With so many reasons to celebrate, the summer is the perfect time for a party! But who wants to heat up their kitchen to bake a dessert during the hot summer months? With the help of these no-bake 4^th of July Rice Krispies treats, you can prepare a quick patriotic snack for your next summer get-together without ever turning on your oven.

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4th of July Rice Krispies Treats on a cutting board.

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What Do I Need to Make 4^th of July Rice Krispies Treats?

With the help of this quick and easy recipe, you can instantly transform plain cereal treats into a patriotic dessert for your next party. And the best part about these no-bake treats is that you only need six ingredients to prepare them!

Butter
Rice cereal
Mini marshmallows
Red melting candy
Blue melting candy
Patriotic sprinkles

How Do I Make 4th of July Rice Krispies Treats?

Since these patriotic treats don't require any baking, you'll only need to do a few minutes of prep work to whip them up. Just follow these four steps to prepare and decorate your July 4^th rice crispy treats:

Step One: Prepare the Marshmallows

Place the butter in a large stock pot and cook it over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the marshmallows to the pan and stir to combine the ingredients. Continue cooking until the marshmallows are melted, stirring continuously to keep the marshmallows from sticking to the pan.

Step Two: Mix in the Cereal

When the marshmallows are fully melted, remove the pan from heat and add the rice cereal to the pot. Carefully stir the cereal into the marshmallow mixture until all the Rice Krispies are fully coated.

Step Three: Make the Treats

After mixing the cereal into the marshmallows, spread the mixture into a greased 9x13 pan. Press the rice crispy treat mixture into the pan until it's firm. Then, allow the treats too cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours.

Step Four: Decorate the 4^th of July Rice Krispies Treats

After giving the treats time to cool, cut them into small squares. Then you can transfer the squares to a cooling rack to decorate them. Melt the red and blue candy according to the package instructions, then transfer each color to a piping bag. Drizzle the red and blue chocolate over the top of each cereal treat and immediately top the treat with sprinkles while the chocolate is still warm.

How Do You make 4^th of July Rice Krispies Treats?

Turning plain Rice Krispies treats into a fun patriotic snack is so easy! That's because regular cereal treats are like a blank canvas just waiting to be decorated. Try these fun decorating ideas the next time you prepare cereal treats at home to instantly add a patriotic touch to your no-bake dessert.

Decorate with colored chocolate. My favorite way to decorate rice crispy treats is with chocolate. The flavor of colorful melting chocolate pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the treats. And since there are so many colors to chose from, you can create some beautiful no-bake desserts!
Top them with sprinkles. Another easy way to add a patriotic look to plain Rice Krispies treats is with the help of sprinkles. Red, white, and blue sprinkles are a simple addition that instantly gives your dessert a festive look for the 4^th of July. You can also use star sprinkles to enhanced the patriotic look.
Add some food coloring. One simple way to create red, white, and blue rice cereal treats is with food coloring. Simply mix the food coloring into the marshmallow mixture before adding the cereal to tint the treats with different patriotic colors.
Use cookie cutters. Instead of cutting your rice cereal treats into squares, try turning them into patriotic shapes with the help of a cookie cutter. Stars make a great choice for the 4^th of July! If you're planning on using cookie cutters, I would suggest spreading the cereal mixture over a large baking pan instead of using a 9x13 dish. This will help make the treats thinner and easier to cut.
Decorate with icing. Melting chocolate is a great option for quick decorating, but it's not the only choice. Adding red, white, and blue icing to your treats is another simple way to give them a patriotic look.

Why Do My Rice Crispy Treats Get Hard?

Making rice cereal treats is a quick and easy dessert option during the summer months. And while these no-bake snacks are simple to make, some people run into a big issue as they're making them. If your rice crispy treats seem to get hard every time you make them, try this simple tip the next time you prepare them.

The key to keeping your treats soft is giving the marshmallows plenty of time to melt. While it may be tempting to speed up the prep time by cooking the marshmallows over high heat, this may make your treats hard. That's because the marshmallows will burn and stiffen if they're cooked too quickly. Instead, make sure to cook the butter and marshmallows over medium to low heat to ensure they melt slowly.

Do You Have to Refrigerate Rice Krispie Treats?

Placing your Rice Krispies treats in the refrigerator is a great way to help them cool more quickly. But once the treats are cooled, there is no reason they need to be stored in the fridge. All the ingredients are shelf-stable, which means you can store your finished treats at room temperature.

How Do You Keep Rice Krispies Treats Fresh?

Once you have your treats decorated and ready to eat, I'd be surprised if you have any leftovers! But if you do have a few treats left, the best way to keep them fresh is to keep them covered. The treats can be stored in an airtight container or covered tightly with plastic wrap. When stored properly, they'll stay good for up to one week.

4th of July Rice Krispies Treats

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Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: 4th of July, American, Memorial Day

Keyword: 4th of July Rice Krispies Treats

Prep Time: 20

Cooling Time: 2

Servings: treats

Calories: 121kcal

Ingredients

½ cup butter
2 10- ounce packages mini marshmallows
1 12- ounce package rice cereal
⅓ cup red melting candy
⅓ cup blue melting candy
Patriotic sprinkles mine were Great Value sprinkles from Wal-Mart

Instructions

Melt the butter in a large stock pot over medium heat.
When the butter is melted, add the marshmallows and cook until melted, stirring constantly.
Remove the pan from heat when the marshmallows are fully melted. Add the cereal and stir until all the cereal is coated in marshmallows.
Grease a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray and spread the cereal mixture in an even layer in the pan. Press the cereal mixture into the pan until it becomes solid, then allow it to cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
When the treats are completely cool, cut them into 30 small squares.
Transfer the squares to a cooling rack. Place something underneath to catch drips (I used parchment paper).
Melt the red and blue candy according to the package instructions and place them in piping bags. Drizzle each color over the top of the treats and immediately decorate with sprinkles.
Allow the candy to cool and set completely before serving.