Rice Crispy Treat Holiday Cut Outs

I’m swapping rice crispy treats for sugar cookies here for a fun and easy holiday sweet. Made by pressing a vegan version of classic rice crispy treats into a cookie sheet and giving them unique cuts and colors, these treats are completely customizable to reflect your unique cultural values and holiday traditions. 

We celebrate Hanukkah, while my husband grew up celebrating Christmas, so we used natural blue food coloring and Star of David cookie cutters to represent Hanukkah, along with some classic stars and snowflakes because it just feels right! 

✖️Recipe for Rice Crispy Cut Outs

NOTE: This is not an original recipe, but rather a veganized version of an old classic. 

You can scale this recipe up or down in size easily by following this formula: 

1 cup marshmallows: 1 Tbsp butter: 1 cup crisp rice cereal 

This recipe makes a 9”x13” pan of rice crispy treats to cut.

Ingredients: 

10 oz. vegan marshmallows, or 4 cups

4 Tablespoons vegan butter 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 - 5 cup crisp rice cereal, gluten free if desired

Instructions: 

Line a 9” x 13” pan with parchment, silpat liner, or grease well to prevent treats from sticking. 

Heat a medium non-stick or heavy bottomed saucepan over low heat. Add vegan butter and cook on low until melted. Add vegan marshmallows and stir constantly until no lumps remain. When the marshmallow mixture is fluffy and makes sticky spiderwebs on your spoon it is time to add your vanilla extract and remove your saucepan from heat. If you are adding vegan food coloring, stir it in now until color is uniform. Then stir all of your rice cereal into the bowl at once, mixing well. Press into prepared pan with wet fingers to avoid sticking. Allow to cool completely. 

Spray your cookie cutters with a little oil, and cut shapes as desired. Drizzle with melted chocolate if desired and enjoy! If you are using more than one color, fill a medium bowl with warm water and soak cookie cutters in the warm water between cuts to prevent color transfer.

Store in an airtight container at room temperate for 2-3 days, or in the fridge or freezer for longer! 

Ingredient notes: 

Dandies or Trader Joe’s brand vegan marshmallows work great in this recipe. We tried both!

Food colorings are generally not vegan, but there are some amazing options. We like Supernatural’s Plant Based Food Colors, and Watkins food coloring made without artificial dyes. 

And finally, Kellog’s Rice Crispies are not vegan, but there are many other crisp rice cereals, such as Nature’s Path, that are.