Heart shaped Rice Krispie Treats are dipped in candy melts (or your favorite melting chocolate), then decorated with sprinkles for an adorable treat that is sure to please.
Cute and colorful, these easy treats are perfect for Valentine’s Day class parties, after school snacks, or as a special dessert after your Valentine’s Day dinner.
There’s So Much to Love about Valentine Rice Krispie Treats
- Extra marshmallows and plenty of butter make these treats incredibly flavorful and soft.
- Colorful decorations make them so cute, but there are nearly endless ways to adapt them to match your personal style or circumstance. (I’ve got many ideas for you below!)
- No nuts at all means these are a great choice for school parties (be sure to check your school’s policy on homemade treats first)
- This special rolling technique gives you a heart shape without cookie cutters, meaning you save time and have less waste.
What You’ll Need:
Ingredients:
- Rice Krispies cereal
- Mini marshmallows
- Butter, softened
- Vanilla extract
- Candy melts, or dipping chocolate
- Sprinkles or extra candy melts for decorating
Supplies:
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Wax paper
- Mixing spoon or spatula
- Large Microwave safe bowl
- Chopstick or dowel rod
- Table fork and spoon
- Sharp knife
- Small microwave safe bowl
How to Make Valentine Rice Krispie Treats
To make things even easier for you, I created a simple photo guide below. For all measurements and a more detailed guide, check out the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
Make the Rice Krispie Mixture
Step 1 – Grease two 18-inch sheets of wax paper with 2 tablespoons softened butter, and prepare a spoon or spatula with butter flavored cooking spray. Set the wax paper and greased spoon aside.
Step 2 – Add mini marshmallows and softened butter to a large microwavable bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments until the marshmallows are mostly melted, stirring between each increment, about 1.5 to 2 minutes.
Step 3 – Once the marshmallows are mostly melted add vanilla extract (optional) and mix with your prepared spoon. This should also help melt any remaining lumps out of the marshmallow mixture.
Step 4 – Pour rice cereal into the melted marshmallow mix and stir to combine thoroughly.
Shape the Rice Krispie Hearts
Step 5 – Lay Rice Krispie mix in a tube shape onto the buttered wax paper sheets.
Step 6 – Wrap the sides of the wax paper up and around the cereal mixture and roll them on your table to create a round Rice Krispie tube.
Step 7 – Working quickly, press one side of the tube against your counter, using your hand to press and pinch until you’ve created a point.
Step 8 – On the side opposite the point, press a chopstick or dowel rod into the tubes to create the dip in the top of the heart. If you want a sharper dip, you can also use a ruler to help mold the Rice Krispie mixture. Once you’re satisfied with the shape, place your heart-shaped Rice Krispie tubes into the freezer to cool for at least 20 minutes.
Step 9 – Once the Rice Krispies are cool to the touch, but not frozen solid, remove them from the freezer and use a sharp knife or pastry cutter to slice hearts about 3/4 inch wide.
To Make Chocolate Dipped Rice Krispie Hearts
Step 10 – Place candy melts or melting chocolate into a microwave safe bowl. and microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval. Once the candy melts are smooth, but not completely melted, stir with a fork to melt the remaining chips.
Step 11 – Dip one the front side of each heart into the melted candy coating and lay on a sheet tray or wax paper to dry. Add sprinkles immediately.
Essential Tips:
Don’t skip these tips – read them before baking to avoid any potential mistakes.
- Grease your wax paper all the way to the edges. Otherwise you may find that the cereal mixture will stick to the paper.
- Do a practice run. If you’re making these for a party, definitely do a trial run so you can practice making the heart shape. It’s not difficult once you get the technique down, but it can take a bit of work to figure it out.
- Freeze your Rice Krispie tubes until they are cold and solid. The colder your Rice Krispie tubes are when you cut them, the easier it will be to get a good clean cut.
- Use a small bowl for dipping. A narrow bowl with a flat bottom will keep your candy melts deep enough to dip all of your Valentine Rice Krispies. I recommend a bowl about 4.5 to 5 inches wide.
- Return the cut hearts to the fridge and dip in batches. Colder hearts will keep their shape better when you dip them, so it’s best to work in small batches of 3-5 hearts.
- Keep a fork handy while dipping. You can use the fork to gently lift the cereal treats out of the chocolate, and to smooth the chocolate after it’s pulled out.
More Ways to Flavor and Decorate Heart Shaped Rice Krispie Treats
- Change up the cereal: Cocoa Krispies would be gorgeous with pink candy melts. You could also use fruity pebbles with white candy melts for a delicious alternative. Just remember to use a small cereal that can be shaped.
- Skip the dip for a Drizzle: Instead of dipping, place your Rice Krispie Treats on a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper and drizzle your candy melts over them.
- Dip the side of the heart: Instead of dipping the front or back of the heart, dip the side, so the chocolate covers the heart only to the dip in the top.
- Swap out the sprinkles for a drizzle: After the dipped Rice Krispie Treats are cooled, drizzle a different color of candy melts on top.
- Add some mix-ins: M&Ms, crushed Oreos, dried fruits, or chopped candy bits can all take your treats to the next level.
FAQs:
How big are these Heart Shaped Rice Krispie Treats?
This all depends on how thick you roll your cereal mixture tube, but they should end up about 2.5 to 3 inches wide.
How many cups of marshmallows is 16 ounces?
If you’re in a time crunch and don’t have a scale available, you’re in luck. I measured it all out for you. Here are the details:
16 ounces = roughly 9.5 cups loosely packed mini marshmallows OR one 10-ounce bag plus 3.5 cups loosely packed mini marshmallows.
Important reminder: The way I pack marshmallows into a measuring cup may be different from yours, which can affect the final result. I strongly recommend investing in a kitchen scale. They’re not that expensive and are incredibly useful.
Why are my Rice Krispie treats hard and not chewy?
There are a few reasons Rice Krispies can end up hard and dense:
- You packed the mixture too tight. This is the most common reason for hard Rice Krispie Treats – and one I’ve been guilty of too. Make sure you don’t press the mixture together too much or you’ll get hard treats.
- The marshmallows were overcooked. This gets into a bit of candy making chemistry, but the simplest way to explain it is that the hotter melted sugar gets, the harder it will be when it cools. This is why it’s best to stop heating the marshmallows just before they’re completely melted. Stirring the mixture together will finish melting them for you.
- Your marshmallows are too old. Old marshmallows – especially ones that have been in an open package for a while – become stale and hard as their moisture evaporates. This also affects their ability to melt properly. It’s best to use a fresh bag of marshmallows and save the stale marshmallows for topping your hot chocolate.
Why don’t you use a cookie cutter?
You’re welcome to cool your cereal mixture in a pan and use cookie cutters if you want. However, I’ve tried cookie cutters with Rice Krispie Treats before and, frankly, it was a mess.
- If your marshmallow treats are too thick, then your cookie cutter might not go all the way through.
- You have to press pretty hard into the treats mixture, which can be painful if you use metal cookie cutters like I do.
- The Krispies stick to the cookie cutter, so you end up spending extra time cleaning off and drying your cookie cutter between cuts. (Who has time for that?)
- You can end up with a ton of scraps, which means you’ve wasted a good bit of your cereal mixture.
That’s why I love this technique. It takes some practice to get the shaping down, but once you figure that out, it’s actually faster and easier than cookie cutters.
Giving these away as gifts?
These treats are perfect for Valentine’s Day class gifts. Simply add a heart shaped Rice Krispie Treat to a cellophane bag, and add a cute Valentine’s Day bag topper, or tie it off with ribbon and add a cute printable tag.
How to Store Chocolate Dipped Rice Krispie Treats
Store your Rice Krispie Treats in an airtight container like this one, with parchment or wax paper between the layers.
These treats taste best on the day they are made, but you can make them up to 3 days ahead if kept at room temperature.
If you store your treats in the refrigerator, they can be kept for up to a week. Just remember to bring them to room temperature before eating for them to taste their best.
You can also freeze your Rice Krispie Treats for up to 3 months.
Note: Make sure the chocolate has set completely before refrigerating or freezing so you minimize any chances of it turning chalky.
If you liked these heart shaped Rice Krispie Treats, you’re going to love my Valentine’s Day brownies with conversation hearts. They’re a colorful take on heart shaped brownies that kids adore.
You can also check out my other Valentine’s Day treats right here.
Heart Shaped Rice Krispie Treats
Soft and delicious heart shaped Rice Krispie Treats are dipped in chocolate and dusted with sprinkles for a sweet way to send some love this Valentine's Day.
Ingredients
- 7 Cups Rice Krispies cereal
- 16 oz mini marshmallows
- 8 Tbsp butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- 12 ounces Pink or Red Candy Melts
- 1/4 cup sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
- Grease two 18-inch sheets of wax paper with 2 tablespoons softened butter, and prepare a spoon or spatula with butter flavored cooking spray. Set the wax paper and greased spoon aside.
- Add 16 ounces mini marshmallows and 6 tablespoons softened butter to a large microwavable bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments until the marshmallows are mostly melted, stirring between each increment, about 1.5 to 2 minutes.
- Once the marshmallows are mostly melted add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional) and mix with your prepared spoon. This should also help melt any remaining lumps out of the marshmallow mixture.
- Pour 7 cups rice cereal into the melted marshmallow mix and stir to combine thoroughly.
- Lay Rice Krispie mix in a tube shape onto the buttered wax paper sheets.
- Wrap the sides of the wax paper up and around the cereal mixture and roll them on your table to create a round Rice Krispie tube.
- Working quickly, press one side of the tube against your counter, using your hand to press and pinch until you've created a point.
- On the side opposite the point, press a chopstick or dowel rod into the tubes to create the dip in the top of the heart. If you want a sharper dip, you can also use a ruler to help mold the Rice Krispie mixture. Once you're satisfied with the shape, place your heart-shaped Rice Krispie tubes into the freezer to cool for at least 20 minutes.
- Once the Rice Krispies are cool to the touch, but not frozen solid, remove them from the freezer and use a sharp knife or pastry cutter to slice hearts about 3/4 inch wide.
- Place 12 ounces candy melts or melting chocolate into a microwave safe bowl. and microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval. Once the candy melts are smooth, but not completely melted, stir with a fork to melt the remaining chips.
- Dip one the front side of each heart into the melted candy coating and lay on a sheet tray or wax paper to dry. Add sprinkles immediately.
Notes
Remember, the step-by-step photos and FAQ in the recipe post are there to help you if you feel stuck at any point.
- Grease your wax paper all the way to the edges to avoid sticking.
- I recommend practicing the rolling technique for the hearts if you plan to make them for a party.
- The colder your Rice Krispie tubes are when you cut them, the easier it will be to get a good clean cut and to dip them.
- A narrow bowl with a flat bottom will keep your candy melts deep enough to dip all of your Valentine Rice Krispies.
- This all depends on how thick you roll your cereal mixture tube, but they should end up about 2.5 to 3 inches wide.
- Store your Rice Krispie Treats in an airtight container like this one, with parchment or wax paper between the layers for 3 days at room temperature, or up to a week refrigerated.
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