Pumpkin spice rice krispie treats are ooey gooey, silky brown butter rice krispie sweets flavored with pumpkin spice. For the prettiest and spookiest Halloween rice krispie treats, add some chocolate spiders or white chocolate ghosts!
Since you’ve all enjoyed my fluffernutter rice krispie treats throughout the years, I thought it would be fun to create a fall-themed rice krispie treat recipe as well!
I’m not going to lie: pumpkin and pumpkin spiced foods aren’t my favorite thing (apple desserts, FTW! ), but they are very tasty. Brown butter and pumpkin pie spice complement each other well, transforming traditional rice krispie treats into the ideal comforting autumn dish.
Contents
- Why brown the butter?
- What kind of saucepan should I use?
- How to make the best rice krispie treats
- How much pumpkin pie spice should I use?
- Tips for slicing rice krispie treat bars
- How to make them Halloween rice krispie treats
- Can I make these in a 9″x13″ pan?
- How to clean saucepan after making rice krispie treats
- How to store rice krispie treats
- More Halloween recipes:
- Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats (Halloween Rice Krispie Treats)
- FAQs
- Why did Rice Krispies get discontinued?
- How do you keep Rice Krispie treats from falling apart?
- How far in advance can I make rice crispy treats for a party?
- Can I make Rice Krispie treats the night before?
- Why is Rice Krispies banned in some countries?
- What are Rice Krispies called in America?
- How long should you wait to cut Rice Krispie Treats?
- Is there a trick to cutting Rice Krispie Treats?
- What happens if you put too much butter in Rice Krispie Treats?
- How do you wrap rice crispy treats for a party?
Why brown the butter?
Brown butter has a delicious nutty scent and a depth of taste that really kicks up the flavor of rice krispie desserts. And it goes well with pumpkin spice!
The butter in the second shot below is shortly before it gets a gorgeous deeper golden hue. I couldn’t shoot it while stirring it, so this was the best I could do.
As it changes color, go to the following step and quickly add the marshmallows and mix to blend. You don’t want it to burn, otherwise you’ll get burned butter rice krispie treats, which you don’t want.
What kind of saucepan should I use?
Normally, I would suggest using a big nonstick skillet or pot, but since you are browning the butter, you want to be able to see when it changes color. Nonstick pans are often darker, making it more difficult to notice.
Instead, use a regular, lighter-colored big saucepan with a capacity of at least 3 QT. It would be ideal if it had a white bottom to make it more visible.
I would have used my Le Creuset dutch oven for these shots if it hadn’t been in use at the time since it has a light-colored inside and is simple to clean!
How to make the best rice krispie treats
Spray the baking pan with nonstick spray and line it with parchment paper. This assures that they will not stick! Make sure there’s plenty overhang on the sides so you can easily remove the bars out of the pan.
Make use of fresh marshmallows! This cannot be overstated. If you attempt to use a bag of little marshmallows that have been sitting in the back of your cupboard since last Christmas and have the texture of small doorstops, they will not melt and you will be disappointed. Fresh, squishy, soft marshmallows are required!
And, for that matter, use fresh cereal. You will also notice if you use stale cereal.
Don’t pack them too firmly into the pan. You want to spread them out lightly to properly distribute them in the pan, but not pack them down. The more tightly packed they are, the thicker they will be, which means less light and chewy. And we want it to be light and crunchy! You may spray your hands with nonstick spray and gently press it down with your palms, or add another sheet of parchment paper on top before pressing it down with your hands.
1 cup small marshmallows, set aside for the end. Adding more unmelted marshmallows to the final result adds a bit extra fluff and chewiness.
How much pumpkin pie spice should I use?
If you want a more mild taste, use 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.
Add 2 teaspoons if you want it to truly hit you in the face!
Tips for slicing rice krispie treat bars
I’ll let you in on a little secret: after I take them out of the pan, I slice off the edges to level the corners so no one gets a funny, slanted, lopsided piece.
Then I eat the portions that have been chopped off. That is compensation for my time, in my opinion. And, of course, taste testing.
Hardly a secret, but an useful hint: slicing bars like this is much simpler with a rolling pizza cutter (affiliate link) than than a huge knife. It’s large enough to cover the breadth and length of the bars, resulting in one continuous, even cut.
Also, it is gentler on your cutting boards since you just rock the blade from side to side rather than digging in and dragging a knife. Win-win.
How to make them Halloween rice krispie treats
Chocolate spiders: Melt some chocolate wafers, place them in a piping bag equipped with a tiny round tip, and pipe miniature chocolate spiders onto the tops of the bars! On several of mine, I added white sprinkles as miniature eyeballs.
White chocolate ghosts: Melt white chocolate and pipe out little ghosts, then add eyes made of melted dark chocolate or dark-colored sprinkles.
This could easily be used to make my fluffernutter rice krispie treats, but the pumpkin spice addition in this recipe just seems a bit extra Halloween-y, you know?
Can I make these in a 9″x13″ pan?
You certainly can! Just double the recipe; they will be thicker than in a square pan, but the taste will not be affected.
How to clean saucepan after making rice krispie treats
If you’re using a nonstick pan (which should have been stated properly), you may have to work a bit more to clean it.
Scrape out any extra sticky rice krispie leftovers with a spatula, then refill with boiling water and return to the heat. Bring to a boil and let aside for a few minutes. The residue will float to the top after melting off the edges and bottom!
Next, skim it out of the water and discard it, then clean the pan as normal with dish soap and water.
How to store rice krispie treats
Keep at room temperature in an airtight jar between layers of parchment paper for up to 3 days.
Nevertheless, I do not advocate putting them in the fridge or attempting to freeze them since it hardens the marshmallow and does not return to its original, soft feel.
More Halloween recipes:
- Halloween Dog Food
- Popcorn Balls with Cinnamon Buttered Rum
- Halloween Candy Bark leftovers
- Remaining Candy Cookies
Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats (Halloween Rice Krispie Treats)
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Description
Equipment
- Square baking dish
- Paper made with parchment
- blending bowls
- Small saucepan
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- split 16 ounces tiny marshmallows
- 1 teaspoon (up to 1 tablespoon) pumpkin pie spice*
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- a dash of salt
- 6 cups cereal (Rice Krispies)
Instructions
- Line an 88 or 99 baking pan with parchment paper, allowing the edges to hang over the sides, and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Set aside 1 cup of small marshmallows.
Little marshmallows, 16 oz. - Melt butter in a large pot over low heat. Continue to cook the butter, stirring frequently, until it begins to become golden brown.
6 tbsp unsweetened butter - Quickly add all but 1 cup of the saved micro marshmallows and cook until melted and mixed, stirring regularly.
Little marshmallows, 16 oz. - a sprinkle of salt, 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Remove from the heat and mix in the pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, and salt to blend.
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon - Stir in the cereal and the remaining 1 cup small marshmallows to coat and mix.
16 ounces tiny marshmallows, 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal - Place in prepared baking dish and softly push down to form an equal layer. If you compress it too firmly, the final bars will be thick and rough, rather than light and chewy. Tip: Spray your hands with nonstick spray and gently press it down with your palms, or lay another piece of parchment paper on top before pressing it down with your hands.
- Let it set for at least 15 minutes before cutting into 9 big or 16 smaller bars. Serve and have fun!
Notes
To make these Halloween rice krispie treats:
Chocolate spiders: Melt some chocolate wafers, place them in a piping bag equipped with a tiny round tip, and pipe miniature chocolate spiders onto the tops of the bars! On several of mine, I added white sprinkles as miniature eyeballs. White chocolate ghosts: Melt white chocolate and pipe out little ghosts, then add eyes made of melted dark chocolate or dark-colored sprinkles.