Whip up these deliciously soft and gooey shamrock rice krispie treats and bring the luck of the Irish to your St. Patrick’s Day!
This delightful shamrock-shaped green treat recipe is a breeze to make – a fun and easy way to celebrate the holiday, guaranteed to be a hit with kids and adults alike. They’re perfect for both school and office parties!
table of contents
Ingredients and notes
You’ll only need four simple ingredients to make these ultra gooey shamrock rice krispie treats for St. Paddy’s Day!
- Marshmallows (any size), one 10-ounce bag
- Butter, 6 tablespoons
- Green color jello (e.g., lime, green apple, watermelon), 1 small box
- Rice krispies or any crispy rice cereal, 5 cups
Green jello flavors: I chose lime gelatin not only because I love the taste, but also because of the green color! Lime jello isn’t the only option though, you can choose other flavor you like. Here are some flavor alternatives for green jello:
- Jell-O Lime
- Jolly Rancher Green Apple
- Starburst Watermelon
Reduced-sugar recipe: To make low sugar rice krispie treats, substitute regular marshmallows for sugar-free marshmallows and the box of green jello for one of zero-sugar green jello.
Optional ingredients
Green food coloring: These shamrock crispy rice treats made with one pack of lime jello have a delicate light green color. You an make them greener with food coloring or with more jello powder.
To use green food coloring, just stir a few drops into the melted marshmallows and butter mixture before adding the rice krispies cereal.
Another option that doesn’t require an extra ingredient is to double the amount of green jello powder (use two boxes instead of one). This will make the rice krispies treats greener and also sweeter!
St. Patrick’s Day decorations: Make these shamrock rice krispie treats even more festive! Decorate with green cookie icing, writing gel (I used sparkle glitter icing gel) and/or Saint Patrick’s day themed sprinkles.
How to make
Before you begin, it’s important to grease everything that will touch the rice krispies treats because melted marshmallow is sticky business!
Grab some vegetable oil, butter, shortening, or non-stick spray, and grease:
- The spatula you’ll use to mix and transfer the RKT into the cookie cutter.
- The inside of the shamrock cookie cutter (replenish after shaping each treat).
- The surface where you’ll place the cookie cutter to fill with the warm rice krispie treats. Alternatively, use parchment paper.
- And don’t forget to grease your fingertips before touching the RKT. Let’s go!
1. Add butter and marshmallows to a pan and melt them together over low heat while mixing. Remove from the stove while there are still unmelted pieces of marshmallow.
2. Continue mixing until the marshmallows are fully melted. Add your choice of green jello powder and mix until it’s dissolved. If you’d like a stronger green color, now is the time to add food coloring as well.
3. Add the rice krispies cereal and stir well until it is evenly coated in the melted marshmallow and butter mixture.
4. While the rice krispies treats mix is still warm, use a buttered spatula to spoon portions of the mixture directly into the oiled cookie cutter to shape the treats.
5. To remove the shamrock-shaped rice krispies treats from the cookie cutter, press down with your fingers until the treats slide out from the back. Do it gently not to compact the rice krispies treats, or they might end up hard.
If you’d like to decorate the RKT with St. Patrick’s Day sprinkles, do it as soon as each one is out of the cookie cutter and still warm, so the sprinkles will stick.
To decorate with cookie icing or writing gel, shape all the rice krispie treats and decorate after they have cooled down to prevent the icing from melting.
Expert tips and FAQ
How to shape rice krispie treats with cookie cutter
There are two methods of making rice krispie treat shapes with a cookie cutter:
- Use the cookie cutter as a mold by spooning the RKT into the cookie cutter and gently pressing to sculpt them (as I described in this recipe’s steps).
- Use the cookie cutter for actually cutting the rice crispy treat shapes, the same way you would use it for cookie dough.
Method number 2 is faster, but there are downsides. The crispy rice treat shapes don’t come out as perfectly, as the sides are sliced by the cookie cutter. Plus, pressing down on the cookie cutter can be hard work if you don’t have strong hands.
You can see method number 2 of shaping rice krispie treats in action with step-by-step photos on my recipe for Heart-Shaped Rice Krispie Treats. Here’s a quick rundown:
- After you get the green rice krispies mixture ready (see Recipe Step 3), spread the mixture into a 9×13-inch baking dish lined with greased parchment paper, leaving a overhang to pull out the treats.
- As soon as the marshmallows and butter cool down and set, remove the treats and place them on a cutting board.
- Now use the shamrock-shape cookie cutter to cut out as many rice krispie treats as you can.
Keep marshmallow melted
You need to keep the rice krispies treats marshmallow and butter mixture warm so that it stays melted and soft for shaping.
A simple way to do this is by placing the pan with the rice krispies treats in a pot with hot water while you work on shaping them. This will keep the mixture warm and easy to work with.
Making soft rice krispie treats
Here are three simple tips that guarantee soft and gooey rice krispie treats:
- Get fresh soft marshmallows, avoid any that are stale or rubbery from an older batch.
- Slowly melt the marshmallows over low heat, taking them off the stove before they’re entirely melted to prevent overheating. This helps stop the sugar from crystallizing, which can result in hard candy treats.
- When shaping with a cookie cutter, avoid pressing down too firmly. Simply spread and level the mixture gently to keep it soft.
Marshmallow conversion
One 10-ounce bag of (any size) marshmallows = About 5 1/2 cups of mini marshmallows or 40 regular (medium) marshmallows.
You can use the same weight of any size of marshmallows (regular, mini or jumbo marshmallows or anything in between!) to make crispy rice treats, the recipe works the same. The only difference is that the mini marshmallows melt faster in the pan.
Making it ahead and storage
You can prepare these cute green treats 1 or 2 days in advance for a Sant Patrick’s Day day school party or for gifting. They can grow stale over time, so I do not recommend making them earlier than that.
Store the shamrock rice krispie treats in an air tight container at room temperature for up to three days. They do not need to be kept refrigerated.
Shamrock Rice Krispie Treats
Taste the magic of Saint Patrick's Day with the perfect blend of sweetness and luck in every bite of these soft and gooey green shamrock rice krispie treats!
- shamrock cookie cutter
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 10 ounces marshmallows (any size)
- 3 ounces lime gelatin (or other green jello flavor)
- 5 cups crispy rice cereal
Add [wprm-ingredient text=”6 tablespoons butter” uid=”1″] and [wprm-ingredient text=”10 ounces marshmallows” uid=”0″] to a pan and melt them together over low heat while mixing. Remove from the stove while there are still unmelted pieces of marshmallow. Continue mixing until the marshmallows are fully melted.
Add [wprm-ingredient text=”3 ounces lime gelatin” uid=”2″] (or other green jello flavor) and mix until it's dissolved.
Add the [wprm-ingredient text=”5 cups crispy rice cereal” uid=”3″] and stir well until it is evenly coated in the melted marshmallow and butter mixture.
While the rice krispies treats mix is still warm, use a buttered spatula to spoon portions of the mixture directly into a oiled shamrock-shaped cookie cutter.
Remove each shaped rice krispies treat from the cookie cutter by gently pressing down with oiled fingers until the treats slide out from the back. Grease the cookie cutter again and repeat this process until you run out of treats.
Green jello flavors: Besides Lime Jell-O, other green colored gelatin powder flavors are Jolly Rancher Green Apple and Starburst Watermelon. There are other brands with green flavors, just pick your favorite!
Darker green treats: If you’d like a deeper green color, you can double the amount of green jello powder (the rice krispie treats will be sweeter) or add a few drops of green food coloring.
Reduced-sugar treats: Substitute regular marshmallows for sugar-free marshmallows and the box of lime jello for one of zero-sugar lime jello.
Decorations: If you’d like to decorate with St. Patrick’s Day sprinkles, do it as soon as each shamrock treat is out of the cookie cutter and still warm, for the sprinkles to stick. For cookie icing or writing gel, shape all the rice krispie treats and decorate after they have cooled down.
Marshmallow conversion: One 10-ounce bag of (any size) marshmallows = About 40 regular marshmallows or 5 1/2 cups of mini marshmallows.
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