Chocolate Peppermint Rice Krispie Treats (GF, Vegan friendly)

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A crunchy, crispy dark chocolate and puffed rice base with a soft, refreshing peppermint center, topped with a thin layer of dark chocolate and crushed peppermint candy – these easy to make Chocolate Peppermint Rice Krispie Treats (Rice Krispies® Bars) are all the sweet spirit of the holidays neatly packaged into one little addictive square-shaped treat! Great for gift-giving! Gluten free and vegan friendly

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Like a lot of kids and grown ups out there, my first memory of breakfast cereal was Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies®. It’s a household name, and Rice Krispies® treats are a favorite for kids and adults alike, especially during the holidays! While I loved hearing the snap, crackle and pop while eating cereal from my bowl, I feel like Rice Krispies® treats are a rite of passage for every kid.

As I was kindly pointed out – Rice Krispies is NOT Gluten free, but a GF puffed Rice cereal can be substituted to make this easy recipe gluten free!

My first time was making candy bar Rice Krispie treats. We melted candy bars and mixed it with Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® and made millionaire Rice Krispie bars that were topped with caramel and milk chocolate. Indulgent? Every single bite. Worth it? Every single bite. Just don’t bring those anywhere close to your kid if you’re trying to put them down for a nap or want them to rest. 🙂

My tastes haven’t changed a whole lot over the years, but I do love making Rice Krispie treats in more unique ways now than your classic treats made with just marshmallows, butter and Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies®. Like these Pecan Pie cookies that are a decadent cookie version of pecan pies, or these no bake Butterscotch Chocolate Rice Krispie cookies. And of course these gluten-free and vegan friendly Chocolate Peppermint Rice Krispie Treats – perfect as holiday treats for parties and gatherings, or for gift-giving, or as a bite-sized after-dinner treat with your tea or coffee.

Think of a “happy reunion” of dark chocolate krispie bars and peppermint patty. This chocolate peppermint Rice Krispie treats are their love child!

Amazingly refreshing thanks to the peppermint, but also crunchy with just the right amount of sweetness! I personally prefer dark chocolate for these treats as the sweetness is just right, but you can easily adapt the recipe with milk chocolate if you prefer.

What’s more, these chocolate peppermint Rice Krispie treats are super easy! There are 3 layers, and each one is easy and straight-forward. All you need are,

• Dark Chocolate
• Coconut oil or melted butter
• Coconut cream or regular cream
• Peppermint extract (get a good oil based extract)
• Icing Sugar and
• Rice Krispies (or a Gluten free, Vegan certified puffed rice cereal)

First the  Rice Krispies (gluten free vegan variety) are mixed with melted dark chocolate (use vegan chocolate to make the recipe vegan), and then this mixture is spread on a Silpat or a silicone tray ( you can spread it on a parchment paper lined tray too). You could use milk chocolate or melted peppermint chocolate or a mix of them too if you like that better.

Don’t even have to wait for the chocolate – rice krispie layer to set before adding the peppermint layer. The peppermint center can be made in less than 5 minutes and it’s fool-proof and can be rolled out and placed on top of the chocolate rice krispie layer. These two layers will stick together better, if the chocolate-rice krispie layer hasn’t set yet. Initially I made a peppermint fondant made with just sugar and peppermint, but that involved melting the sugar, making sure it doesn’t crystallize, then heating it to the right temp. and whipping the sugar syrup in order to make that creamy center. That was waaay too much work for a treat that you want to enjoy right away! So I came up with this easier version, and it’s similar to how you’d make cake fondant with icing sugar.

This peppermint layer can also easily be made vegan, or not. I made it vegan with coconut oil and coconut cream for this recipe. Since peppermint is a dominant flavor, you don’t notice the coconut flavor AT ALL. But if you’re not too fussed about keeping it vegan, or just don’t use coconut oil and cream at home, you can simply use butter and cream instead. I’ve made it both way and love it either way. And you don’t need a mixer for this either. All you need is a spoo and your hands to get in there and knead the mix. And you can also get your kids (and adult-sized kids) involved and have a really jolly time!

THANKS TO A WONDERFUL READER who pointed out to me that Rice Krispies are NOT Vegan, make sure to use a Puffed Rice cereal that is vegan too!

And then finally, the rice krispie bars are topped with a thin layer of dark chocolate. You can even top it with extra crushed peppermint candy to complete the experience!

A crunchy, crispy dark chocolate and rice krispie base with a soft, refreshing mint center, topped with a thin layer of dark chocolate and crushed peppermint candy – this is all the sweet spirit of the holidays neatly packaged into one little addictive square-shaped treat! You guys are going to love it! 🙂

And since these Chocolate Peppermint Rice Krispie treats are so easy and fool-proof, you can get your kids to help you out as well. Plus these are very adaptable to your individual tastes and preferences.

• Vegan? Use a Vegan Puffed Cereal and Yes!
• Don’t want it to be Vegan? No problem – there are options in this recipe for that too (butter and cream)
• Use a GF version to make this Gluten free!
• Don’t like dark chocolate? Melt you favorite milk chocolate or mint chocolate bars instead.
• And if you have silicone candy cavity trays, then you can make these in those shapes as well.

Yes, these will be great for parties this holiday season and for gift-giving, but honestly, I’ll be making these chocolate peppermint rice krispie treats all year round! Something this easy and addictive just cannot be contained to a few weeks of the year.

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Chocolate Peppermint Rice Krispie Treats (GF and Vegan)

Serves 9 pieces

Print Rate

Ingredients:

Chocolate Rice Krispie Layer

• 8 oz dark chocolate vegan variety
• 1 ½ cups Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® or GF / Vegan puffed rice

Mint Fondant Layer

• 10 oz slightly more than 2 cups of confectioner’s sugar/icing sugar
• 2 tsp peppermint extract
• 2 tbsp coconut oil melted and cooled (or softened unsalted butter)
• 2 1/2 tbsp coconut cream or regular cream

To Top

• 6 oz dark chocolate
• Crushed peppermint candy cane optional

Instructions:

Chocolate Rice Krispie Layer

• Melt the dark chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl. You can melt the chocolate over a double boiler, or in the microwave. Heat the chocolate in 30 seconds burst in the microwave, while stirring in between, until almost all the chocolate has melted.
• Remove the bowl from the microwave (or double boiler) and stir until all the chocolate melts in the residual heat.
• Stir in the Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® and mix gently until evenly coated.
• Spread the chocolate mix evenly on a silpat (about a 7x7 inch square in total). Alternatively, if you have a silicone mini cupcake pan or silicone bar mold, you can fill the cavities about ⅓ of the way with the rice krispie mix by gently pressing it into the cavities.You don't want this layer to be too thick.

Mint Fondant Layer

• Place all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk to distribute the ingredients. The mix will look lumpy and that’s OK.
• Use your hands to knead the mix into a soft dough. The fondant dough should be soft, but not sticky. Sprinkle a little confectioner’s sugar if it's too sticky.
• Place the peppermint fondant between two parchment papers (or plastic wrap) and roll it out to a thin rectangle that will cover the chocolate rice krispie layer.

Assembly

• Place the peppermint fondant over the chocolate rice krispie layer while it’s still soft (not completely set) and press down gently. Make sure the top is nice the smooth.
• Spread the melted dark chocolate over the mint fondant layer.
• Optional - before the chocolate layer sets, sprinkle crushed candy cane on top.
• Let the chocolate peppermint bar set for a few minutes. Cut squares with a hot knife (so that you get nice clean cuts) and let it set completely for a few hours (or store in the fridge).
• Serve.

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I get my Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® from my local Walmart store. Just head on over to the cereal aisle where you can easily find them along with Kellogg’s® Cocoa Rice Krispies® and Kellogg’s® Frosted Krispies® too. I’m sure you’ll need at least a few boxes this holiday season. I’ve got at least two more boxes sitting in the cupboard in my pantry waiting to be transformed into addictive holiday treats!

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