Lump of Coal Rice Krispie Treats Recipe (2024)

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by Alea Milham 36 Comments

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Everyone remembers the old story about Santa leaving a lump of coal in your stocking if you are on the naughty list. This year, you can leave these Lump Of Coal Rice Krispie Treats instead! Your kids will love finding a delicious snack in their stocking and you get to have fun with the story of telling them they are on the naughty list.

Lump of Coal Rice Krispie Treats Recipe (1)

Lump of Coal Rice Krispie Treats Recipe (2)

This recipe for Lump of Coal Rice Krispie Treats is super easy to make. It’s a basic rice cereal and marshmallow treat recipe with the addition of my favorite cookie, Oreo’s. With crushed Oreo cookies and some black food coloring, you can turn a plain rice Krispie treats into a little lump of coal. This recipe is perfect for sharing around the holiday season.

If you want to use less food coloring and you have Cocoa Krispies and Chocolate Oreos available, then try our Double Chocolate Lump of Coal Rice Krispie Treats Recipe.

Lump of Coal Rice Krispie Treats Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 3cups miniature marshmallows or 30 large marshmallows
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
  • 4cups ricecereal (reduce to 3 cups if you want softer coal)
  • 1 1/2 cups crushed Oreo cookies, loosely packed (best to leave the filling in the cookies)
  • 4 – 10 dropsblack gel food coloring(enough to turn the melted marshmallows black. The amount required will dependon the brand you use). We have found this super black gel food coloris able to darken the marshmallow with the fewest drops.

Directions:

1. In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, heat your marshmallows and butter for 60-90 seconds. Until the butter and marshmallow are melted.
2. Stir your marshmallows and mix in your food coloring until you achieve the desired color.

Lump of Coal Rice Krispie Treats Recipe (3)
3. Now mix in your rice cereal and the crushed Oreo cookies. Use a heavy metal spoon as it is quite hard to stir all of the Rice Krispies.

Lump of Coal Rice Krispie Treats Recipe (4)
Lump of Coal Rice Krispie Treats Recipe (5)
4. Let sit for about 5 minutes until your marshmallows cool down
6. Use a tablespoon to scoop out your treats onto a piece of parchment paper.

Lump of Coal Rice Krispie Treats Recipe (6)
Lump of Coal Rice Krispie Treats Recipe (7)
7. Let cool for 20 – 30 minutes.
8. Pack your treats a little more tightly by using your hands.

The final product will be harder, denser, and drier than your traditional Rice Krispies treats,but the Oreos will make it more flavorful.

Note about color: Some people have found that their food dye did not do an adequate job of coloring the Rice Krispies treats. One of my friends had this happen to her and she used Wilton Black Color Mist to give them an extra coat of black color of her lumps of coal.

Lump of Coal Rice Krispie Treats Recipe (8)
Lump of Coal Rice Krispie Treats Recipe (9)

This is such a fun idea for Christmas! Make these lump of coal Rice Krispie treats and store in paper bags marked with “coal” on the outside. Slip them inside your kids’ stockings or gift them to your friends and family as a fun anddelicious holiday treat.

Printable Recipe for Lump of Coal Rice Krispie Treats

Lump of Coal Rice Krispie Treats Recipe (10)

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5 from 8 votes

Lump of Coal Rice Krispie Treats Recipe

This fun Christmas dessert is made by shaping chocolate Rice Krispie Treats into the shape of lumps of coal.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Lump of Coal Rice Krispie Treats

Servings 24

Author Alea Milham

Ingredients

  • 3 cups miniature marshmallows
  • Tablespoons butter
  • 3 - 4 cups rice cereal use 3 cups for softer "coal"
  • cups crushed Oreo cookies loosely packed (best to leave the filling in)
  • 4 - 10 drops black gel food coloring

Instructions

  • In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, heat your marshmallows and butter for 60-90 seconds.

  • Stir your marshmallows and mix in your food coloring until you achieve the desired color.

  • Mix in your rice cereal and crushed Oreo cookies.

  • Let sit for about 5 minutes until your marshmallows cool down.

  • Use a tablespoon to scoop out your treats onto a piece of parchment paper.

  • Cool for 20 - 30 minutes.

  • Pack your treats a little more tightly by using your hands.

More Christmas Cookies and Desserts:

Lump of Coal Rice Krispie Treats Recipe (11)

Christmas Tree Chocolate Bark

Peppermint Chocolate Drizzled Popcorn

Christmas Sugar Cookie Recipe

Tips For Creating The Perfect Gingerbread House

Christmas Chocolate Drop Cookies

Mocha Fudge made with Espresso Crystals

Peppermint Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Postcard Gingerbread Cookies

About Alea Milham

Alea Milham is the owner of Premeditated Leftovers and the author of Prep-Ahead Meals from Scatch. She shares her tips for saving money and time while reducing waste in her home. Her favorite hobby, gardening, is a frugal source of organic produce for her recipes. She believes it is possible to live fully and eat well while spending less.

Comments

  1. Donna @ Modern on Monticello says

    Lump of Coal Rice Krispie Treats Recipe (12)
    Such a fun new way to make these! Kids and adults will love them. This post will be a feature this week. Thanks for sharing it. #HomeMattersParty

    Reply

  2. Sarah Hill says

    How long do they last for?

    Reply

  3. Sophia says

    Can you freeze these?

    Reply

  4. Jess says

    Is it really just 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of butter? Why so little butter? (lol). I know these are not your “normal” rice krispy treats, and although Im used to making regular rice krispy treats, this doesn’t seem like its enough butter?

    Reply

    • Alea Milham says

      Since we leave the filling in the Oreos, you don’t need as much butter.

      Reply

  5. Lauren says

    Lump of Coal Rice Krispie Treats Recipe (14)
    Thank you! I came here specifically looking for a tip on the oreo creme center and i liked that you mentioned to keep it in there. The food coloring tip was a life saver. I had 2 separate brands that didnt work at all. One turned it blue and the other light grey.

    Reply

  6. Emily says

    Does it matter if you use salted or unsalted butter?

    Reply

    • Alea Milham says

      No, it doesn’t.

      Reply

  7. Julie C says

    These turned out great! Very easy and they look like perfect lumps of coal! I used Wilton Color Right base black – part of their performance color system (which I don’t have). It took A LOT of the food coloring but it turned out!

    Reply

  8. Cathy says

    How crushed should the oreos be? Should they be small crumbs like when put into a food processor? Or just crushed by hand with larger pieces of crumbs?
    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Alea Milham says

      I crushed them by hand.

      Reply

  9. Lauren says

    Can I use regular black food coloring instead of gel? I understand the results will vary but I plan on buying the black food mist as well, just wanted to know if the regular food coloring will work at all.

    Every year we do a Christmas treat exchange with my husbands family- these are gonna be a hit!?

    Reply

    • Alea Milham says

      Yes, you can.

      Reply

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Lump of Coal Rice Krispie Treats Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you put too much butter in Rice Krispie Treats? ›

What happens if you put too much butter in Rice Krispies Treats? If you put too much butter in rice krispies treats they will become oily, the cereal will soak up the butter and the treats will become soggy, rather than crispy.

Why are my homemade rice crispy treats so hard? ›

If you melt the marshmallows too fast, it might result in a Rice Kripsy treat that is harder and crunchy than chewy. Take your time and let the butter and marshmallows melt slowly. Use an 8×8 or slightly smaller pan. Use a small and deep pan if you want thick and chewy rice Krispy treats.

How do you keep Rice Krispie Treats from getting soggy? ›

One thing to keep in mid though is to always cover them in either situation. If you refrigerate them and they are not covered they will go rock hard and dusty. If you leave them out uncovered for too long you can get the opposite, soggy squares with no snap crackle pop left in them as they absorb moisture from the air.

Why won't my marshmallows melt for rice krispies? ›

It's tempting to turn up the heat to speed up melting the butter and marshmallows, but resist the urge. High heat is the prime culprit for rock hard rice krispie treats. → Follow this tip: It will take a few more minutes of cook time, but melt the butter and marshmallows over low heat.

Why can't Muslims eat Rice Krispie Treats? ›

What about Rice Crispy Treats that have marshmallows in them, are they Haram too? Yes, they also use gelatin from pork. All pig products like pork are Haram (forbidden) for Muslims to eat.

Why won't my rice crispy treats harden? ›

Let them cool to room temperature and try again. If they're still not setting, the mixture did not contain enough cereal. Rice Krispies are soft and gooey in the pan, but quickly set up the baking dish. Follow the recipe below using the exact proportions for perfect results every time!

Can you fix hard rice crispy treats? ›

If you crank up the heat and zoom through melting them, they will dry to a hard texture instead of a soft gooey one. So take the extra 5 minutes and melt them over low heat, stirring constantly. Show them a little love :) If you did melt them slow and they are still hard, you most likely need to use more marshmallows.

What can you do with expired marshmallows? ›

Marshmallows don't really go “bad” that I am aware of. Personally, I would try to use them. You can soften hard marshmallows by dipping a sealed bag in a hot pot of water boiling for a couple of minutes. The expiration date is just a best by date.

When making rice crispy treats do you put them in the fridge? ›

Your best bet is to avoid sticking them in the fridge or freezer. Rice crispy treats will actually taste best if they're stored at room temperature. or quicker, easier access, go for smaller squares that you can just grab and eat.

What is the best way to cut rice krispie treats? ›

Using cookie cutters coated with cooking spray cut into desired shapes.

Can you freeze homemade rice crispy treats? ›

If you want to store them for longer than two days, try freezing them. To Freeze: Allow these gooey Rice Krispie Treats to cool completely and cut them into squares. Freeze in an airtight container, or wrap each square in a piece of plastic wrap and place them in a gallon freezer bag. Freeze them for up to 3 months.

Do you add butter to melt marshmallows? ›

However, if you need the marshmallows to be melted for use in a recipe like a mousse or cereal bar, then it's best to do so very gently in a saucepan, ideally with other ingredients like butter, milk or water, depending on your recipe.

What is a substitute for marshmallows in Rice Krispies? ›

The substitute breaks down like this: combine an inverted sugar (like syrup or honey) with a nut or seed butter to create a sweet adhesive for your Rice Krispy treats. Not only does this sticky mix work as a proper swap for marshmallows, but it also brings its own unique flavor to your crunchy bars.

Can you use hard marshmallows for rice krispie treats? ›

Recipe Notes

* Make sure your marshmallows are fresh. Stale, hard marshmallows won't result in nice, chewy bars. ** Any brand is fine, but be sure the cereal you use is fresh. Stale cereal will make for stale-tasting Rice Crispy Treats.

What happens if I use too much butter when baking? ›

Classic signs of a cookie with too much butter include crispy-bordering-on-burnt edges, a greasy surface, an excessively brittle texture, and a predominantly buttery flavor that overpowers the other caramel and chocolate notes.

What happens if you put too much butter in cupcakes? ›

As a commonly used fat, butter is largely responsible for the amount of moisture in your cake, cookies, cupcakes, and so on. So, the more butter you add, the closer you'll get to that ultra-soft texture of your sheet cake dreams. Less butter results in a drier, chewier cake.

Does butter make things crispy? ›

Texture: Cookies made with butter tend to spread more during baking, which can result in thinner, crispier cookies. However, the exact texture can vary based on other ingredients and the specific recipe. Melting Point: Butter has a lower melting point than shortening.

What happens if I put too much butter in my cookies? ›

Too much butter makes cookies turn out just as you'd expect: very buttery. This batch of cookies was cakey in the middle, but also airy throughout, with crispy edges. They were yellow and slightly puffy in the middle, and brown and super thin around the perimeter.

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