 candy corns in each square for serving, and I will probably do that next time.
Allow the cereal mixture to cool completely before removing from the pan. Once cooled, lift it up using the parchment paper and set it on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife or bench knife, cut into nine squares, or however many pieces you want to serve.
If ready to serve, place squares on a platter for folks to enjoy. Or if you’ll be serving them at a later time, I suggest tightly wrapping each one individually in plastic wrap and then placing them in a gallon freezer bag. They will store like this for 3-5 days without any problem. I’ve even frozen them for 2 weeks like that, and they were just fine after they were brought back to room temperature.
So, there you have it–my recipe for Candy Corn Crispy Rice Treats! I hope you will enjoy these little treats by the joyful mouthful. They would make great addition for a fall celebration or for Halloween. This recipe will serve at least 9. If you need more, you may easily double the recipe using an oblong baking sheet or slice into smaller pieces.
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Candy Corn Crispy Rice Treats
(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 10 oz miniature marshmallows
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup candy corn
- 5 cups crispy rice cereal
Instructions
- Gather the ingredients and have them close at hand on the counter or table.
- Using a knife or wavy cutter, roughly chop 1/2 cups of the candy corn, leaving 1/4 cup whole for the top.
- Line an 8"x8" square pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy removal of the treats later. (I tried using waxed paper, but it actually stuck to the treats a bit, so I would advise against using it.)
Melt the Marshmallows
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the miniature marshmallows to the butter and cook and stir until the marshmallows have melted about halfway. This might take 1-3 minutes, depending on how fresh your marshmallows are.
Prepare the Crispy Treats
- Remove marshmallows from heat and add in the vanilla extract and also the chopped candy corn. Quickly stir to combine.
- Next add in the crispy rice cereal, and mix together with a long-handled wooden spoon. The mixture is quite thick and sticky at this point.
- Place the mixture in the prepared square pan. Using either a spoon or your fingers, lightly press the cereal into the pan. You don’t want to press too hard, however, or the treats won’t be soft and chewy.
- Next, decorate the top with the whole candy corn.
- Allow the cereal mixture to cool completely before removing from the pan. Once cooled, lift it up using the parchment paper and set it on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife or bench knife, cut into nine squares, or however many pieces you want to serve.
- Place squares on a platter to serve. Or if you’ll be serving them at a later time, I suggest tightly wrapping each one individually in plastic wrap and then placing them in a gallon freezer bag. They will store like this for 3-5 days without any problem. I’ve even frozen them for 2 weeks like that, and they were just fine after they were brought back to room temperature. Serves 9
