For Christmas, enjoy soft, chewy Rice Krispie Treats infused with the warm spices and creamy richness of eggnog. These Eggnog Rice Krispie Treats are flavored with nutmeg and cinnamon and are topped with a layer of silky white chocolate ganache made with real eggnog.
The holidays are here, and with them comes the urge to indulge in rich and creamy eggnog. This Christmas, instead of serving eggnog in a glass, why not use it to create a sophisticated version of a simple dessert?
These eggnog-flavored Rice Krispie treats are made with creamy eggnog and are flavored with warm spices. With each bite, you'll enjoy the creamy texture and decadently rich flavor of an eggnog truffle paired with the sweet marshmallow cereal treat all balanced out by the warm undertones of nutmeg and cinnamon.
If you are looking for a quick and easy Christmas dessert to bring to a holiday party, potluck, or bake sale, this is it. In about 20 minutes of prep time, you can have an entire tray of these decadent eggnog cereal treats made for your family and friends.
I'm serving them at our Christmas Eve party along with Candy Cane Rice Krispie Treats, Hot Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats, and lots of delicious Christmas desserts. I know my eggnog-loving party guests are going to love these treats as much as I do.
Let's make some treats!
Ingredients
- crisp rice cereal - We always recommend using Kellogg's Rice Krispies Cereal. When we conducted our taste tests to find the very Best Rice Krispie Treat recipe, we found this cereal had the best flavor and texture.
- salted butter - We like using European-style salted butter like Kerrygold to make crispy treats because it contains more butterfat and less water than American butter. That means a better flavor!
- marshmallows - We have tested every marshmallow we can find and agree that Jet-Puffed Marshmallows have the best texture. They aren't too sticky. Check out our Marshmallows Measurment page for tips on measuring various brands of marshmallows.
- nutmeg and cinnamon - To add a warm spiced flavor to these eggnog treats, I added both nutmeg and cinnamon. For the best flavor, freshly grate your nutmeg using a microplane grater.
- white chocolate - I highly recommend using pure white chocolate made with cocoa butter to make these treats. The cocoa butter will enhance the richness of the eggnog flavor and will give your white chocolate ganache a smooth and creamy texture.
- eggnog - Choose your favorite eggnog to make these treats. You can even use homemade eggnog. I used Southern Comfort Eggnog and I love it! It has a wonderful flavor.
- optional, rum or brandy - If you want to add a boozy flavor to your treats, swap out 1 tablespoon of booze for 1 tablespoon of eggnog.
Supplies
- one large mixing bowl
- one medium-large (3 quart) nonstick saucepan
- silicone spatulas
- 9-inch square pan lined with non-stick tin foil or tin foil sprayed with baking spray
- double boiler (a saucepan filled with 1 inch of water topped with a tight-fitting bowl) or microwave-safe bowl
- optional (but recommended) - microplane grater
Instructions
Grease a large mixing bowl and spatula with butter (preferable) or non-stick baking spray.
Pour 5 cups (5 ounces or 142 grams) of Rice Krispies Cereal into the mixing bowl and set aside.
Make the marshmallow crispy treats with nutmeg and cinnamon.
Cut 4 tablespoons of salted butter into slices and place them in a 3-quart (medium-large) saucepan and set it on the stove over LOW heat.
Let the butter begin to melt and then add one 10-ounce bag (284 grams) of marshmallows to the pan. I like using mini marshmallows because they melt quickly.
Stir to coat the marshmallows with the melted butter.
Stir often, until about 75% of the marshmallows have melted.
Then, remove the pan from the heat and stir until all the marshmallows have completely melted.
Add ¾ teaspoon of cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg. Add more nutmeg for a stronger flavor.
Tip
Do not overheat your marshmallows or your treats will be too hard. By removing the pan from the heat before all the marshmallows have melted, you will allow the residual heat in the pan to continue to melt the marshmallows. This ensures the marshmallows won't get too hot. You'll end up with perfectly chewy treats.
If you prefer to make your treats in the microwave, be sure to check out our Microwave Rice Krispie Treat Recipe.
Stir in the spices.
Pour the mixture over the cereal.
Stir until well blended.
Then, spread into the square pan.
Make white chocolate eggnog ganache.
Fill a saucepan with 1 inch of water and set it over LOW heat. Snuggly fit a bowl, filled with 12 ounces of pure white chocolate, inside the top of the saucepan.
Pour 4 tablespoons (57 grams) of eggnog over the white chocolate and stir until the chocolate is well coated with the creamy liquid.
Stir often until about 75% of the white chocolate has melted. Do not overheat this mixture!
Then, remove the bowl from the heat (wipe the condensation off the bottom of the bow) and let the white chocolate rest for 5 minutes.
Stir until all the white chocolate has melted.
If you have an immersion blender, use it to make this mixture smooth. If not, just stir with your silicone spatula.
The ganache may be a little greasy at this point (it will be very greasy if you overheat your white chocolate). Stir 1 tablespoon of cold eggnog (or 1 tablespoon of rum or brandy) into the ganache to make it silky smooth.
If you overheat your white chocolate or allow it to melt completely while on the stove, your ganache may be very greasy. If this happens, pour it into another bowl and let it rest for 15 minutes before adding the additional cream or booze. By adding the cold eggnog, the ganache should come together and become silky and smooth.
Let the ganache cool for 10 minutes, stirring it midway through.
Then pour it over the pan of eggnog rice crispy treats.
Smooth the ganache over the top of the treats using an offset spatula or spoon.
To give it some texture, you can run the spatial through the ganache creating a swirled pattern.
Dust 1 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg over the top of the ganache. Set the pan aside and allow it to cool for 3-4 hours until the eggnog ganache feels firm to the touch.
Lift the treats out of the pan using the tinfoil as a sling. Peel off the foil and set the treat on a cutting board. Cut the pan of treats into 12 rectangles or 16 squares.
Variations
Make your treats look more Christmasy by mixing red and green sprinkles inside the treats. Or add ½ teaspoon of nutmeg and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to our Red and Green Christmas Rice Krispie Treats made with Kellogg's Christmas Rice Krispies Cereal.
If desired, you can stir the 1 teaspoon of nutmeg into the white chocolate eggnog ganache and add more red and green sprinkles on top of the ganache.
For New Year's Eve, sprinkle edible silver and gold glitter stars over the ganache to give your treats a little sparkle.
Related Recipes
See all of our festive Christmas Rice Krispie Treats. They'll make a fun addition to your holiday dessert table and great party favors or bake sale items.
Recipe
Eggnog Rice Krispie Treats
Equipment
- 1 9-inch square pan (or 8-inch pan)
- non-stick tin foil or regular foil greased with melted butter or baking spray
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 silicone spatula
- 1 medium-large (3 quart) saucepan
- 1 double boiler (saucepan filled with 1 inch of water topped with a snug-fitting bowl)
- 1 microplane grater
Ingredients
Rice Krispies Layer
- 5 cups (142 grams) Kellogg's Rice Krispies Cereal
- 4 tablespoon salted butter (use European-style butter for best flavor)
- 10 ounces (284 grams) Jet-Puffed Marshmallows
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
White Chocolate Eggnog Ganache
- 12 ounces (340 grams) pure white chocolate (made with cocoa butter)
- 4 tablespoons (57 grams) eggnog plus 1 more tablespoon (14 grams)*
- 1 tablespoon rum or brandy *(use in place of the additional 1 tablespoon of eggnog) OPTIONAL
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg plus more if desired
Instructions
Rice Krispie Treat Layer
- Line a 9-inch square baking pan with non-stick tin foil or regular tin foil greased with melted butter or baking spray.
- Grease your mixing bowl and spatula with butter (for best flavor) or baking spray.
- Pour 5 cups of Rice Krispies Cereal into the bowl and set it aside.
- Cut 4 tablespoons of butter into slices and place in a medium-large non-stick saucepan. Set the pan over LOW heat.
- Allow the butter to begin melting and then toss in the marshmallows.
- Stir often until about 75% of the marshmallows have melted. Then, remove the pan from the heat and continue to stir until all the marshmallows melt. The residual heat will continue to melt the marshmallows ensuring your marshmallows do not overheat which makes hard treats.
- Add ¼ teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and stir to combine.
- Pour the melted marshmallow mixture over the bowl of cereal and toss to combine.
- Spread the cereal treat mixture into the lined baking pan. Set aside.
White Chocolate Eggnog Ganache
- Fill a saucepan with 1 inch of water and set the pan over LOW heat on the stove.
- Fit a bowl snuggly into the top of this pan. You don't want steam to be able to escape, so make sure the bowl fits snuggly and does not touch the water.
- Pour 12 ounces of pure white chocolate into the bowl.
- Add 4 tablespoons of eggnog and stir to combine.
- Allow the white chocolate to melt slowly, stirring it often until about 75% of the chocolate has melted. Do NOT overheat the white chocolate.
- Then remove the bowl from the heat. Wipe off any condensation from the bottom of the bowl. Allow the white chocolate to rest for 5 minutes without stirring. The residual heat will continue to melt the white chocolate.
- Then using a spatula or immersion blender, stir until smooth.
- The mixture may be slightly greasy. Add an additional 1 tablespoon of cold eggnog or 1 tablespoon of rum or brandy. Stir until smooth and creamy.
- Let the eggnog ganache cool for 10 minutes, stirring it once after 5 minutes.
- Pour the white chocolate eggnog ganache over the pan of Rice Krispie Treats.
- Spread the ganache into an even layer.
- Immediately, dust the surface with at least 1 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg. For a more robust flavor, add a little more.
- Let this cool for about 4 hours until the ganache feels firm.
- Then, remove the treats from the pan by lifting up the tin foil. Peel the foil off the treats and then cut them into 12 rectangles (or 16 squares).
- Serve and enjoy!
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