Gooey Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats

Buttery, gooey, and soft, these Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats have just the right amount of sweet and pumpkin spice flavor. Top these perfect fall treats with a white chocolate drizzle and serve them up for dessert or snacks.

 

Why We Love Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats

My husband and kid are both big pumpkin spice fans, and always cheers when the pumpkin spice goodies start flooding the stores.

I made these pumpkin spice rice krispie treats for them and they gave the thumbs up that these treats hit the spot for that pumpkin spice craving. These fall rice krispie treats have that perfect cozy feeling!

Ingredients For Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats

You only need a few ingredients to make these Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats. Nothing funky, but premixed pumpkin pie spice mix can save you a little time measuring out the spices for this sweet treat.

• puffed rice cereal – You can use the Original Rice Krispie Cereal or a store brand.
• canned pumpkin – fresh pumpkin puree can also be used
• butter – Use salted butter, it is great for this recipe. If using unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the butter as it melts.
• mini marshmallows– This marshmallow converstion chart can help if you have a different size marshmallow. Use fresh marshmallows as hard marshmallows will affect how hard your finished marshmallow square is in the end.
• pumpkin pie spice– You can also throw in 1/8 teaspoon of allspice if you have it to add a touch more savory fall flavor, but they are delicious without. If you like a lot of pumpkin spice flavor, I recommend doubling the amount of pumpkin spice in the recipe.
• vanilla extract
• white chocolate chips
• orange gel food coloring optional

How To Make Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats

1. Line a 9×9 inch pan with parchment paper or grease the pan well with butter. You can also use cooking spray on the pan. Make sure you cover the entire pan in a thin layer of oil or they will stick to pan. Wax paper can also be used since we won’t be baking the cereal treats in the pan, only heating them over the stovetop.
2. Blot pumpkin on a stack of paper towels to remove some of the moisture and make your finished treat chewier. This really helps all pumpkin recipes to keep them from becoming too cakey. I use this same process drying the pumpkin in my pumpkin snickerdoodles and chewy oatmeal pumpkin cookies.

3. In a large saucepan melt the butter over medium heat in the pan. Add pumpkin puree and stir until mixed.

4. Turn the heat to low. Add marshmallows to the pan and continue stirring frequently until you have melted marshmallows in the pan.

5. Add in pumpkin pie spice and vanilla, then quickly stir until mix. If you prefer a deeper orange color for your Rice Krispie Treats, add a few drops of orange food coloring at this step also.

6. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool for just a minute to thicken a little. Fold in rice krispies into the pumpkin marshmallow mixture until mixed.

7. Gently press the mixture into the prepared pan with a silicone spatula, then allow the mixture to fully cool (I recommend cooling for 30 minutes.) If you try to drizzle white chocolate on these treats before they are cool the chocolate may melt off. If you try to slice these treats too soon before they have cooled they may start falling apart.

8. Place white chocolate chips in a small bowl. Microwave at fifty percent power for 30 seconds to a minute at a time. Stir in between and keep heating and stirring about every 30 second until the white chocolate is melted.
9. Place the white chocolate in a piping bag or strong zip-top bag. Snip the corner of the bag and gently drizzle the white chocolate across the Rice Krispies treats.

10. Allow to cool again before cutting. Slice into squares and enjoy!

Variations Ideas For Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats

Use Chocolate For The Drizzle– Swapping in regular chocolate for the white chocolate drizzle can be equally delicious. Chocolate and pumpkin go together nicely. I suggest trying dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate and the krispie treat is already pretty sweet.

Add Mini Chocolate Chips– If melting and drizzling isn’t your thing, you can totally sprinkle chocolate chips (or white chocolate chips) on the top of the rice krispie treats. I find a “mini” chip works best for this or chopping up regular size chips. Add your chips right after pressing the mixture in the pan. I don’t recommend mixing the chocolate chips into the marshmallow square mixture as it tends to just cause the chocolate chips to melt away and makes them harder to taste.

Use Pumpkin Spice Chocolate– Have you seen the pumpkin spice chocolate chips in stores? I have just started seeing these baking chips pop up in grocery stores though I’m not finding them easily online yet. If you have spotted this chocolate too, you can totally use some of these baking chips for a drizzle on top of your treats.

Decorate With Candy Corn– You can add candy corn, candy pumpkins or fun sprinkles to the top of these rice krispie treats right after you add the white chocolate drizzle to make them feel even fancier.

Shape Your Treats Like Cute Little Pumpkins– Instead of placing the Rice Krispie treat mixture in a pan, place a little oil on your hands and shape the treats into round pumpkins. Add a tootsie roll or a small piece of a thin pretzel stick in the top for the stem. Here is an example that uses a regular rice krispie recipe (not pumpkin spice flavored) to turn them into round pumpkin rice krispie treats.

Why Do I Need To Dry The Pumpkin?

Blotting the pumpkin with paper towels will change the amount of moisture in the rice krispie treats. The less moisture the pumpkin has, the more chewy your finished treats will be.

Is it possible to make these Rice Krispie treats without drying the pumpkin? Yes, but if you happen to have a more water-filled pumpkin puree your treats may be gooier and less chewy.

The amount of moisture can vary from pumpkin to pumpkin, and therefore can change depending on the can of pumpkin you happened to buy. So one can of pumpkin puree may have more or less moisture than another which can affect your finished recipe.

Can I Use Larger Marshmallows?

I have found when making Rice Krispie Treats that mini marshmallows work the best result, you can use larger marshmallows. Larger marshmallows need to spend more time over the heat to fully melt. This can sometimes give you a krispie treat that is less chewy, and often a little crunchier bite.

Using fresh marshmallows will also produce a better texture.

How Do I Keep These Pumpkin Spice Krispie Treats Fresh?

Store Rice Krispie Treats in an airtight container or in a zip-top bag on the counter for 2-3 days. If you store rice krispie treats in the fridge, let them come to room temperature before eating so the marshmallow can soften.

You can freeze these krispie treats, start by letting them cool completely (including the chocolate drizzle) and cutting them into squares. Once cool wrap them individually in freezer paper. You can store them for up to three months or so in the freezer. Defrost them on the counter before eating.

How Do I Keep Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispies Treats From Getting Hard?

Heating the marshmallows over too high of heat can make the sugar caramelize too much which can cause hard marshmallow squares. It’s worth it to take the extra minute and heat the marshmallows over low heat.

Pressing the cereal and marshmallow mixture too tightly into the pan can also cause treats to be a little too hard. Carefully press the mixture into the greased pan but don’t press down super hard.