Rice Krispie Easter Egg Treats

Last week we made edible play dough out of our favorite Easter candy, which got me to thinking…

With the help of Peeps candy, Rice Krispie Easter Egg Treats could be a fun Easter twist on traditional rice krispie treats!

How to Make Egg-Shaped Rice Krispie Treats for Easter

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I love how this idea could start with pre-made crispy rice treats, but we thought it would be fun to make our own, using marshmallow chicks and bunnies in colors of yellow, pink, and purple.

Instead of using regular Rice Krispie treats, we made our own using Peeps! Not only are these the perfect treat to set out on your Easter dessert table, this is also a fun recipe to hang onto in order to use up any leftover Peeps, after Easter!

Ingredients:
(We found this was the best combination to try):

• 9 Marshmallow chicks or bunnies
• 1 Tablespoon of melted butter
• 1 cup of Crispy Rice Cereal

Directions: 

• Place the marshmallow candy pieces into the microwave for 25-30 seconds to melt them (the little pink bunnies get all puffy, and a bit disfigured).
• Add the melted butter, and then stir until it becomes a smooth, pink, melted marshmallow concoction. If it’s still a bit lumpy, put it back into the microwave for a few seconds.
• Add the cereal, and spread onto a greased cookie sheet or piece of tin foil. Our egg-shaped cookie cutter isn’t very deep, so I made sure that our cooled crispy layer wasn’t too deep to be cut.
• Once it hardens a bit, help the kids cut out the egg shapes with the cookie cutter. If you don’t wait too long, you can even re-form some of the outside bits into another egg shape. We were able to make 4 complete eggs with one recipe outlined above.
• Repeat with yellow chicks and purple bunnies. This can yield up to a dozen rice crispy treats, in 3 colors, ready for icing!

Make Royal Icing for Crispy Rice Easter Egg Treats

Royal icing is just the best! It covers bumpy mistakes, and dries smooth and professional looking. I do not have patience or skills for fancy decorating, but these always turn out looking better than I deserve!

I used Imperial Sugar’s recipe. They have the standard Royal Icing recipe that uses raw egg whites, but also a version that uses powdered egg whites instead, in case you are not a fan of eating raw eggs.

We followed the directions, and beat the mixture for nearly 9 minutes. The kids and I took turns holding the hand mixer. We separated it into 3 different bowls, and added yellow, pink, and purple

Royal icing hardens fully in a few hours. Unfortunately, not many of ours made it that long because my kids ate them! At least I have photographic evidence that they once existed!

How Can I Color Frosting With a Food Coloring/ Dye Allergy?

Are you baking for a loved one who has a food coloring or dye allergy? If someone you care about is allergic to red dye, or any other dye, we’ve got your back!

Check out this post sharing 14 Natural Food Dye Alternatives. The natural pigments from certain fruits and veggies can be excellent substitutes for traditional food coloring options.

If Peeps are not an option for you, due to the dyes, just swap them out of the recipe above for your favorite marshmallows and one of these natural food dye alternatives! My daughter and I love these Dandies Marshmallows, as we both eat gluten-free, and I am vegetarian. Not only are these marshmallows delicious, they are also free of the Top 8 Allergens (there’s more on this below), as well as free of corn products!

Are Rice Krispie Treats Egg Free?

Kellogg’s states that they have to list an ingredient under the “may contain” section of their ingredient label, if one of the Top 8 Allergens (according the FDA) are in their products.

These Top 8 Allergens are: milk, peanuts, eggs, fish, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat. This is good to know if you are an allergy mama, like I am!

Kellogg’s also verified that there are no egg products in Rice Krispies. So, just remain vigilant about the rest of the products you use to make your Rice Krispie Easter Egg Treats with (Dandies Marshmallows, above, are egg-free, too!).

Gluten Free Rice Krispie Easter Egg Treats

Unfortunately, Kellogg’s cannot guarantee that Rice Krispies are gluten free, due to the malt listed in the ingredients. Malt is sourced from a couple of different things, but when it is sourced from barley, it is off limits for those of us with a gluten sensitivity or allergy. Since they cannot guarantee where the malt is sourced from, Kellogg’s does not certify Rice Krispies as gluten free. 

If you are looking for a gluten free crispy rice cereal alternative, you’re in luck! There are a few to choose from: Erewhon Organic Crispy Rice cereal is a favorite in our house. It’s also free of gluten, dairy, soy, and tree nuts. More gluten free crispy rice cereal options are: Nature’s Path Crispy Rice Cereal, and Back To Nature Crispy Rice Cereal. 

The good news for Peeps fans, according to the manufacturer, Just Born, is that some varieties of Peeps are indeed gluten free! Make sure you always check the package, first. If they are gluten-free, it will say so near the nutrition label and list of ingredients. Please be aware that some Peeps products are not gluten free. If you cannot find any gluten free packages, I highly recommend the Dandies Marshmallows I shared above!

How Do I Make Vegan Rice Krispie Easter Egg Treats?

This is still a possibility, and it’s pretty easy, too! Using a vegan crisp rice cereal, add Dandies Vegan Marshmallows, and use vegan butter. Another fun option is to use almond butter or another nut butter, and brown rice syrup, instead of marshmallows! You cal also just buy these pre-made organic, vegan crispy rice treats, and then use your egg-shaped cookie cutter to cut them into shape, and then skip right on to the decorating step! 

What is your favorite Easter dessert to make? Comment below!