Thanksgiving Rice Krispies Treats
Thanksgiving Rice Krispies Treats are a delicious, adorable last-minute holiday dessert. Pumpkin pie spice adds a special touch to this chewy treat.
When it comes to Thanksgiving, I like to keep dinner very traditional with bourbon turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy from scratch, and my husband’s grandma’s old fashioned dressing.
But when it comes to dessert, all bets are off the table. Truth be told, I’m not even really that big of a fan of most pies.
So I’ll often incorporate fall flavors into a different type of dessert like a cranberry tart pie or pumpkin creme brulee. If I’m really feeling ambitious, even an apple rose tart.
This year, I’ve had the biggest craving for Rice Krispies treats. Ever since my daughter got one of those packaged ones trick-or-treating, I’ve been wanting the real, homemade thing!
Since I was craving them anyway, I decided to try my hand at a batch of Thanksgiving Rice Krispies treats. These fun pumpkin-spiced goodies even resemble a pie!
What You’ll Need for Thanksgiving Rice Krispies Treats
- Rice Krispies – honestly, get the name brand ones! I’ve tried some “healthier” organic varieties, and they’re just not as good in Rice Krispies treats, trust me.
- marshmallows – the classic binder for a good Rice Krispies treat.
- butter – unsalted butter helps melt the marshmallows to create the binder.
- pumpkin pie spice – a few teaspoons of this go a long way to giving these fall Rice Krispies treats some great autumn flavor. I love it in Thanksgiving fruit salad, too.
- maple extract – I love the way maple flavoring pairs with pumpkin pie spice, but I discuss an alternative for these Thanksgiving Rice Krispies treats below.
- food coloring – I had orange food coloring left over from Halloween pudding cups, which I used to make the center of this pumpkin spice Rice Krispies treats “pie” orange. If you don’t have orange, you can use a combination of red and yellow food coloring.
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispies Treats
1. MAKE CRUST. In medium saucepot, melt butter, then add marshmallows and maple extract and stir until fully combined and smooth.
2. PRESS CRUST IN. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the cereal. Pour the mixture into a greased cake pan, and press the mixture against the sides of the pan to form the “crust” of the pie (about 1 inch thick). Leave the middle of the pan empty for the “filling.”
3. MAKE FILLING. In a clean saucepot, melt remaining butter, then add remaining marshmallows and stir until smooth. Add the pumpkin pie spice and orange food coloring and stir until smooth.
4. PRESS FILLING IN. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the remaining cereal. Press the mixture into the center of the pan until it is flattened and completely filling the inside of the pan up to the crust.
5. SERVE. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before turning treats out onto a cutting board and cutting into 8 slices, like a pie. Garnish each slice with 3 mini marshmallows to resemble whipped cream.
Do I Have to Use Maple Extract?
Personally, I love the flavor of maple when paired with pumpkin pie spices. Adding actual maple syrup would add too much liquid to this recipe and make the Thanksgiving Rice Krispies treats too runny, so I’m using maple extract to add that flavor.
If you buy maple extract, I think you’ll be surprised how versatile it can be. It even adds an extra oomph to maple syrup banana bread.
But, if you don’t think you’ll use it much and don’t want to buy it for these pumpkin spice Rice Krispies treats, that’s totally understandable. Just use vanilla extract instead!
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A Quick Tip for Pressing Fall Rice Krispies Treats into the Pan
When pressing the pumpkin pie Rice Krispies treats mixtures into the cake pan, spray a piece of parchment paper with cooking spray and use the parchment paper to press.
This prevents the mixture from sticking to your hands.
How to Serve Pumpkin Pie Rice Krispies Treats
Cut your treat into 8 slices, just like a pie.
Feel free to add a squirt of whipped cream onto each slice of “pie”! Add this right before serving.
Or, for a garnish that you can add to these Thanksgiving Rice Krispies treats in advance, use mini marshmallows to resemble the whipped cream.
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Thanksgiving Rice Krispies Treats
Ingredients
For the “Crust”:
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
- 18 marshmallows
- 1 teaspoon maple extract
- 3 cups Rice Krispies cereal
For the “Pie Filling”:
- 2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
- 25 marshmallows
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 8 drops orange food coloring or 5 drops yellow plus 3 drops red
- 4 cups Rice Krispies cereal
For Garnish:
- 24 mini marshmallows optional
Instructions
Make the "Crust":
- Spray bottom and sides of 9-inch cake pan with cooking spray. In medium saucepot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add marshmallows and maple extract and stir until fully combined and smooth.
- Remove from heat. Add Rice Krispies and stir until cereal is fully coated in marshmallow mixture.
- Pour the mixture into the cake pan, and press the mixture against sides of pan to form the "crust" of the pie (about one inch thick). Leave the middle of the pan empty for the "filling."
Make the "Pie Filling":
- In clean medium saucepot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until fully combined and smooth. Add pumpkin pie spice and food coloring and stir until fully incorporated.
- Remove from heat. Add Rice Krispies and stir until cereal is fully coated in marshmallow mixture.
- Pour filling into center of cake pan, and press until flattened and completely filling in the inside of the pan up to the "crust."
- Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes to set before cutting into 8 slices, like a pie. Garnish each slice with 3 mini marshmallows to resemble whipped cream.
Notes
- Home Chef Tip: When pressing the Rice Krispies mixtures into the cake pan, spray a piece of parchment paper with cooking spray and press using the parchment paper. This prevents the mixture from sticking to your hands.
I coat my hands with a little butter to prevent the mixture from sticking to them.
Smart move! Thanks Dianne!