So So Minty Christmas Tree Treat

This goody is super easy to whip together and great fun to decorate.  A very kid friendly treat.  Just think....the need for colorful decorating material gives you a reason to haunt the holiday food section of the grocery.  ;)  So much minty good flavor...it was heavenly.  Every winter I get this mad craving for mint, so this hit the spot.  Now if I can just find another bag of the Nestle Dark Chocolate & Mint chips I will be a happy camper.

This is a twist on the usual Rice Krispies treats....since I was doing a chocolate theme I could have used Cocoa Krispies come to think of it.  The measurements are a little loose...but honestly it's Rice Krispies treats you really can't go wrong zipping those together...ehehehe.   Pssst....I used the store brand of cereal instead of Kellogg's...a sin I know.

I realized after I finished attaching all the mini mints that I could have used them to make a pretty garland look instead of random ornaments....hindsight and all that. You can use whatever you like for decorations....crushed candy canes, holiday M&M's, ect.


Minty Christmas Tree

1/2 bag Jumbo Marshmallows
2 tbls tub margarine
1/2 box Rice Krispies
12oz bag Dark Chocolate and Mint Chips
1 tbls shortening
Mini Mints for garnish

Melt the marshmallows and the margarine in the microwave, stirring often so you don't overheat it.  In a separate bowl, melt 6oz of the chocolate and mint chips in the microwave.  When the chips are melted and smooth add them to the melted marshmallows.  Mix in the cereal.

Pour the cereal mixture out onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet.  Form it into a rough Christmas tree shape.  Using a piece of waxed paper to keep the mixture from sticking to your hand, press the mixture together more firmly and finish shaping it.

Melt the remaining 6oz of dark chocolate and mint chips and shortening in the microwave.  Spoon the chocolate over the tree and spread it around to get a nice coating.  Chill for 30 minutes to an hour to set.  Remove from fridge and decorate.  You can use some of the leftover chocolate (or melt some extra) to pipe garland ropes...though don't pipe it as narrowly as I did since it blended right in.  Attach your mini mints using a little dab of melted chocolate on the back of the pieces to hold them in place. Chill for another 30 minutes to set and then nosh.


A few more pics....

With this treat you don't really have to worry about a smooth coat of chocolate....the rough look suits it quite nicely.  ;)  If you decide to pass on piping on any melted chocolate garland you could probably skip the step where you let this chocolate coating set up in the fridge.  The chocolate top will hold the pieces in place and you won't have to dip your decorations in a little bit of melted chocolate.  The only drawback to doing it this way is trying to place any decorations on the sides of the tree...you could get some slippage.  When you are working with a chilled coating and using dabs of melted chocolate as glue you pretty much get insta bond and your pieces will be locked into place.

A little post shaping picture....it's super easy to give it a nice tree shape.  Compacting the cereal mixture down will also give you an easier surface to work with when you cover it in chocolate.  Instead of one large tree, you could actually do a series of mini trees....which would be quite cute and you wouldn't need to cut servings.