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Christmas Wreath Cookies are a fun twist on Rice Krispie Treats. They are fun, kid-friendly goodies, perfect for Christmas!
Christmas Wreath Cookies are cute, traditional Christmas cookies made with cereal! For more cereal treats, try No-Bake Butterscotch Cookies, Rice Krispie Treats, and Avalanche Cookies.
Cornflake Wreaths – Yes, it’s a Thing!
I mean Rice Krispie’s can’t have all of the glory! It’s fun to mix it up with different cereal, and even different shapes. These Christmas Wreath Cookies are made using corn flakes and cinnamon candies.
We love to make crafts with food. Not only are they adorable to look at, but tasty to eat – a perfect cookie! The best part is you can get your kids involved in the fun.
These festive wreath shapes will spruce up any dessert table, or holiday cookie tray. It is a plate full of nostalgia. Cornflake Wreath Cookies look vintage and adorable with just the cinnamon candies, but you can even mix them up and decorate with licorice strings and snow-white frosting.
Easy + fun!
PREP. Prepare a piece of greased wax paper, and set it aside.
MARSHMALLOW MIXTURE. Add the marshmallows and butter to a microwave-safe dish. Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir and heat for 2 more minutes.
COAT. Working quickly, add the green coloring and extracts. Stir, then add the cornflakes. Stir until evenly coated.
SHAPE. Scoop a spoonful of the cornflake mixture and drop it in clumps on the wax paper. To make a wreath shape, lightly grease your fingers and form a hole in the center of each clump.
Add several red hots to the newly shaped wreath to look like holly berries. You should be able to make 8-10 wreaths.
ENJOY! Lightly grease a storage container. Allow the treats to cool and set before transferring them to the container.
tips + variations
Soft wreaths. Always use fresh marshmallows, otherwise, they don’t melt correctly, or will produce a soft wreath. Do not add extra cornflakes, cookies will turn out dry. Another key to keeping them soft is to store them in an airtight container.
Variations. These wreaths are equally fun and festive to make. I like the spiciness of the red hots along with the sweetness of the wreath.
- If you don’t want to use red hot candies, try using mini red M&M’s.
- Another decoration idea is to add a bow using Twizzler pull and peels. Simply pull off a section, and form it into a small figure 8 with the ends hanging down. Trim, if needed and you’ve got a bow!
No matter what you use to decorate with, be sure that you apply it BEFORE the cookie wreath cools and sets. Otherwise, the decorations will not stick.
Storing Info
STORE. Once the wreaths have set, store them in an airtight container for a few days. Lightly grease the container with cooking spray, or separate layers with parchment paper, so the wreaths don’t stick together.
FREEZE these cookies for 4-6 weeks. Wrap each wreath with plastic wrap and store in a freezer-safe container. Be sure to let the wreaths come to room temperature before eating.
For More Christmas Treats, try:
- Candy Cane Kiss Sugar Cookies
- Brownie Christmas Tree
- Hot Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes
- Peppermint Chocolate Truffles
- Christmas Crack Candy
Christmas Wreath Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 4 cup mini marshmallows
- 1 teaspoon green food coloring
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cup cornflakes cereal
- 1 (2.25 oz) package cinnamon red hot candies
Instructions
- Prepare a piece of greased wax paper and set it aside.
- Add the marshmallows and butter to a microwave safe dish. Microwave for 2 minutes. Stir and heat for 2 more minutes.
- Working quickly add the green coloring and extracts. Stir, then add the cornflakes. Stir until evenly coated.
- Scoop a spoonful of the mixture and drop it in clumps on the wax paper. To make a wreath shape lightly grease your fingers and form a hole in the center of each clump. Add several red hots to the newly shaped wreath.
- Lightly grease a storage container. Allow the treats to cool and set before transferring them to the container.
- Makes 8-10 wreaths
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I wanted more wreaths than what the recipe yield was, so I multiplied all ingredients by 1 1/2. Wreaths turned out beautifully; I followed directions exactly. The hardest part of this recipe: making the holes in the center of each cookie! Red hot candies stuck…did not fall off…but note these cookies do take a while to set up. I flash froze some of them, put them in an airtight container in the freezer and will take them out to serve on Christmas Day. Delicious!
Tried making the Wreaths today, what a waste of time and funds. They would not stay together. I done some research and every thing that I read stated to use 5 to 6 table spoons of butter, not a cup. I finally had to spread the mixture and put in refrigerator for 2 or 3 hours, and cut with a cookie cutter, and they still want stay together, you touch they and they are in clumps.
Sorry to hear you didn’t have a good experience with the recipe. Thanks for the feedback and for giving it a try.
We doubled the recipe, including the food coloring, but the wreaths turned out yellow instead of green. Any thoughts on what we may have done wrong?
Me and the kids made these today and the flavor was great but once set they were really hard. I followed the recipe exactly so I’m not sure what happened.
I’m not sure either! Sometimes a marshmallowy treat like these (or Rice Krispie treats) get hard it’s because the marshmallow was cooked on too high of a heat. Maybe melting the marshmallow and butter in a saucepan over low heat might help them stay softer? Glad to hear you enjoyed the flavor!
This recipe took me straight to my childhood. My mom made these every year. I missed seeing the recipe to make them before Christmas this year but im sure my kids won’t mind having them for New Years!