Sunday, March 23, 2014

Peeps and Crispy Rice Easter Treats

It's about time to get some ideas together for Easter. I wanted a fun treat to add to the jelly beans and chocolate eggs in the Easter baskets this year. I came across a photo of some treats made from Rice Krispies treats that were decorated with Peeps bunnies. So cute, but I wanted to add my own twist. The ones I saw were rectangular with a thin layer of candy melt "icing" on one side and the other sides left plain. I decided to fancy things up a bit--

I made a double batch of cereal treats (the recipe can be found on bags of Kraft marshmallows and boxes of Rice Krispies, if you don't have it in your book or box) and pressed it into a 17.25" x 11.5" x 1" jelly roll pan. I ran a rolling pin across the top several times after they cooled to make sure they were well-packed and smooth on top.

Next, I turned the treats out onto a piece of parchment and used an egg-shaped cookie cutter to cut the treats. My cutter is fairly large, about 3" tall, so I was able to cut out about 16 eggs. I then made a hole in the bottom of each with a chop stick so I could insert a paper straw to make a "pop" type treat.

I then dipped the whole treat in melted white chocolate, pressed a Peeps bunny onto it and sprinkled some
candy coated sunflower seeds all around. Once they were hardened, I slipped a clear bag over the top and tied with curling ribbon.

If I was making these for younger children, I would make a few changes:
     * Make a single batch of treats so they are thinner.
     * Use a smaller cookie cutter--one just a little larger than the Peep would be great.
     * Cut the Peep in half the thickness.
     * Reinforce the straw by inserting a paper sucker stick or a wooden skewer inside.

Enjoy!