Let’s make rice Krispie treats with Peeps!

Last week we made edible Peeps playdough 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!

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How to Make Peeps Rice Krispie Treats for Easter

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.

Let’s make Rice Krispie treats with 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!

Peeps Rice Krispie Treats Recipe Ingredients

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

Peeps Rice Krispie Treat Recipe Instructions

1. 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).
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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 Peeps 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 food coloring, trying to mimic the original color of the Easter candy we used in the Peeps rice krispie egg treats.

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! 

Yield: 4 each recipe (color)

Peeps Rice Krispie Treats Recipe

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Make Rice Krispie treats with Peeps! Whether you have leftover Easter candy or want to make a special Easter colored treat, using Peeps as the marshmallow in this Rice Krispie Treat recipe is as fun as it sounds!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 9 Peeps Chicks or Bunnies that are the same color
• 1 Tablespoons of melted butter
• 1 cups Rice Krispie cereal
• Non-stick Cooking spray
• For the Royal Icing:
• 2 cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Meringue Powder
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon Lemon juice

Instructions

1. In a medium/large bowl, place the Peeps (by color) into microwave for 25-30 seconds to melt (they become a little puffy and disfigured in the process).
2. Add melted butter and stir until smooth. You may need to pop back into microwave for a few seconds if still lumpy.
3. Add the cereal and mix.
4. On a greased cookie sheet (or use tin foil), spread the sticky cereal mixture. If you are using a cookie cutter to make the shapes, then make sure the depth of your cereal mixture isn't deeper than the cookie cutter. If you are fashioning the egg shape yourself, then form egg shapes onto your cookie sheet.
5. Once the mixture cools a little, cut with cookie cutters. If you do this before fully cooled, you may be able to re-form some of the leftovers into another egg shape.
6. Repeat this recipe with another color of Peeps!
7. To make the royal icing for all the Peeps Rice Krispie Treats, sift together the powdered sugar with meringue powder into a medium size bowl.
8. Add the water and lemon juice and whip until stiff.
9. Separate into smaller bowls (to match the number of colors of Peeps Rice Krispie Treats you have) and add food coloring to each bowl to match the Peeps color of that treat.
10. If the icing is too thick, you can also add water.
11. Spread the icing on the Peeps Rice Krispie Treats - for a "flooding technique" check out the Imperial Sugar recipe instructions.
12. Decorate the Peeps Rice Krispie Treat eggs with the other colors of royal icing using a pastry bag.

 More Easter Treats and Fun from Kids Activities Blog

• 100 No-Candy Easter Basket Ideas
• How to Dye Easter Eggs (Safe & Easy!)
• Easter Math Fun! 
• Gak Filled Easter Eggs
• Easter Candy Play Dough
• 22 Totally Delicious Easter Treats
• 11 Free Easter Activities for Kids
• Colorful Paper Easter Eggs

Do you love the idea of Peeps Rice Krispie Treats…