If you're looking for an easy way to ring in the holiday spirit, these homemade Chocolate Christmas Rice Krispie Treats shaped like Christmas trees are perfect! Decorate them however you'd like with friends or family!

Chocolate Christmas Rice Krispie Treats recipe
The holidays are by far my favorite season of the year. I love fall and the changing colors but nothing compares to that magic spirit of Christmas.
Because we live in Arizona, I won't ever get to rely on freezing temperatures or snowy weather to help bring in the holiday spirit — something I am totally okay with. Instead, I know that we will have to have certain traditions to help begin the holiday season and spirit.
One tradition we have is holiday baking. I love baking any time of year but there's something extra special about doing it around the holidays.
This year I decided to make Chocolate Christmas Rice Krispie Treats with chocolate cereal. These are so much fun to add to a cookie tray or serve at a holiday party.
These treats are a great way for families to create holiday memories. Last year we tried to focus on experiences we could have as a family and mine was decorating cookies after dinner. It was really fun and brought up all kinds of cookie-decorating nostalgia.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Rice krispie treats are easy to make. You can use your favorite kind of cereal if chocolate krispies aren't your thing!
- They are fun to cut into tree shapes for Christmas, but you can do squares the rest of the year.
- Kids will love helping and decorating these family-friendly treats!
Ingredients
Here's what you will need at the grocery store to prepare these easy holiday rice krispie treats:
- crispy rice cereal (regular or chocolate)
- butter
- marshmallows or mini marshmallows
- icing
- toppings such as sprinkles, crushed cereal, chocolate chips and chocolate candies
You can use regular Rice Krispies cereal or the chocolate Cocoa Krispies cereal. You can even use other types of cereal like cornflakes.
For the frosting, I like to use buttercream frosting. You can use food coloring to dye it green if you want some festive color. But you can also use white frosting and let the toppings do the color work.
For the toppings, I think these Christmas sprinkles are fun, but you could also use red and green M&M's for "ornaments" or "lights." (And if you have any leftover M&M's you can make these M&M Christmas cookie bars.)
How to make Christmas Rice Krispie Treats
For this recipe, I followed the basic recipe from Kellogg's but swapped out the regular rice cereal for the cocoa-flavored one.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, heat butter and marshmallows on high for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth.
- Add Kellogg's Cocoa Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well-coated.
- Using a buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press the mixture into a 13x9x2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Let cool slightly.
- Using a parchment paper stencil or a greased cookie cutter, cut out tree shapes.
- Decorate using piped icing, sprinkles and crushed cereal.
Decorating is the best part — but I had to slap my husband's hand away from eating them before I was able to finish decorating them!
How to cut Rice Krispie treats into shapes
Rice krispie treats usually get cut into squares, but cutting them into shapes is super easy to do.
First, make sure to cut the treats out when they are slightly warm, because the will be so much easier to work with.
You can create a stencil by tracing a tree onto parchment paper or by cutting one out freehand.
If you want to use a cookie cutter, spray it with cooking spray so that the marshmallowy goodness doesn't stick.
Toppings for Christmas Rice Krispie Treats
These Christmas Rice Krispie Treats have a nostalgic feeling and it is fun to set out tons of toppings to decorate them together. Here are a few ideas:
- colored sprinkles
- crushed cereal
- mini chocolate chips
- regular or mini M&M's
- mini marshmallows
- jelly beans
- sanding sugar
- pieces of cereal or crushed cereal
- icing
I like to use buttercream icing for mine, but you can also use store-bought icing that comes in a tube.
Tips for Success
Be sure to cut the treats out when they are slightly warm, they are so much easier to work with!
Create a stencil by tracing a tree onto parchment paper or by cutting one out freehand.
If using a cookie cutter, you can spray them with cooking spray.
If you are not decorating or eating the treats right away, make sure to store them in an airtight container immediately.
More Christmas cookies
- Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies
- Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
- White Chocolate Dipped Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
- Ginger Molasses Snickerdoodles
- Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
Chocolate Christmas Rice Krispie Treats
These Chocolate Christmas Rice Krispie Treats are perfect for holiday parties and cookie boxes.
Ingredients
- 6 cups chocolate crispy rice cereal
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 package (10 oz., about 40) marshmallows OR 4 cups miniature marshmallows
- Sprinkles, crushed cereal, chocolate candies, etc., for top
Instructions
- In a microwave-safe bowl, heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth.
- Add Kellogg's Cocoa Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well-coated.
- Using a buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13x9x2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Let cool slightly.
- While still warm, use a parchment paper stencil or a greased cookie cutter to cut out trees. Decorate using piped icing, sprinkles and crushed cereal.
- Decorate using piped icing, sprinkles and crushed cereal.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Kellogg's.
Feel free to substitute regular crispy rice cereal instead of chocolate if you prefer.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 18 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 106Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 83mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 0gSugar: 12gProtein: 1g
Aileen says
My kids are going to love these!
Madison | A Joyfully Mad Kitchen says
Aren't they fun?! Hope you kids do love them ๐
Denise says
How festive! I might have to do this recipe with my son this year! (client)
Teresa | Simply Made Fun says
Madison, these look so good! And I completely get not being able to rely on cold weather to bring in the Christmas spirit. It's hard for me when we spend the holiday in CA, it never feels like Christmas to me. I need to find ways to make it feel like the holiday though, and embracing all the delicious treats sounds like a great idea! ๐
Madison Wetherill says
Thank you! They definitely put me in the holiday spirit, I was ready to start playing Christmas music ๐