Peppermint Rice Krispie Ball Cookies

These peppermint Rice Krispie ball cookies are so tasty and look really festive too.

They have a crunchy cereal base dipped in white chocolate with a fun candy cane holder.

This cookie recipe makes a great homemade Christmas gift and is perfect to take to a cookie swap.

I love making cookies this time of the year for cookie swaps. Another great Christmas cookie recipe is the one for lemon snowball cookies. They bring out the holiday spirit just like these Rice Krispie ball cookies do.

This recipe is one of those that I think is going to be so simple when I start and then I end up spending much more time doing them than I ever thought they would take.

But, trust me, sometimes that extra effort will end up being a really great addition to your holiday table and it is so worth the time to make them.

Treat Your Family to These Peppermint Rice Krispie Ball Cookies.

I first saw these on She Wears Many Hats as a sponsored Rice Krispie Recipe.  The original recipe called for pink and white peppermints but I found some mixed colored sticks at my local store and decided to give the recipe a try.

All I can say is, be prepared to devote some time to making them – but the time you spend on them will pay off in the taste department!  I served them the other night at a Christmas party and they were a huge hit.

I ran into some – shall I say “shaping problems” along the way, as well as a few issues with coating and how the peppermints sticks look.

But never fear, I’ll show you some of the tricks that I learned as I made them, so the whole process should be much easier for you!

The first step is to unwrap your peppermint sticks.  I used a 40-count package of red and green striped ones.   The recipe will easily make this many but you will need to save some of the peppermints to crush up.

I reserved several of the pink sticks to crush up.  The two peppermints had slightly different flavors so I wanted just one for the Rice Krispie mix.

Place them in a plastic bag and then hammer them with a meat tenderizer.

You need 1/3 cup of the crushed peppermints. Once they have been crushed, set them aside.

Start by melting half a stick of unsalted butter.

Stir in a 10-ounce package of mini marshmallows and cook until they melt and the mixture is smooth.

Add the crushed peppermints and combine well.

Place 6 cups of Rice Krispies in a large bowl.

Stir in the melted marshmallow and peppermint mix and combine well.

Now comes the hard part.  I thought I would be able to make the balls with my hands and just insert the peppermint in the top.

All I got was a big mess of Rice Krispie mix all over my hands.  I ended up using a large tablespoon and putting the mixture on aluminum foil and then using a teaspoon to sort of coax them into a ball shape.

(Tip:  don’t worry if they are not round at this stage.  You can do that later after they chill.)

The peppermints will not stand up straight at this stage either. Don’t even bother trying. Once they are chilled, they will stand straighter.

Place the balls in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to harden.

Now put a 12-ounce package of white chocolate chips and 2 tbsp of vegetable oil into the microwave and cook for about a minute or two until it has melted.

If the mixture is too thick add a bit more vegetable oil.

When the balls have cooled and hardened, remove them from the fridge and now try to make them into bar shapes and straighten up the peppermint stick.

The mixture is not nearly as sticky when cooled and is easier to work with.

Coat the balls in the melted chocolate and sprinkle with assorted festive sprinkles.  I could not manage to dip them in the chocolate.

TIP:  I found that the peppermint stick would pull away if I tried dipping the balls.  Instead, I just dunked the bottom half in the mixture and then used a teaspoon to coat the top of it.

Not an easy-to-do recipe but they are very festive and my guests loved them.   I never was able to get a perfectly round shape.  Perhaps you will have more luck!

Admin note: This recipe for Peppermint Rice Krispie Ball Cookies first appeared on the blog in December 2015. I have updated the post to add a new printable recipe card and video for you to enjoy.

Would you like a reminder of this recipe for Peppermint Rice Krispie Ball Cookies?  Just pin this image to one of your Holiday Dessert Boards on Pinterest.

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to also check out my gingerbread house tips. It shows how to use candy canes in the design as well as many other suggestions for the perfect gingerbread house.

Yield: 24 cookies

Peppermint Rice Krispie Ball Cookies

Print

These Rice Krispie ball cookies have a crunchy base dipped in white chocolate and a fun candy cane handle.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• ¼ Cup Unsalted Butter
• 1 10 Oz. Package Miniature Marshmallows
• ⅓ Cup Crushed Candy Canes
• 6 Cups Rice Krispies® Cereal
• Miniature Candy Canes in pink and green colors
• 2 12 Oz. Bags white chocolate chips
• 4 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
• Various sugar sprinkles and decorations

Instructions

1. Unwrap your candy canes and reserve some for crusting. Crush 1/3 cup of the pink candy canes and set the unwrapped canes and crushed ones aside.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium low heat.
3. Stir in the miniature marshmallows and allow them to melt completely.
4. Mix in the crushed candy canes.
5. In a large bowl place the Rice Krispies. Mix in the melted marshmallow mixture and combine well.
6. Put out heaping tablespoons from the pan and roll into balls. Add a candy can into the center of each ball. (don't worry if they don't make good shaped balls and the canes topple. You can fix this after they harden in the fridge for a while.)
7. Place your finished treats into the fridge for about 15 minutes to set.
8. Melt the white chocolate and vegetable oil in the microwave for 1-2 minutes stirring mid way through.
9. Remove the treats from the fridge and reform into better shaped balls. Be sure the candy cane is straight and securely in the middle of the ball.
10. Dip the bottom of the cooled treats into the white chocolate and use a teaspoon to add chocolate to the top of the ball.
11. Sprinkle or decorate as you wish, and set aside to cool and harden completely.

Notes

The balls are much easier to form when the mixture has cooled a little.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

24

Serving Size:

1 cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 270Saturated Fat: 9.5gUnsaturated Fat: 0.7gCholesterol: 5.2mgSodium: 83mgCarbohydrates: 40.6gFiber: 0.3gSugar: 20.2gProtein: 1.0g

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