
Delicious, melt-in-your-mouth Frankenstein Rice Krispie Treats are made even healthier with creamy peanut butter, honey and vanilla that’s easy to make in just 15 minutes! The perfect treat for Halloween your kids will love!
We grew up making rice krispie treats as kids, you know the ones with gooey marshmallows and melted butter, but you’re going to LOVE these healthier Frankenstein rice krispie treats! We replaced the marshmallows with a creamy peanut butter, honey and vanilla for a touch of sweetness, then made it festive by adding green food coloring and cute candy eyeballs. These monster treats make the perfect addition to your Halloween party and your kids will love them! You don’t have to make it just for Halloween either, skip the green food coloring and make this delicious rice krispie treat any time!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Using only 4 simple ingredients and it’s easy to make in just 15 minutes!
- Made even healthier with peanut butter instead of marshmallows.
- No baking required and very easy to make.
- Kids (and adults) approved 👍🏼 and your kids will have fun making it with you.
- The perfect healthy sweet treat for Halloween!
Materials You Need
- Brown rice cereal – I used this crunchy brown rice cereal as the main ingredient in this recipe, but you can use classic Rice Krispies if you prefer
- Peanut butter – it replaces the traditional marshmallow and holds the bars together. I used creamy peanut butter, but any peanut butter will work for this or even sunflower butter if you have a nut allergy
- Darling – sweeten these bars naturally without using refined sugar, but you can also use maple syrup if you want to stay vegan
- Vanilla extract + salt – flavor enhancer!
- Green food coloring – this is a must to make them look like Frankenstein! Any type of green food coloring will work
- Creepy addition – You will need fun candy eyes, pretzel sticks and melted black candy (regular chocolate chips will also work, but will be more brown than black)
How to Make Frankenstein Rice Krispies
- Mix wet ingredients. In a medium saucepan over low to medium heat, stir in the peanut butter, honey, vanilla and a pinch of salt until melted and well combined. You can also melt the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring each time, until they are all combined.
- Add rice cereal. Turn off the heat and add a few drops of green food coloring. Whisk together until the mixture is the green color you want, then add the brown rice cereal, stirring until everything is combined and the cereal is completely coated.
- Let the bar set. Transfer the rice cereal mixture to an 8×8 baking dish lined with a piece of parchment paper (or nonstick cooking spray) and spread the mixture using a spatula, pressing down to even out the treats and packing everything up. Cover the pot and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours until the treat is set. Carefully remove treat from skillet and cut into 16 bars.
- Decorate! Add melted black (or chocolate) candy in a small bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until melted. Cut a small slit in the end of a plastic bag or piping bag and add to the melted candy melt. Gently pipe hair and a squiggly mouth into each shaft and use melted chocolate to ‘glue’ the candy eyes. Alternatively, you can dip the top of the bar in melted chocolate. Cut pretzel sticks and place them on either side of the grate as bolts, using the melted candy again as glue. Press carefully into the bars so that they stick.
Tips for Making Frankenstein Snacks
- Make sure the peanut butter is as well mixed as you want it to be nice and thick to hold the mixture together.
- Use a spatula to mix the crunchy rice cereal with the rest of the ingredients so they don’t stick and help spread the batter into the pan. Be sure to press firmly so the mixture packs in and holds together when set.
- You can easily swap out peanut butter for any type of peanut butter! Some other good choices are almond butter, cashew butter, and even sunflower seed butter if you have a nut allergy.
- I find that using parchment paper makes it easier to get the treats out of the pan to cut them evenly, but you can use nonstick cooking spray if that’s all you have on hand.
- You will want to chill the bars for at least 3 hours (or even overnight) to really make sure they are set and firm enough to cut so they won’t fall apart.
- The melted candy chocolate is not only decorative, it acts as glue to stick to the eyes and hold the pretzel “bolts” to the side of this bar.
- If making lots of rice krispie treats (great for parties!), feel free to double this recipe and use a 9×13 baking dish.
Preparation and Storage
Keep: These cute Frankenstein rice krispies can be stored in an airtight container until max 1 week in the refrigerator. Before serving, let stand for a few minutes at room temperature to soften slightly and enjoy!
Freeze: It can also be frozen up to 3 months in a sealed, airtight container or you can store them individually in plastic wrap and take them out separately to thaw.
More No-Bake Desserts You’ll Love
Hope you all enjoy these festive Frankenstein Rice Krispie Treats and if you love this recipe as much as we do, please rate me five stars below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I love looking at all your delicious recreations!
- preparation time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Amount of Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
For Bars:
For the Frankenstein Decoration:
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, mix the peanut butter, honey, vanilla and a pinch of salt until melted and all combined. You can also melt the ingredients in the microwave at 30 second intervals, mixing each time, until they are all combined.
- Turn off the heat and add a few drops of green food coloring. Whisk together until the mixture is as green as you like. Add the brown rice cereal, stir until everything is combined and the cereal is completely coated.
- Transfer the rice cereal mixture to an 8×8 baking dish lined with parchment paper (or nonstick cooking spray) and spread the mixture using a spatula, pressing down to even out the treats and pack everything together. Be sure to press firmly so the mixture packs in and holds together when set.
- Cover the pot and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours until the treat is set. Carefully remove treat from skillet and cut into 16 bars.
- To decorate, first add melted black (or chocolate) candy in a small bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until melted. Cut a small slit in the end of a plastic bag or piping bag and add to the melted candy melt. Gently pipe hair and a squiggly mouth into each shaft and use melted chocolate to ‘glue’ the candy eyes.
- Cut pretzel sticks and place them on either side of the grate as bolts, using the melted candy again as glue. Press carefully into the bars so that they stick. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts:
- Serving Size: 1 stick
- Calories: 97
- Sugar: 7.1g
- Sodium: 41.4 mg
- Fat: 4.4g
- Saturated fat: 1g
- Carbohydrate: 13.4g
- Fiber: 0.8g
- Proteins: 2.2g
* Please note that all nutritional information is approximate. Values will vary between brands, so it’s best to calculate it yourself for the most accurate result.