Circus Animal Rice Krispie Treats
Published Date: January 28, 2023
Circus Animal Rice Krispie Treats are a fun, no-bake dessert that’s bursting with flavor from the addition of delicious, frosted circus animal cookies! Only takes 10 minutes to prep a batch that makes a dozen squares!
Make a batch of these Circus Animal Rice Krispie Treats for your next celebration! Their bright color, fun sprinkles, and tasty flavor will make the occasion that much more enjoyable!
This quick, simple recipe combines homemade rice Krispie treats with Mother’s Circus Animal Cookies for an easy snack that everyone will love!
Take A Bite Of These Circus Animal Rice Krispie Treats
Taste: This Circus Animal Cookie Rice Krispie Treats Recipe serves up a treat that’s sweet yet super delicious! The classic marshmallowy treat gets an upgrade by combining it with vanilla shortbread cookies that are covered in frosting!
Together the two make for a dessert that’s filled with sweet vanilla flavor!
Texture: These Krispie treats are still wonderfully chewy yet also have a nice crunch from the addition of circus cookies! Both fill this easy-to-make treat with a satisfying texture to match its yummy taste!
Matching The Krispie Treats To The Circus Animal Cookies!
With a few easy ingredients and a couple of extra minutes, these treats take on a look to match the circus cookies! Using red food coloring, the marshmallowy cereal mixture takes on a pink color that makes these treats even more festive!
Once the treats are in the pan, they’re drizzled with melted white, light pink, and hot pink candy melts! Making it the perfect matching background to carefully place a dozen frosted circus animal cookies on top.
Finishing off these circus cookie rice Krispie treats is a sprinkle of rainbow nonpareils! Giving the treats and animal cookies a seamless appearance!
Circus Animal Rice Krispie Treats Tips
- Prepare The Pan – Removing these Krispie treats from the pan is easiest when it’s lined with parchment paper that’s sprayed lightly with cooking spray. This method makes cutting and removing them as effortless and clean as possible!
- Chopping The Cookies – To chop the cookies that are added to the cereal mixture, you can use a food processor or a Ziploc bag with a kitchen mallet. Just be sure not to get the cookie pieces too small and crummy! This would also be a great job for kids to be involved by allowing them to break each cookie up by hand!
- Pressing The Treats In The Pan – One of the tricks to perfectly chewy treats is to be very careful with how much pressure you use to press the mixture into the pan. Too much pressure will compact the treats, resulting in hard rice Krispie squares. Too little pressure and the treats could fall apart! Use a greased rubber spatula or clean, greased hands to work the mixture into the pan gently.
- Topping – For a nice, clean drizzle, transfer the melted chocolate into a piping bag or a Ziploc bag with a corner snipped off. You want to work fairly quickly when topping the melted chocolate with the additional circus cookies and sprinkles. If the chocolate drizzle hardens, the cookies and sprinkles won’t stick to the treats!
Storage Instructions For These Homemade Rice Krispie Treats
These circus cookie Krispie treats are best enjoyed the day they’re made! Though if you do have leftovers, you can store them at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Much longer than that, and the homemade treats start to get too hard!
Can I Just Use Salted Butter In This Recipe?
Yes, an equal amount of salted butter can replace unsalted butter. To do so, omit the additional 1/8 teaspoon salt the recipe calls for.
What Should I Do If I Can’t Find Pink Candy Melts For The Drizzled Topping?
Not a problem at all! You can use all white candy melts combined with red food coloring. Use just a few drops to make a light pink color and more to get a hot pink color.
How Come My Rice Krispie Treats Came Out Hard?
Hard rice Krispie treats are often the result of compacting the cereal too much in the pan. Or the marshmallow and butter mixture was heated for too long.
You just want to cook the marshmallow and butter long enough for the two to melt. Any longer and the increased temperature becomes too hot, resulting in hardened treats.
Where Can I Find Mother’s Circus Animal Cookies?
These cookies are often found right at your local grocery store. Check the aisles that have kid’s snacks! Target, Walmart, and Amazon are all safe bets as well!
Circus Animal Rice Krispie Treats
EQUIPMENT
- Large pot
- 11×14 baking pan
INGREDIENTS
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 16 ounces mini marshmallows divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 drops red food coloring optional for pink color
- 7 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- 18 ounces Mother’s Circus Animal Cookies divided
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons rainbow nonpareils
Optional toppings:
- White chocolate melts
- Pink chocolate melts
- Hot pink chocolate melts
- Animal circus cookies
- Rainbow nonpareils
INSTRUCTIONS
- Line a 11×14-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Set 12 Circus animal cookies to the side and chop up the rest to get about 4 cups worth.18 ounces Mother’s Circus Animal Cookies
- Melt butter in a large pot and stir in the salt.½ cup unsalted butter, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Measure out and set aside 1½ cups of marshmallows to mix in at the end. Add the remaining marshmallows to the pot to melt with the butter and stir until it is a smooth consistency.16 ounces mini marshmallows
- Take the pot off of the heat before adding in the vanilla and food coloring. Stir until you get a nice pink color. Add another drop at a time of food coloring if needed.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2-3 drops red food coloring
- Fold in the Rice Krispies cereal, 4 cups chopped Circus Animal Cookies, white chocolate chips, and sprinkles.7 cups Rice Krispies cereal, 18 ounces Mother’s Circus Animal Cookies, ½ cup white chocolate chips, 3 tablespoons rainbow nonpareils
- Add the 1½ cups of reserved mini marshmallows and fold gently into the mixture.16 ounces mini marshmallows
- Spread the mixture into the baking pan into an even layer. It helps to use a greased rubber spatula or grease your hands to press it in.
- Melt the candy melts in the microwave and drizzle it on top. Then place the circus animal cookies over it and sprinkle with extra nonpareils.White chocolate melts, Pink chocolate melts, Hot pink chocolate melts, Animal circus cookies, Rainbow nonpareils
- Allow it to cool on the counter for 30 minutes to 1 hour before slicing.
NOTES
- These rice krispie treats are best enjoyed the same day, but you can store leftovers in an airtight container on the counter for up to 2 days.Â
