These little Rice Krispie Frankenstein Monsters are the perfect Halloween treat and are a frightfully fun addition to Halloween parties and gatherings (whether for grown-ups, little-uns, or a mix of both).
The basic Rice Krispie square recipe is super quick and easy and requires only a small handful of ingredients. The decorating can be slightly more time consuming, but is a blast and totally worth the extra effort.
Prep/cook time: 5 minutes
Cooling time: 30 minutes
Decorating time: 10 - 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- 5 cups Rice Krispies cereal (or any other crispy rice cereal)
- 1 10 oz package of vegan marshmallows (I used Dandies)
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter, plus a teaspoon for buttering the baking pan (I used Earth Balance)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon green food colouring
- 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
- 12 popsicle sticks (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Prepare and butter an 8 inch by 8 inch baking pan. Set aside.
- In a large pot on your stove, melt the vegan butter on medium-low heat. Add the marshmallows and stir increasingly often with a wooden spoon until completely melted. This should only take a couple of minutes.
- Stir in the food colouring and the vanilla extract.
- Turn the heat off and stir in the Rice Krispies, adding about 1 cup at a time and ensuring it is evenly coated in the melted marshmallow. This part offers some great arm muscle exercise.
- Press the mixture firmly into your baking pan. Let cool.
- Cut the treats into rectangles, cutting off any rounded edges (which are perfect for snacking as you decorate). The monsters look best with square, straight edges to their jaw and forehead.
- Melt the chocolate using a double boiler or the following method: Heat about 2 inches of water to a simmer in a small pot on your stove. Set a heatproof bowl in the mouth of the pot, ensuring the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Pour the chocolate chips into the bowl. Keep on low heat, stirring very occasionally as you wait for the chocolate to melt. the chocolate melts. Remove from heat once the chocolate is softened. Note: This part can be a bit tricky. One can easily apply too much heat too fast or for too long, resulting in a grainy rather than a smooth melt. To avoid this, keep the heat low, your patience high, and be ready to remove the bowl from the heat just as soon as (or even just before) the last chip has melted.
- Draw faces on the treats using the tip of a toothpick dipped in chocolate for the eyes and mouth and a plastic baggie with a small hole cut in the corner (i.e. a handy homemade pastry bag) for the hair and ears. If desired, insert a popsicle stick into the bottom of each.
- Share and enjoy these spooky little cutes!
A side note on incorporating soft vegan advocacy into your day-to-day life… In my office, people regularly bring in store-bought treats for everyone to enjoy. Donuts, cupcakes, cookies and candy are a regular sight in the common areas of my office. Unfortunately, the snacks are usually not vegan. So, in order to participate in this lovely tradition of sharing, I have started occasionally bringing in my own homemade vegan treats for everyone to enjoy. My coconut bliss balls (recipe to come soon!) were a huge hit when I brought them in a few weeks ago, and everyone just adored these Rice Krispie Frankenstein Monsters! Not only do I get to enjoy sharing my food with my colleagues, this also gives me an opportunity to demonstrate how satisfying and delicious vegan treats can be! This is not a lifestyle of deprivation, it is a daily celebration of abundance!