Marshmallow Christmas Wreaths

from 16 votes

Add a festive pop of color to your holiday table with a quick and easy recipe for Marshmallow Christmas Wreaths!

Rows of Marshmallow Christmas Wreaths on a white marble background

The holidays don’t officially begin in our house until iconic Marshmallow Christmas Wreaths make their annual debut! Just one taste of these crispy, chewy treats and I am transported to Beaver Creek, Colorado, where my family and I spend every winter holiday season.

Consider these Marshmallow Christmas Wreaths to be a super festive update to the classic Rice Krispies Treats (and a confectionery cousin to our popular and just-as-festive Pumpkin Pie Rice Krispies Treats). I’ve swapped Rice Krispies for cornflakes and added a good squeeze of green food coloring. And for edible holly berries? Cinnamon candies!

If you’re in a rush, or prefer a more communal approach to dessert, skip shaping the cereal treats into individual wreaths and gather the mixture together to form one giant wreath. Then friends and family can pull off pieces as they please.

For more festive Christmas dessert inspiration, don’t miss my favorite holiday cookie recipes!

Dessert

Marshmallow Christmas Wreaths

Add a festive pop of color to your holiday table with a quick and easy recipe for Marshmallow Christmas Wreaths!
Author: Kelly Senyei
4.69 from 16 votes
Marshmallow Christmas Wreaths Recipe on justataste.com
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 24 treats

Ingredients 

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 30 large marshmallows (about 3 cups)
  • 1 Tablespoon green food coloring
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 cups cornflakes
  • Cinnamon red-hot candies
  • Cooking Spray

Instructions 

  • Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat.
  • Add the marshmallows to the melted butter and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth.
  • Add the green food coloring and the vanilla extract, stirring to combine.
  • Add the cornflakes and stir the mixture constantly until the cornflakes are evenly coated.
  • Place a large piece of parchment paper on the counter and spray it lightly with cooking spray.
  • Remove the saucepan from the stove and quickly form the cornflake mixture into wreaths by making a small hole in each mound of the cornflake mixture.
  • While the cornflakes are still warm, place the red-hot candies atop the wreaths for garnish.
  • ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!

Nutrition

Calories: 80kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 10mg, Sodium: 42mg, Potassium: 7mg, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 200IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 1mg, Iron: 1.4mg

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Recipe adapted from Rose's Christmas Cookies by Rose Levy Beranbaum.


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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Everything about this recipe was great….just wondering why it is taking so long to ‘set’. Was it something I did?

  2. 5 stars
    Add mixture in muffin tin and spray a wooden spoon with cooking spray and twirl end of spoon to make wreaths spray tin.

  3. I also grew up with these wonderful treats. My sister and I always looked forward to making these wreaths with mom. I still make them every year from memory. Finally, a recipe to go by. This is a keeper. Friends and family love them! Thank you!!!

  4. 5 stars
    What a great great recipe it was so easy and the steps were spot on . Cornflake Christmas wreaths came out perfect

    1. 5 stars
      I’ve made these before with Corn Flakes and they were a hit. I have 2 boxes of special K. I wonder if it would work the same

      1. I’m so happy to hear they were a hit and you enjoyed them, Deborah! Special K should work just as well!

  5. 5 stars
    This is a classic twist on normal rice crispy treats- but they taste SO much better!! My mom would make these for us when we were kids and I have been trying to track down how to make them and this is it! Thank you for this recipe!

  6. 4 stars
    I made these many years ago & prepared 6+ doz last night for a cookie exchange tonight. None of the recipes I looked at talked about “drying time”. Mine are all pretty sticky more than 12 hrs since making. I live in Texas so it can be humid & it’s 62% this morning. I’m wondering if that’s the only reason they’re still sticky!

    1. Hi there! These will definitely “dry” and firm up as the set, but it sounds like it’s definitely a humidity issue!

      1. Had the best time mKing these with our four year old granddaughter. Pretty sticky so I should have buttered my hands ANd used gel food coloring, but we loved them!

      2. Love, love, love reading this! So thrilled you and your granddaughter enjoyed this holiday favorite. :)

  7. Tried these and they aren’t anywhere near a good green :/ they look like.. yellow with a yucky green tint. they taste pretty good but i used more marshmallows because the first round was way too battery and got hard like toffee almost. thanks for the recipe tho! nothing ever turns out for me

    1. I’m so sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe, Grace. I highly recommend using gel food coloring to achieve a rich color.

    1. Hi Colette – Yes! To freeze, place in layers separated by wax paper in an airtight container. They’ll last for up to a month in the freezer. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

  8. I too had problems with the wreathes sticking together. I counted the 30 marshmallows out but in hindsight I would use the whole bag of marshmallows.

    1. Hi Summer – I’m sorry you didn’t have success with this recipe. Once you removed the cornflake mixture from the stove, did you quickly form it into wreaths?

    1. Hi Carol! I haven’t tried that so unfortunately I cannot say with certainty that it will work or how much marshmallow fluff you would need. Sorry I can’t be of more help!

  9. Husband tried these, did not work for him. Were too moist and did not hold sharp. Think he must have used too much butter. Going to try myself. Apart from that, love your recipes, so delicious.

    1. Hi Maryanne – Yes! To freeze, place in layers separated by wax paper in an airtight container. They’ll last for up to a month in the freezer. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

    1. Hi Helen! Yes, they’ll last for up to a month in the freezer. To freeze, place in layers separated by wax paper in an airtight container. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. ENJOY!

  10. Planning this for a class gingerbread house making project. Will it hold up for a few hours without refrigeration and on the gingerbread house or will it melt and fall apart?

  11. 5 stars
    In regards to the Christmas reefs treats for thanks giving treats you can do the same. Create three bowls but instead of green use yellow red and orange and create a thanks giving or fall fest treat in which i call a leaf pile or even a fall reef or even take a Hersheys piece as the trunk and make a chocolate fall tree.

    1. Only slightly! Spray your hands with cooking spray prior to shaping the wreaths and the mixture won’t stick as much :)

  12. This is HAPPY FOOD!!! Nostalgic and sweet. Love it, loved making these as a kid and feeling like I should make them today!

  13. This is brilliant! Do you know a way I can sub green food coloring to something else, natural way? We don’t do food coloring in cooking especially with kids :)

    1. Hi Olga – I’ve never used a food coloring substitute so I’m not sure what the results would be. Sorry I can’t be of more help!

    1. Hi Jessica! You have to work very quickly, and I’ve found success by spraying my hands with cooking spray so the mixture won’t stick.