Christmas Wreath Cookies
These Christmas wreath cookies are quick and delicious holiday fun for the whole family. The easiest holiday cookies- they’re made with crispy cornflakes tossed in a festive marshmallow coating. After one bite I’m sure even Santa himself with agree- they’re a must have treat for the kid in all of us!
My kids have always enjoyed making & baking Christmas cookies.
Whether is classic sugar cookies they can frost & sprinkle, or even just chocolate chip.
Sometimes though, we want to be a little extra but without a lot of extra effort.
These fun, fancy looking Christmas wreath cookies were the perfect thing for a change.
These are so simple, they’re a perfect Christmas break activity for the kids.
Easy to make for kids of all ages, and without the typical major clean up baking often brings.
Make sure to add them to your baking list this holiday season!
Ingredients Needed
To make them you’ll only need 7 ingredients.
All of which are easy to find in any grocery store.
- Butter – You’ll need 1/2 cup of butter, which is the equivalent to one stick of 8 tablespoons. You can use unsalted butter, but I recommend using the salted variety because that little bit of salt really enhances & deepens sweet flavors in desserts.
- Marshmallows – You’ll need a whole bag of miniature marshmallows. You could use full size marshmallows if needed, but the smaller variety melt better and more evenly.
- Extract – You’ll need a teaspoon and a half of peppermint extract to give these cookies their minty flavor. If you can’t find peppermint flavored extract, you could sub a 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint oil- just be aware it’s much stronger than extract.
- Food Coloring – Liquid green food coloring
- White Chocolate – We used white chocolate chips, but you could also use white chocolate melting wafers or even almond bark.
- Corn Flakes – Any brand will work, just make sure they’re the plain variety without any flavoring or mix-ins.
- Cinnamon Candies – These are often called Red Hots, but can also be known as cinnamon imperials. We often find them in the bins with boxed movie theatre candy, but they can also be ordered online.
That’s it!
And once you’ve gathered all your ingredients you’re ready to whip up a batch of these christmas cornflake cookies.
How To Make
One of the biggest reasons I love these cookies, other than how cute and festive they are, is because they’re super easy to make.
Something our busy family really appreciates when trying to squeeze every ounce of delicious traditions into the busy holiday season.
To make them, start by preparing a baking sheet.
Cover it with a large piece of wax paper, and then spray it lightly with non stick cooking spray.
Before they’re set these christmas wreath cookies are super sticky- just like rice krispies.
So I’ve found using both the paper and the spray together to be most helpful.
Set the prepared pan off to the side while you begin the cookie making process.
In a large sauce pan, or shallow Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat.
Do not try to melt it on higher heat, it will melt too quickly and probably scorch and burnt butter never tastes good.
Once melted, add the marshmallows to the pan.
Lightly spritz a spatula with non stick spray on both sides then stir continuously, until completely melted and smooth.
Don’t skip the spray because it will prevent your marshmallow mixture from sticking to the spatula.
Make sure to also scrape down the sides of the pan when stirring to prevent any sugar crystals from forming.
Once melted & smooth, immediately reduce the heat to low.
Add both the peppermint extract and food coloring, stirring until evenly combined.
Add the white chocolate, and stir continuously until melted and the mixture’s once again smooth.
Remove the pan from heat, add the cornflake cereal, and stir again until it’s evenly combined and well coated with the green marshmallow mixture.
Don’t let the marshmallow coated cereal sit, you’ll want to work quickly as it will immediately begin to harden.
As soon as you can safely handle the hot mixture, spray your clean hands with non stick cooking spray.
Working with about 1/4 – 1/3 cup of the mixture at a time, form it into circular wreath/donut like shapes, and then place them on the wax paper lined baking sheet.
Continue until all the mixture’s been used.
Decorate each wreath with cinnamon candies.
You can do them all around like ornaments, or in groups of three to resemble poinsettia flowers.
Set the candy topped christmas wreath cookies aside and let them cool for an hour before serving.
Storing
Once completely set and cooled, you can leave them on the baking sheet if not planning on eating them right away.
Just cover it tightly with plastic wrap to keep air out.
They can then be stored on the countertop for 4-5 days.
Alternatively, you could add them to an air tight container.
Be sure to separate the layers with sheets of wax paper though to prevent sticking.
TIPS & TRICKS
- Don’t balk at the amount of food coloring called for. It takes more than you’d think to turn a white marshmallow mixture from white to dark green. Mint colored wreaths just aren’t as festive.
- The mixture will be STICKY- I highly recommend coating your spatula in non stick spray before folding in the cereal to the marshmallow mixture, and your hands before shaping them.
- If you aren’t a fan of cinnamon candies, use red mini m&m’s instead. Sprinkles work well too!
Other Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes
Shake things up for Santa this Christmas Eve with these colorful Christmas ‘cookies’, or just enjoy them as part of your holiday celebration.
However you decide to use them, whenever you decide to bake them- they will be sugary sweet and perfect for the occasion.
Looking for other easy Christmas cookie recipes to make during the holidays?
Try these reader favorites:
- Christmas Light Cookies
- Santa Hat Cookies
- Soft & Chewy Eggnog Cookies
- Holiday Nutella Haystack Cookies
- Grinch Cookies
If you’ve tried this CHRISTMAS WREATH COOKIES recipe, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Christmas Wreath Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 10- ounce package of miniature marshmallows
- 1 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2 teaspoons green food coloring
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 4 cups toasted rice or corn flake cereal
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup cinnamon candies such as Red Hots® or cinnamon imperials
Instructions
- Prepare baking sheet with wax paper. Spray wax paper with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- In large saucepan or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add marshmallows and stir continuously until melted, scraping sides of pan so sugar crystals don’t form.
- Turn heat to low. Add peppermint extract and green food coloring and mix well. Add white chocolate chips and stir until melted. Add cereal and mix well until all cereal flakes are well coated.
- Coat hands with some of the non-stick cooking spray. Take about 1/4 cup of cereal mixture and form wreath shapes on wax paper coated baking sheet.
- Decorate each wreath with 3-6 cinnamon candies. I opted for 3 so they looked like Poinsettia leaves.
- Allow the christmas wreath cookies to cool for about an hour before serving.
Notes
- Don't balk at the amount of food coloring called for. It takes more than you'd think to turn a white marshmallow mixture from white to dark green. Mint colored wreaths just aren't as festive.
- The mixture will be STICKY- I highly recommend coating your spatula in non stick spray before folding in the cereal to the marshmallow mixture, and your hands before shaping them.
- If you aren't a fan of cinnamon candies, use red mini m&m's instead. Sprinkles work well too!
Nutrition
recipe originally published December 17, 2013
