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Celebrate with Halloween rice krispie treats! Make your favorite rice krispie recipe into spiders by adding food coloring, licorice legs and candy eye balls. Kids will love to help make this easy halloween treat.

purple spider rice krispie treats with black licorice legs on a gray serving stand
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Halloween is my favorite holiday! I have fond memories of wearing my costume to elementary school on halloween so we could parade around the school showing them off! Afterwards we’d have our class party and decorate pumpkin sugar cookies. Maybe that’s when I knew I was going to be a food blogger!

This is an easy halloween treat to make with your family!

Halloween rice krispie treat supplies

The cereal, butter and marshmallows are easy to find at any grocery store.

I found the black licorice in the candy aisle of my grocery store.

Both Walmart and Target carry candy eye balls and gel food coloring in preparation for halloween. If you have difficulty finding those items at those stores, go to Michaels because they have a dedicated section of Wilton products.

ingredients to make spider rice krispie treats

What color should I make my spiders?

That’s totally up to you! I wanted mine to be black, but it’s very difficult to get a whole batch of melted white marshmallows to be jet black. I did use a good amount of black gel food coloring and my spiders ended up more of a maroon purple color.

Other color options could include: eery green, dark blue, spooky red. All spiders are spooky to me so have fun with the color you pick!

how to make spider rice krispie treats collage

How to make Spider Rice Krispie Treats

  1. Cut each piece of black licorice into thirds. Then cut each third in half, hot dog style. Refer to the picture in the post for a visual. My spiders had 6 legs, but feel free to add more if desired.
  2. Make your favorite rice krispie recipe and add in your desired color of food coloring after melting the marshmallows.
  3. Take about 1 tablespoon of the krispie mixture and flatten into a disk. Press the ends of 6 licorice pieces into the disk.
  4. Use a large cookie scoop or your hands to form balls for the spiders bodies. Press the balls on top of the legs.
  5. Add candy eye balls to each spider.
purple spider rice krispie treats with black licorice legs on a dark background

How long will rice krispie treats stay fresh?

Rice krispie treats are best served on the day you make them, however you can keep them for up to 3 days in an airtight container on the counter.

To keep them extra fresh, wrap the rice krispies in plastic wrap then place inside a container.

What can I use instead of black licorice for the spider’s legs?

If you are wanting an alternative I suggest: pretzel sticks, long tootsie rolls, or gummy worms.

Can you image a spider with gummy worm legs? Even more creepy!

Tips

  • Use fresh marshmallows. Meaning don’t use an old package or pre-opened bag if it’s been sitting in your pantry for a while.
  • Melt the butter and marshmallows over low heat. It might take a little longer to melt the mixture completely over low heat, but melting over high heat can cause the marshmallows to over heat and become hard.
  • I do not recommend freezing these edible spider rice krispie treats because the legs may fall off and are difficult to wrap for long time storing.

More Halloween Treats

5 from 2 ratings

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Spider Rice Krispie Treats

By: Beth
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 20 servings
Celebrate with Halloween rice krispie treats! Make your favorite rice krispie recipe into spiders by adding food coloring, licorice legs and candy eye balls. Kids will love to help make this easy halloween treat.

Ingredients

  • 1 box rice krispie cereal, 12 oz box equal to about 10 cups
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, 1/2 cup
  • 16 oz mini marshmallows
  • food coloring, I used black gel food coloring, which came out more as a maroon purple
  • black licorice
  • candy eye balls

Instructions 

  • Cut each piece of black licorice into thirds. Then cut each third in half, hot dog style. Refer to the picture in the post for a visual. My spiders had 6 legs, but feel free to add more if desired.
  • Place 2 silicone baking mats on the counter. You can also use parchment paper or wax paper. 
  • In large pot over low heat on the stove, melt the butter. 
  • Once the butter is melted, add in the marshmallows and stir frequently until melted. 
  • Add in your desired food coloring and stir to combine. Remove from the heat. I used black gel food coloring, which resulted in more of a purple/maroon spider. 
  • Gradually and gently stir the rice krispie cereal into the marshmallow mixture. 
  • The next steps will be a little messy because the mixture is sticky. TIP: be sure to spray your hands with some non-stick cooking spray or have a small bowl of water handy to dip your hands in. You can also let the rice krispie mixture sit on the counter for 5 minutes to cool. It will also be less sticky then.
  • Take about 1 tablespoon of the krispie mixture and flatten into a disk. Press the ends of 6 licorice pieces into the disk. Then use a large cookie scoop or your hands to form balls for the spiders bodies. Press the balls on top of the legs. Add candy eye balls to each spider. NOTE: If your rice krispie mixture becomes too firm by the end of shaping the spiders,  place it in the microwave for 10-20 seconds so that the marshmallows become melty again. 

Video

Notes

TIP: be sure to spray your hands with some non-stick cooking spray or have a small bowl of water handy to dip your hands in. You can also let the rice krispie mixture sit on the counter for 5 minutes to cool. It will also be less sticky then.

Nutrition

Calories: 113kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 19mg | Potassium: 3mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 145IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 1mg
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About Beth

I believe that everyone should have a go-to dessert to bring to parties! With hundreds of recipes, I'll help you find yours!

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1 Comment

  1. 5 stars
    We love rice krispies so they kiddos wanted to make these for Halloween! The recipe was easy to follow and perfect for little hands!