Thanksgiving Rice Krispies Treats

Thanksgiving Rice Krispies Treats are a delicious, adorable last-minute holiday dessert. Pumpkin pie spice adds a special touch to this chewy treat.

When it comes to Thanksgiving, I like to keep dinner very traditional with maple bourbon glazed turkey, mashed potatoes with homemade gravy, and my husband’s grandma’s old fashioned dressing.

But when it comes to dessert, all bets are off the table. Truth be told, I’m not even really that big of a fan of most pies.

So I’ll often incorporate fall flavors into a different type of dessert like a cranberry tart pie or pumpkin creme brulee. If I’m really feeling ambitious, even an apple rose tart.

This year, I’ve had the biggest craving for Rice Krispies treats. Ever since my daughter got one of those packaged ones trick-or-treating, I’ve been wanting the real, homemade thing!

Since I was craving them anyway, I decided to try my hand at a batch of Thanksgiving Rice Krispies treats. These fun pumpkin-spiced goodies even resemble a pie!

What you’ll need for Thanksgiving Rice Krispies treats:

• Rice Krispies – honestly, get the name brand ones! I’ve tried some “healthier” organic varieties, and they’re just not as good in Rice Krispies treats, trust me.
• marshmallows – the classic binder for a good Rice Krispies treat.
• butter – unsalted butter helps melt the marshmallows to create the binder.
• pumpkin pie spice – a few teaspoons of this go a long way to giving these fall Rice Krispies treats some great autumn flavor. I love it in Thanksgiving fruit salad, too.
• maple extract – I love the way maple flavoring pairs with pumpkin pie spice, but I discuss an alternative for these Thanksgiving Rice Krispies treats below.
• food coloring – I had orange food coloring left over from Halloween dirt cups, which I used to make the center of this pumpkin spice Rice Krispies treats “pie” orange. If you don’t have orange, you can use a combination of red and yellow food coloring.

Make the “crust” for the pumpkin spice Rice Krispies treats:

In order to make these Thanksgiving Rice Krispies treats look like a pumpkin pie, we’ll be making two smaller batches, one at a time.

First, make the “crust” by melting butter and marshmallows on the stove. Mix in the maple extract, and then stir in the Rice Krispies until everything is well combined.

This batch, we will NOT be using food coloring on. It will stay light brown to resemble the crust of the “pie.”

Press this batch against the sides of a 9-inch cake pan, about one inch thick (see photo above). Make sure to leave the middle of the pan empty for the “filling.”

Make the “filling” for the Thanksgiving Rice Krispies treats:

Now, we’ll be making another, slightly larger batch of Rice Krispies treats. Instead of maple extract, this time we’ll be stirring in some pumpkin pie spice. We’re also going to add food coloring to make it orange.

Pour this batch of pumpkin spice Rice Krispies treats into the center of the cake pan and press it down until it’s flat, and presses right up against the “pie crust” (see photo above).

Do I have to use maple extract?

Personally, I love the flavor of maple when paired with pumpkin pie spices. Adding actual maple syrup would add too much liquid to this recipe and make the Thanksgiving Rice Krispies treats too runny, so I’m using maple extract to add that flavor.

If you buy maple extract, I think you’ll be surprised how versatile it can be. It even adds an extra oomph to maple syrup banana bread.

But, if you don’t think you’ll use it much and don’t want to buy it for these pumpkin spice Rice Krispies treats, that’s totally understandable. Just use vanilla extract instead!

A quick tip for pressing fall Rice Krispies treats into the pan:

When pressing the pumpkin pie Rice Krispies treats mixtures into the cake pan, spray a piece of parchment paper with cooking spray and use the parchment paper to press.

This prevents the mixture from sticking to your hands.

How to serve pumpkin pie Rice Krispies treats:

Cut your treat into 8 slices, just like a pie.

Feel free to add a squirt of whipped cream onto each slice of “pie”! Add this right before serving.

Or, for a garnish that you can add to these Thanksgiving Rice Krispies treats in advance, use mini marshmallows to resemble the whipped cream.