If you’re looking for the perfect, easy treat to bring some holiday cheer to your guests this Christmas season, then make these delightful Santa Rice Krispie Treats! These cereal treats are super easy to make and even more fun to look at. With their classic, chewy interior and a crunchy white chocolate and coconut exterior, you’ll delight their taste buds just as much as their eyes!
These Rice Krispie Santas are soft and chewy on the inside with a sweet candy shell and fluffy, sweetened coconut on the outside. They’re perfectly decorated to look like jolly little Santas. I think these Christmas treats would be so fun to bring to classroom parties or serve on a holiday dessert tray!
SAVE THIS RECIPE FOR RICE KRISPIE SANTAS TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!
Why You’ll Love These Rice Krispie Treats
They’re easy and fun to make. These Santas are so adorable and easy to make that you’ll make multiple batches through the season.
They’re great for get-togethers and potlucks. Add extra fun to any party, potluck, or get-together with this fun treat.
Santa Treats taste great. With the perfect balance of sweetness and texture, you’ll love these little Santa crispy treats!
Ingredients for Santa Rice Krispie Treats
You will need the following ingredients:
Salted butter – Substitute with margarine if you prefer.
Mini marshmallows
Vanilla extract – This is optional, or you can use any extract you love.
Rice Krispies cereal – Use any crispy rice cereal.
Red candy melts/melting chocolate
White candy melts/ melting chocolate – You can use white chocolate chips, but you’ll need extra oil to thin them out.
Vegetable oil – Any neutral oil will work.
Candy eyes – I used small eyes, but get creative with size.
Mini red M&Ms – Any very small red candy would work.
Sweetened coconut shreds – You can use white sprinkles or sanding sugar if you don’t care for coconut.
Red sanding sugar
You’ll find a detailed ingredient list in the printable recipe card below!
How to Make Rice Krispie Santas
First, we’ll make the Rice Krispie Treats following the classic recipe.
Prepare your pan. Prepare a 9×13-inch baking pan by spraying it with cooking spray or greasing it with butter.
Melt the butter. In a large saucepan over low heat, add the butter and melt completely.
Add marshmallows and vanilla. Add the marshmallows and vanilla to the saucepan and stir until melted and well combined.
Stir and continue to heat. After everything is well combined, stir and cook the melted marshmallow mixture for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Add the cereal. Stir in cereal and toss until well coated.
Transfer to the pan. Pour the mixture into the baking pan and use a piece of wax paper or a buttered rubber spatula to firmly pack it into an even layer.
Cool. Set aside to allow to cool to room temperature for 1 hour or pop in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Now it’s time to turn these into Santa Treats!
Melt the red chocolate. While the Rice Krispie treats cool, heat the red melting chocolate according to package instructions.
Add the oil. Add ½ Tablespoon of vegetable oil to thin the chocolate slightly.
Melt the white chocolate. Repeat the same process with the white melting chocolate and the remaining oil.
Cut. Once cooled, cut the treats into 10 evenly-sized rectangles with a sharp knife.
Dip in the chocolate. For each Santa, quickly lower the top ½ inch of the treat in the red chocolate to make the red hat and the lower 1/3 of the treat into the melted white chocolate to make the white beard. Let the excess melted chocolate drip back into the bowl and then set each treat aside on a nonstick surface (like parchment paper).
Decorate. While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle the red section with red sanding sugar and the white section with coconut flakes.
Pipe the belt. Place the remaining white melted candy coating in a piping bag. Snip the end and pipe a thick line of white at the bottom of Santa’s hat. Sprinkle coconut on top.
Add the eyes and nose. In the middle section of the uncovered Rice Krispie, use a dot of white chocolate to adhere the eyes and a little red M&M nose under the eyes.
Set and serve. Let the chocolate set for 15 minutes before serving.
Optional. If desired, you can add holiday straws or treat sticks to the bottom of the Rice Krispies to make Rice Krispie pops. *Place the straw or stick all the way to the top of the Santa, or coat the back of the Santa with chocolate as well to give it more strength because it is top-heavy and doesn’t like to stay on the stick without support!
FAQs
Can I use large marshmallows instead of mini marshmallows for this recipe?
Yes, you can also use larger marshmallows, but they’ll take longer to melt completely.
How do I store Santa Rice Krispie Treats?
If you have leftover Rice Krispie Santas, you can keep them wrapped or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Do I have to use homemade Rice Krispie treats, or can I use store-bought?
You can use the pre-made Rice Krispies bars if you are short on time and want to get right to decorating. Unwrap them and then decorate as directed above!
Can I make Rice Krispie Santas ahead of time and freeze them?
You can make the Rice Krispie treats, wrap them in plastic wrap, and then place them into a resealable plastic bag before freezing for up to 3 months. I don’t recommend decorating them before freezing because you risk the chocolate cracking as they thaw.
More Rice Krispie Treat Recipes
I love making these tasty treats to share at all sorts of events. Whether they are plain, decorated, or made with fun flavors, Rice Krispie Treats are always a great choice. Here are some of my favorites:
Funfetti Rice Krispie Treats
S’mores Rice Krispie Treats
Oreo Peppermint Rice Krispie Treats
Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
Pin or print this recipe for Santa Rice Krispie Treats for your next holiday baking session!
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Print
Santa Rice Krispie Treats
Delight everyone this Christmas with Santa Rice Krispie Treats! These easy cereal bars are chewy with a crunchy white chocolate and coconut exterior. They're as much fun to look at as they are to eat!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Santa Rice Krispie Treats
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Rest Time 1 hourhour
Total Time 1 hourhour15 minutesminutes
Servings 10Santas
Calories 423kcal
Author Lynne Feifer
Ingredients
¼cupsalted butter
4cupsmini marshmallows
1teaspoonvanilla extract
5cupsRice Krispies cereal
1cupred melting chocolate
1cupwhite melting chocolate
1tablespoonvegetable oil,divided
20candy eyes
10mini red M&Ms
2cupssweetened shredded coconut
½cupred sanding sugar
Instructions
Prepare a 9×13-inch baking pan by spraying it with nonstick cooking spray or greasing it with butter.
In a large saucepan over low heat, melt the butter completely.
Add the marshmallows and vanilla extract to the saucepan and stir until melted and well-combined. Continue to stir and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the marshmallow mixture from the heat.
Stir in the cereal and toss until well-coated.
Transfer the cereal mixture to the prepared pan and use a piece of waxed paper or a buttered silicone spatula to firmly pack it into an even layer. Set aside and allow the bars to cool to room temperature for an hour (or 15 minutes in the fridge).
Decorating the Santas
Meanwhile, heat the red melting chocolate according to the package directions. Add 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil to thin the chocolate slightly and stir.
Repeat this process with the white melting chocolate.
Once the Rice Krispie bars are cool enough, cut the treats into 10 rectangles.
For each Santa: quickly lower the top 1/2 inch of the treat into the melted red chocolate and the lower 1/3 of the treat into the white chocolate, leaving an uncovered space in between. Let the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl, then set each treat aside on a sheet of waxed paper or parchment paper.
While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle the red section with red sanding sugar and the white section with coconut flakes (or white sanding sugar or sprinkles if you don't like coconut).
Place the remaining white chocolate in a piping bag. Snip the very end and pipe a thick line of white at the bottom of the red section. Sprinkle it with coconut.
Use a dot of white chocolate to adhere the candy eyes and red candy nose in the undecorated section of the treat.
Set aside and let the chocolate set for about 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Optional. If desired, you can add holiday straws or treat sticks to the bottom of the Rice Krispies to make Rice Krispie pops. Place the straw or stick all the way to the top of the Santa, or coat the back of the Santa with chocolate as well to give it more strength because it is top-heavy and doesn’t like to stay on the stick without support!
