Jolly Rancher rice crispy treats were born out of the series "Will it marshmallow?" on my Instagram and TikTok. Marshmallows, most gummies, and hard candy share many of the same ingredients. Melting down favorite types of hard candies and whipping air into with gelatin them causes them to become marshmallows.
(Ps. If you love marshmallows, check out these fluffy AF chocolate marshmallows)
The most popular gummy used so far has been peach rings, but the jolly rancher hard candies are not far behind. The most asked question after seeing the view is: "Will they make rice crispy treats?"
Will jolly ranchers work to make rice crispy treats? I didn't know.
So I set off to find out. Using the rice crispy treat recipe on the back of the box of cereal, these seemed pretty straightforward to make.
Ingredients
Jolly Rancher rice crispy treats only use three ingredients!
- rice crisp cereal
- butter
- jolly rancher marshmallows
See recipe card for quantities.
Okay, but can I really make marshmallows out of jolly ranchers? How?
To make jolly rancher marshmallows for this recipe, you can follow the recipe linked. The basic instructions are:
- In a non-stick pot or pan, melt jolly ranchers over low heat. You do not need to heat these to a specific temperature. They should be heated until fluid and no jolly rancher hard candies remain in a solid form.
- While these melt down, hydrate unflavored gelatin in cold water.
- Pour the melted Jolly Ranchers overtop of the hydrated gelatin. Using a planetary mixer, whip the fluid jolly ranchers on high for 8-10 minutes.
- Pour now marshmallow jolly ranchers into an oiled, parchment lined pan and cover.
- Marshmallow jolly ranchers need to set up for 12 hours before cutting.
- After 12 hours, cut marshmallow jolly ranchers into desired size. The smaller these are cut, the easier they will remelt into the rice crispy treat.
Melting twice? You sound crazy.
Yes, you still need to whip up the jolly ranchers for this. The air incorporated by the mixer and trapped by the gelatin make the marshmallows soft and fluffy. If you just melted the jolly ranchers, they would reform into hard candy and biting into one of these rice Krispy treats would probably break your tooth.
Instructions
Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat.
Add in jolly rancher marshmallows and heat until melted together.
Add in rice crisp cereal. Stir until fully combined.
Press into an oiled 8 x 8 dish. Cool completely and cut.
Hint: Line your dish with oiled parchment paper. It makes it much easier to lift the rice crispy treats out and cut vs. cutting them while they are in the pan.
Equipment
- large sauce pan
- 8 x 8 square pan
- spatula
How do they taste?
They taste exactly like jolly ranchers and are very sweet. Texture wise they are slightly crunchier than your standard rice crispy treats and remind me a little bit of the rice crispy treat cereal.
My top tips
- Cut these while they are slightly warm, but wait until they are completely cool to consume. They are harder to eat and chew while warm, but get crispy once cooled.
- Don't press the rice crispy and marshmallow mix into the pan too firmly. If you pack it too tightly, it will be hard to eat the rice crispy treats.
- When spreading, place an oiled sheet of parchment on the top so you can smooth out the rice crispy treats easily.
Storage
Store no more than two days at room temperature in airtight container.
To freeze, place in layers separated by wax paper in airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Jolly Rancher Rice Crispy Treats
Equipment
- large sauce pan
- 8 x 8 square baking dish
Ingredients
- 10 ounces jolly rancher marshmallows
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 6 cups rice crisp cereal
Instructions
- In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add jolly rancher marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
- Add in rice crisp cereal. Stir until combined.
- Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 8 x 8 square dish pan coated with cooking spray.
- Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!