Crispy Jack O'Lantern Treats

 
Some of Alex and Julia's friends came over today, along with my sister and my niece, to decorate Halloween cookies.

 
I made these pumpkin-shaped treats with the standard rice crispy treat recipe and a bit of red and yellow food coloring added to the marshmallows as they melted.

I decorated them with some canned chocolate frosting I had left over from something.

 
They went over pretty well.

In case you'd like the recipe, I used the following:

6 T butter

 
60 marshmallows

 
7 1/2 cups crisped rice cereal

 
red and yellow food coloring (I was out of orange)

chocolate frosting

2 little helpers

 
~~~

We melted the butter,

 
then added in the marshmallows,

 
and when they were nearly all melted, I added some red and yellow food coloring. 

 
Then we stirred in the rice cereal,

 
and then poured out the mixture onto two sheet pans lined with parchment paper.  (No need to butter the parchment.)

 
I patted the mixture out about half an inch thick with a buttered rubber spatula and let it all sit for a few minutes. 

 
Mmmmm...marshmallowy...

 
Then I took my pumpkin-shaped cutter and cut out as many pumpkins as I could. 

 
It helped to butter the inside and outside of the cutter - less sticking.

 
Then, I piped the outlines

 
and faces on my pumpkins,

 
put them on a tray, and hid them in the pantry.  I ended up with 24 crispy little pumpkins.

 
And then I ate the leftover bits.  Well, I shared with the kids and Bill.  Some.

Comments

[Jen @ MaplenCornbread]

TOO CUTE!!! And it looks like a fun family event to make and decorate!

[Jessica]

What a fun twist on traditional rice crispy treats! It certainly puts you in the "Halloween spirit!" I'm actually spending my first Halloween in years in a country that doesn't really celebrate Halloween. So, I've been using cooking/food to celebrate Halloween. I'd love to try this one out! Thanks for sharing!

[chocolate shavings]

Those are just too cute! And scary!