These Pink Rice Krispies Treats, made with marshmallows and crunchy cereal colored a light pink, make the ideal Valentine’s Day dessert, complete with cute little Valentine’s day sprinkles.
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There is no end to the array of ways you can dress up a Rice Krispies treat. I mean, I love them plain, but when you can add a little bit of food coloring and some sprinkles to dress them up, they’re even more fun.
We gave these a light pink tint and sprinkled them with magic Valentine’s Day sprinkles. They’re great for parties, baby showers, and Valentine’s day treats for your kid to take to school.
If you have a heart-shaped cookie cutter, they are even cuter, but you can keep it simple with square shapes, or cut any shape you like.
What’s great about these goodies is that you can flavor them or dye them any color you like. So they are ideal for every occasion. That is why they are a great treat to make for your get-togethers.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Butter – To balance out the sweetness, I use salted butter in this recipe.
- JET-PUFFED Marshmallows – You need 10 ounces of marshmallows for the full recipe. That’s about 1 full bag of large or mini marshmallows, like the ones pictured above.
- Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® Cereal – The majority of this treat is made up of Rice Krispies cereal, which gives it its trademark light, crunchy texture.
- Red Food Coloring – Choose one with no taste, or the treats will taste sour. I colored it with natural food coloring. Just a drop or two is all you need. Just remember to use enough to off-set the yellow color of the Krispies.
- Sprinkles – Optional, but, why not? I use these heart-shaped sprinkles on Amazon.
Equipment You’ll Need
You’ll need a few items to make these treats. For the most part these are tools you will already have in your kitchen.
- Baking sheet – You’ll need a shallow baking sheet on which to form the Rice Krispies. I use a quarter sheet pan. If you use something smaller, like a 9×13″ pan, the treats will be too thick.
- Parchment paper or silicon mat – It’s great to place some parchment paper or a silicon mat on the baking sheet so the Rice Krispies won’t stick. You can also just butter the pan before adding the treats.
- Heart shaped cookie cutter – You can use whatever size cutter you want, depending on your preference. This might change the number of treats you’ll get out of each batch.
- Heart-shaped sprinkles – You can order them from Amazon, if you can’t find them locally.
How To Make Pink Rice Krispies Treats
Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Set it aside.
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat until it’s completely melted. You don’t want it to be bubbling a lot or it will turn into browned butter. Add the marshmallows to the pot and let them melt into the butter, while stirring with a spatula, so they melt evenly.
Continue to melt them until there are no lumps left and the mixture is smooth.
Use red or pink food coloring to turn the marshmallow mixture pink. You can use as much or as little as you like. Just remember that the color will look more muted after you add the cereal. I didn’t add quite enough to my batch below. It’s fairly pink before adding the cereal, but then became quite muted once I did. So I’d suggest adding a bit more than I did.
Pro Tip – Use the little marshmallows instead of regular sized marshmallows because they melt faster.
Add in the Rice Krispies cereal and stir it gently with a spatula until it’s fully incorporated with the marshmallow. Try to mix quickly because the longer the mixture cools the harder it becomes and it will be more difficult to mix.
Scoop the Rice Krispies mixture onto the baking sheet and press it out until it’s even and as smooth possible. Add the sprinkles, if you are using them, right away. The sprinkles will stay put better if you sprinkle them on top of the rice krispies treats before they cool and harden. Let it cool completely.
Using your heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out as many hearts as you can. I like to move it around at first to determine how best to cut the cookie to get the most hearts.
Additional Helpful Tips
- When adding food color to your marshmallow mixture, make it a little darker than your desired color because the cereal will lighten the color.
- Be sure to use a new fresh bag of marshmallows. We all have half-used bags in our pantry, but they don’t melt as well. A fresh bag is the only way to go.
- Don’t crush the cereal: Make sure not to crush the cereal while mixing it with the marshmallows or pressing it onto the pan. Crushed grain produces harder, more compact treats.
- For the best quality and texture, keep these at room temperature. They will get cold and hard if kept in the refrigerator. They are best served the same day but they can be stored for 3 or 4 days in an airtight container or bag.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my Rice Krispies Treats falling to pieces?
The proportion of wet to dry ingredients is important in this recipe. If you use too many marshmallows, the treats will fall apart. If you use too much cereal, they will be dry and hard. Our recipe has the perfect ratio, so you should have no difficulties with consistency if you make it.
Can you make these treats in advance?
Rice Krispies Treats go stale quickly. They can be stored in an airtight container for a few days. However, we recommend that you make them as near to when you intend to eat them as possible so that they don’t turn stale and hard before you do.
Why do my Rice Krispies treats get hard?
If you press the treats into the pan too firmly, your Rice Krispies treats might become hard. Also, make sure to use fresh cereal and fresh marshmallows for the best texture.
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Pink Rice Krispies Treats
A fun treat, Pink Rice Krispies Treats feature a gooey rice Krispies delight combined with marshmallows and colored pink to make the ideal Valentine's Day dessert.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 10 ounce bag of JET-PUFFED Marshmallows
- 6 cups Kellogg's® Rice Krispies® cereal
- Red food coloring
- Valentine’s sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease it lightly with butter. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Once melted, add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Drop in the red food coloring until your desired color is reached. We used 3 drops of liquid red food coloring. Remove from heat.
- Quickly add Rice Krispies cereal and stir until well coated.
- Use a spatula to transfer the mixture onto the baking sheet. With lightly buttered fingers, press the mixture evenly to about 3/4” thick. Sprinkle with Valentine’s day sprinkles Cool completely.
- Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the tray of Rice Krispies Treats.
Notes
These are best if served the same day but can be stored for up to 3 days in an air tight container.
Use red or pink food coloring; add as much as you like. Keep in mind that the color will look more muted when you add the cereal.
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