Easy No-Bake Frankenstein Rice Krispie Treats

Total Time 1 hr 35 mins
Difficulty: Beginner
Servings: 12
Calories: 290
Description

Soft, chewy green marshmallow cereal bars dipped in semisweet chocolate, finished with candy eyes, a stitched icing mouth and pretzel neck bolts. A simple no-bake Halloween treat that is easy for beginners and fun for kids to decorate.

Ingredients
    Green Marshmallow Treats
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
  • 12 oz mini marshmallows, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon green gel food coloring
  • 7 cups crisp rice cereal
    • Chocolate Hair
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2 teaspoons coconut oil
    • Face and Neck Bolts
  • 24 candy eyes
  • 1/4 cup black decorating icing
  • 12 thin pretzel sticks, snapped in half
Instructions
    Prepare the pan
  1. 1
    Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter, or line it with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on the long sides so you can lift the treats out later. Measure the cereal into a large mixing bowl and set aside 1 cup of the mini marshmallows. Having everything ready before you start melting makes the next steps calm and easy, as the mixture begins to set once it cools.
    2. Melt the marshmallows
  2. 2
    Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add all the mini marshmallows except the reserved cup and stir constantly with a spatula until they are completely melted, smooth and glossy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Keep the heat low the whole time. Gentle heat keeps the finished bars soft and tender, while high heat can make them hard.
    3. Add the color and flavor
  3. 3
    Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the salt, vanilla and green gel food coloring until the color is even and there are no streaks left. The mixture should look bright green and glossy. If you would like a deeper shade, add a little more coloring now, before the cereal goes in.
    4. Fold in the cereal
  4. 4
    Pour the green marshmallow mixture over the cereal in the mixing bowl and add the reserved cup of marshmallows. Fold gently with a greased spatula until every piece of cereal is evenly coated, about 1 minute. The reserved marshmallows will only partly melt, and this is exactly what you want, as they create soft, gooey pockets in the bars.
    5. Press and set
  5. 5
    Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Using a greased spatula or a lightly greased piece of parchment, press it into an even layer, reaching into the corners. Press just firmly enough to hold it together, as packing it down hard will make the bars dense. Leave it to set at room temperature for about 35 minutes, until firm enough to hold its shape when cut.
    6. Cut the bars
  6. 6
    Lift the slab out of the dish using the parchment overhang, or loosen the edges with a knife. Cut it into 12 rectangles, about 3 x 3 1/4 inches each, using a large knife lightly greased with butter. Wipe and re-grease the knife between cuts if it starts to stick. Line a tray with parchment paper for the finished bars.
    7. Melt the chocolate
  7. 7
    Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30-second intervals, stirring well after each one, until the chocolate is smooth and glossy, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes in total. If a few small lumps remain, keep stirring rather than heating again, as the warmth of the bowl will melt them gently.
    8. Dip the hair
  8. 8
    Hold one bar by its sides and dip the top 3/4 inch straight into the melted chocolate. Let the excess drip back into the bowl for a few seconds, then stand the bar upright on the lined tray. Repeat with the remaining bars. Chill the tray in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, until the chocolate is firm and no longer shiny at the edges.
    9. Decorate the faces
  9. 9
    Pipe 2 small dots of icing just below the chocolate line on each bar and press a candy eye onto each dot. Pipe a short line for the mouth, then add small crossing lines to create stitches. Gently push one pretzel half into each side of the bar, near the bottom, to make the neck bolts. Leave the bars at room temperature for about 15 minutes, until the icing has set, before serving or stacking.
Note

Keep the heat low when melting the marshmallows. This is the most important step for soft, chewy treats.

Gel food coloring gives a strong color with only a small amount, so the mixture stays thick rather than watery. Liquid coloring can be used, but you will need more of it.

If the chocolate becomes thick or grainy, it has likely overheated. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon more coconut oil to help smooth it, and use shorter heating intervals next time.

Store the finished bars in a single layer, or with parchment between layers, in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Avoid long storage in the refrigerator, as the bars firm up and moisture can smudge the chocolate and eyes. Freezing is not recommended once the bars are decorated.

To make ahead, prepare and cut the green bars up to 1 day in advance and keep them tightly wrapped at room temperature. Dip and decorate them on the day of serving, or the evening before, so the pretzel bolts stay crisp.

The calorie figure is an estimate based on the ingredients listed and will vary with the brands used.

Keywords: rice krispie,
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