This Rice Krispie Treat Stocking recipe is an easy Christmas dessert option for both kids and adults! It was simple to make and decorate and is meant to be made ahead. This is a fun project for the whole family to make during the holidays and is a great Gingerbread House alternative.
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Another day, another holiday-themed Rice Krispie Treat sculpture (by the way this is NOT sponsored by Kelloggs, I just really love Rice Krispie Treats). I don't know what it is but I cannot stop dreaming up fun things to make with Rice Krispie Treats. And this one is a definite showstopper!
I knew I wanted to do something Christmas-y this time. I had a few ideas floating around in my head, but I ultimately settled on the stocking because I got ridiculously excited about the idea of decorating it with all sorts of candy (and eating all that candy too!).
Can I just say, the struggle is real. If my husband and A get even an inkling that I'm thinking of making anything Rice Krispie Treats-related, they immediately make a point to hang out in the kitchen like vultures ready to swoop in and get them some Rice Krispie Treat goodness!
This stocking was actually pretty easy to construct. Are you guys ready to know my big secret? This is pretty crazy and I'm not sure if you can handle it (sarcasm) but here goes...the only hollow part is the very top of the stocking. I know. You're shocked.
The big thing that I've learned in my time of creating these confections is that gravity is not your friend. This is definitely still the case for this stocking. Interestingly, gravity has been less friendly when it comes to holding the candy on this time around, while being much more generous with the stocking itself.
I think this is a super fun project to make with your kids. It's probably best to make it with older kids, especially if you're as hardcore as I am about everything being perfectly in line. And you'll all need to exercise a bit of patience because the best way to help combat that darn gravity is by adding a little bit of candy and then popping the stocking into the refrigerator for 10 minutes to help the frosting work it's adhesive magic.
There are so many great options in terms of candy to use, so you can really get creative. I pretty much pillaged my local grocery store's bulk section (and I'd be lying if I said this is the first time I've pillaged that department!). MY original hope was to also use the licorice sticks on the actual stocking but those little guys just would not stick for me!
The M&M's were also a bit challenging, but I consider it a blessing because that's when I discovered how helpful popping it into the fridge between batches of candy was for my sanity. As a general rule, the flatter and lighter the candy, the better. I bet shoestring licorice would have worked beautifully as well.
Also, get creative. I actually cut some of the gumdrops in half which helped to flatten them out and that also allowed me to do more with less (not that having extra candy to munch on is a bad thing). Either way, have fun with it and bring the extra frosting and extra candy with you on the day you intend to serve it in case you have any stubborn candy that doesn't want to stay put.
I'm really happy with how it turned out. I think it makes a gorgeous centerpiece to any holiday dessert table, especially if you're looking to make a big impression. It's also super kid-friendly and 100% edible! Although my kid is never one to turn down pie or a cookie, she was absolutely in awe of this once I showed her the finished product, so it is also great in addition to your requisite cookie plate/pie/cake situation. Happy eating!
Here are some other holiday-themed Rice Krispie Treat creations:
Rice Krispie Treat Stocking
Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp. of butter
- 8 cups of mini marshmallows
- 12 cups of Rice Krispies cereal
- Cooking spray
- Whatever candies you want to decorate your stocking with this is a double batch of Rice Krispie Treats and makes a big stocking so make sure you have a good amount of candy.
- A tube of cookie icing mine was around 4 oz. and the tube itself seemed to be around 8 inches long- I used the majority of the tube
Instructions
- Lay out a large piece of foil with the non-stick side up next to your serving platter.
- Take another piece of nonstick foil and roll it to put into the hollow part of the stocking while it sets. Make sure the non-stick side is facing out on this as well. Spray it all over with cooking spray.
- Melt your butter in a large, non-stick pot over medium heat.
- Spray a mixing spoon with cooking spray and stir in the marshmallows until they've fully melted. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Add your Rice Krispies and stir until well combined.
- Pour this mixture onto the piece of non-stick foil you laid out and allow it to cool for a moment or two (you don't want it to cool completely, just slightly so that you don't burn yourself).
- While it cools, wash and dry your hands and spray them with cooking spray. You'll want to work fast because the Rice Krispie Treat mixture is much easier to work with while it's still hot (it helps to have someone there to assist you and spray your hands down).
- Divide your Rice Krispie Treat mixture so that you have ⅔ of it to make the middle and boot of the stocking and set ⅓ of it to make the hollow top part of the stocking.
- Working quickly, build a flat base with some of the ⅓ portion of Rice Krispie mixture where the top part of your stocking will sit. Mine was only around 6 inches max.
- Place the rolled up foil piece onto that base and use the rest of the ⅓ portion of the Rice Krispie mixture to build the top of the stocking around it so it's hollow.
- Take the other ⅔ of the Rice Krispie mixture and build it into the middle and "foot" part of the stocking so that it's attached to the hollow part that you just built and appears like the stocking is totally hollow all the way down (so the entire stocking should be level and seamless like the photo I posted above of the stocking before it was decorated).
- Once you have the basic shape you want with all of the Rice Krispie mixture utilized, use your hands to pack it in firmly and shape the stocking to your liking.
- Refrigerate it for at least an hour to set the stocking.
- When you're decorating, use the frosting to paste on your candy. Work in batches, refrigerate for around 10 minutes every few rows to help the candy adhere to the stocking. I kept it refrigerated until I was ready to serve.
- Once the frosting and candy were set, I lightly covered it with plastic wrap.
- When you're ready to serve, remove the rolled foil and place some candy popping out of the top of the stocking. I found candy canes and Twizzlers to be a great option because of their long shape.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Be mindful about the candy you choose- light and flat is Twizzlers to stick and the M&M's were challenging as well.
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