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
Did You Make This Recipe?Snap a picture, and hashtag it #ourbestbites. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @ourbestbites!
Questions & Reviews
I am seriously not trying to be rude because I really do LOVE your website but it seems like the last several months have been either dessert or non food posts : ( My family doesn’t need more desserts but they do need more dinner ideas! Please, please post some soon??
Did you post that anonymously because you were afraid to put your name with it? lol We don’t bite; I promise. Unless you’re mean to us, and then we might nip just a little 😉 Ya know, one thing we’ve learned from doing this blog for a few years is that we can’t please everyone. When we post treats, people ask for dinner, when we post dinner, people ask for crafts, when we post crafts, people ask for dessert…everyone BEGS for diet food but no one comments when we post healthy stuff, lol. It’s a funny thing! So we just try to keep it well rounded, and if you look at our archives, we’ve done a good job of doing so. But when it comes down to it, this is a personal blog and the things we post reflect what we’re doing in our own homes and with our own families and around the holidays, treats and fun activities are our specialty! So yes, you will definitely see more of that because the holiday only comes around once a year. So maybe take a peek at our recipe index for some new dinner ideas- there’s TONS there, I’m sure even some new ones you haven’t seen before. And don’t worry- we won’t post dessert forever!
So… lesson learned. No more suggestions. Just enjoy what is posted!
Oh, no, we don’t mind suggestions at all- in fact we enjoy them! We definitely want to know what people are interested in. The lesson is, just don’t be bummed if we don’t do what you ask, haha. You just have to know that for every suggestion/request, there is someone else suggesting/requesting the exact opposite 🙂
Have you ever tried making homemade marshmallows? Lets just say they are WORLDS apart from store bought… in fact I made up a batch of pretty potent peppermint marshmallows Saturday afternoon. (lesson learned… know how strong your peppermint extract is BEFORE you use it!! yep henceforth the potent part but they have started to mellow with age and exposure to open air. ha ha!)
I think I might have to melt a few up and throw in some rice crispies! Thank you for sharing another nummy dish!
Yes Ma’am! But after all the effort they take to make, I don’t know if I could turn around and put them into rice krispie treats! lol
https://ourbestbites.com/2009/12/homemade-marshmallows/
Oh my goodness! These are going to be so delicious!
Absolutely brilliant. I love reading your posts because I always look forward to your latest, seasonal creations.
Oh my, I must find those! they sound like they would work for so many wonderful treats!
How fun! These sound so tasty!
Haha, I like how fast you made them into something! Thanks to you posting your marshmallow finds, and great recipes, I made something similar to these last holiday season, with the gingerbread marshmallows…folks went nuts for them!
I want to know what you’re going to come up with for that “nasty” tube of cookie dough you also bought (which I also have a tube or two of in my fridge!) 😉
ooh, I love the gingerbread ones too; I drizzled those ones with white chocolate last year and they were sooo yummy!
And lol- geez, can you imagine if I were to actually post something with STORE BOUGHT COOKIE DOUGH, the world might end right now. I better stick to things like store bought marshmallows which are just chalk full of wholesome natural good-for-you ingredients, haha!
oh my gosh! anything peppermint! thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!
And all of us simple-minded creatures were just sitting there thinking “oh, those would taste good in our hot chocolate!” Your brilliance is unequalled. Did you add any food coloring or did the marshmallows make it that pink all by themselves?
No food coloring, they are *that* pink! lol
oh my word! I just did the same exact thing at walmart saturday night! I took one look at them and without another thought, threw them in my cart! Now I have a plan for using them–thanks!