These Valentine Pinwheels are gooey, chewy, pink rice krispies treats rolled-up with buttercream frosting. It’s a fun twist on the classic.
Who can resist rice krispies treats? They have remained popular over the years because they are so delicious!
A couple of years ago I made scotcharoos pinwheels and decided to do the same with rice krispies treats. These Valentine Pinwheels take rice krispies treats to the next level with the layer of buttercream frosting.
Put the mini marshmallows into a large bowl and pour the melted butter over them. Microwave on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds, stirring at 45 seconds, until the mixture is smooth.
Can I use large marshmallows instead of mini to make rice krispies treats?
Yes! You can substitute 40 large marshmallows for the 5 1/2 cups of mini ones called for in this recipe.
Stir in red gel food coloring to make the marshmallow cream pink.
Liquid Food Coloring vs Gel Food Coloring
I prefer using gel food coloring when baking because you only need a little bit to get intense colors. This is especially important when coloring things are a darker color. One downside about gel food coloring is the availability. You’ll have to plan ahead to purchase it from a store such as Michaels or buy it online as I did here on Amazon. I buy it in a multi-pack so that I have most of the colors I would need.
On the other hand, the nice thing about liquid food coloring is that it is readily available at your local grocery store. It will definitely work in this recipe, but you might need to use more of it to get a deep pink color.
Add the rice krispies and stir until evenly coated with the marshmallow mixture.
Can I use other kinds of cereal?
Yes, other kinds of cereal can be stirred into the melted marshmallows instead of the rice krispies. If you want to be able to make pinwheels, I would suggest sticking to one of the crispy rice cereals such as Fruity Pebbles or Cocoa Krispies.
Spread the mixture out in a large, rimmed baking sheet or jelly roll pan. Cover the bottom of the pan with parchment paper to make it easier to remove. Or use butter to grease the pan well.
What is an easy way to spread out rice krispies treats in the pan?
My favorite trick for spreading out rice krispies treats in the pan is to put my hand in a plastic baggie, grease the baggie with butter and then use my covered hand to flatten the treats. Other options would be to use a greased silicone spatula or even the flat bottom of a greased measuring cup.
Next, in order to make the Valentine Pinwheels, the rice krispies treats need to be removed from the pan. Flip the pan of rice krispies treats over onto a large sheet of parchment paper. Smack the pan several times to loosen the treats. You may need to use a spatula to gently peel the treats from pan if you didn’t use parchment paper to line the pan.
Then, top the rice krispies treats with buttercream frosting. You can find my recipe for buttercream frosting here.
What else could be used as a filling for the Valentine Pinwheels?
As I mentioned, I used homemade buttercream to make this recipe but you could also use store-bought frosting or buttercream from a bakery. Another option would be to use marshmallow cream.
To make the buttercream more unique, you could flavor it with strawberry or raspberry extract. Or add food coloring to make it really pop.
Top the buttercream frosting with some adorable Valentine’s Day sprinkles.
Can these be left as bars instead of making Valentine pinwheels?
Yes, you could stop at this point and enjoy the frosted Valentine rice krispies treats. The treats could be cut into bars or you could chill them an use a cookie cutter to make heart-shaped treats.
Starting at the short side of the bars, slowly roll the bars up, gently pressing closed any cracks or holes that may form.
Chill until firm and then use a serrated knife to cut the roll of rice krispies treats into Valentine pinwheels. I made mine about 1-inch wide so I was able to get eleven pinwheels.
Top the Valentine pinwheels with additional sprinkles, if desired.
Store the Valentine pinwheels in the fridge. To hand them out as little gifts put the pinwheels in cellophane bags and tie them closed with ribbons.
Want more Valentine’s Day recipes? Try these next:
Red Velvet Ooey Gooey Bars have a red velvet cake crust with marshmallow cream and rice krispies treats on top. A Valentine’s Day dessert loved by kids of all ages.
This Sweetheart Cake recipe has three layers of cake in various shades of red with whipped frosting and cake crumbles on top. It’s perfect for holidays and celebrations!
Red Velvet Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups recipe for Valentine’s Day with red velvet cookie cups, chocolate ganache, a pretzel handle, and mini marshmallows.
Here are 25+ Valentine’s Day Ideas with FREE printable Valentine’s Day Card test tube labels for the test tube Valentines or use them for Valentine’s Day treat bags including candy-filled Valentines, non-candy Valentine’s Day ideas, and non-food Valentine’s Day Ideas.
Valentine Pinwheels
These Valentine Pinwheels are gooey, chewy, pink rice krispies treats rolled-up with buttercream frosting. It's a fun twist on the classic.
Ingredients
- 5 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
- 3 tbsp butter, melted
- 1/8 tsp red gel food coloring
- 6 cups rice krispies
- 2 cups buttercream frosting
- 1 tbsp sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- Put the mini marshmallows in a large, microwave-safe bowl. Pour the melted butter over the mini marshmallows and stir to coat.
- Microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds, stirring after 45 seconds, until smooth.
- Stir in the red gel food coloring.
- Add the rice krispies and stir until coated.
- Press into a parchment-lined (or well-greased) rimmed baking sheet (about 16x12x1).
- Turn out onto a large piece of parchment paper.
- Spread buttercream frosting over rice krispies treats and top with sprinkles if desired.
- Starting at the short side of the bars, slowly roll the bars up, gently pressing closed any cracks or holes that may form.
- Chill until firm and use a serrated knife to cut into 1-inch segments.
- Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 11 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 379Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 128mgCarbohydrates: 63gFiber: 0gSugar: 44gProtein: 2g
Nutrition data is calculated automatically by Nutritionix and isn't always accurate. I am not a certified nutritionist and make no claims to the contrary. Each individual’s dietary needs and restrictions are unique to the individual. You are ultimately responsible for all decisions pertaining to your health.
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