Most impressive-looking treats and desserts unfortunately also take a lot of time. Thankfully, that is not the case with this one! This no-bake dessert can be thrown together quickly--and kids can do a lot of it on their own! Because who wants to spend the day slaving over a festive dessert when there are friends to talk to and a game to watch?
I made one large football and a few mini ones from one batch. You can do that, or you can just make one giant one, or only make individual-sized ones. Whatever will work best for your party. Keep in mind that the more mini ones you make, the more you will have to frost, so that will make it a little less quick and easy. :)
You will need:
1 pkg mini marshmallows
2 T butter
6 C Rice Krispies cereal
1 12-oz bag chocolate chips
White frosting
Before you start, make sure to have your serving platter ready and nearby. You don't want the treats to start hardening while you're getting your platter out of your cabinet and then realize you haven't used it in forever and it's a little dusty so you need to wash it...you know how those things go. At least that's how they go at my house. Anybody with me?
In a large pan, melt the butter and marshmallows over medium-low heat.
(Note: you can also do this part in the microwave, which is a great option for getting kids involved. I would recommend heating it on a lower power setting and stirring frequently).
Cook and stir until mixture is completely smooth. This should only take about 5 minutes on the stovetop.
Remove from heat. Stir in the cereal. Keep stirring until it is well mixed and the cereal is thoroughly coated.
Dump the entire pan onto the center of your serving platter if you are making one big football. If you are making mini ones, spoon smaller amounts around your platter. Try to work quickly.
Put a little cold water on your hands--you don't want them dripping everywhere, but you want your palms and fingers to have a nice thin covering of water. This will magically keep the treats from sticking to your hands.
Smoosh the Rice Krispie blob(s) into a football shape with your hands. Don't over-think it, just smash it sort-of flat and round, and then squish the ends into points. Or have your kids do this part.
If at any time the treats start sticking to your fingers, just apply a little more cold water.
I like to let the treats harden at this point, which doesn't take long. If you're in a hurry, however, go ahead and move on to the next step.
Dump your chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl.
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See my new photo backdrop? My hubby just made it and surprised me with it.
I love it and had to find an excuse to use it in this post. So gorgeous; you will see it often! |
Microwave on a low power setting for 1 minute at a time until the chips are melted. Remember when chocolate chips are melted in the microwave they retain their shape until they are stirred, so stir them thoroughly every minute to see if they are melted.
Frost the Rice Krispie football with the melted chocolate. You could make this even easier and just use chocolate frosting, but I like the taste of the melted chocolate better with the treats. I have also mixed peanut butter into the melted chocolate to use with this--delicious!
All you have left to do is pipe the laces! Don't be intimidated by this part if you have no cake decorating skills; it's very easy. You'll see below that I used a cake decorating bag and icing tip; if you don't have those (or you do, but don't feel like cleaning them afterward), simply put your frosting in a Ziploc bag and snip off a *small* piece of a corner. Instant icing bag!
Start by piping one horizontal line across the football.
Next, pipe 3 or 4 short, evenly-spaced vertical lines over the horizontal one you just made.
That's it! You now have a football! You can handle that, right?
You can see above that I have several stray specks of chocolate on my serving platter. If you have this problem, use a damp paper towel to carefully wipe off any extra chocolate or frosting and you're done!
For an even more impressive presentation, you can make coconut grass to scatter around your platter.
Dump a cup or so of coconut in a bowl, and add several drops of green food coloring.
Stir until coconut is evenly coated, adding more food coloring as necessary.
It won't be perfect; you'll have darker and lighter bits, but I think that only adds to the look.
Sprinkle the coconut around the footballs on your tray.
Amazing how something so simple can really add to the "wow" factor!
Look at the cute mini footballs! I think a whole tray of these would be adorable!
I hope you have fun making and serving this fun treat!
Linking up with Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday, Miz Helen's Country Cottage for Full Plate Thursday, and Dear Creative's weekly link party!
