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A fun twist on the classic Rice Krispies treat, these Turkey Leg Treats are a fun Thanksgiving dessert for kids and adults alike!
Have you started pinning Thanksgiving ideas on Pinterest yet? About half of my feed has shifted to Christmas, so I figured it was time to get started on Thanksgiving already! 🙂
It seems like once the calendar turns to October, the rest of the year just goes by in a blur. A few years ago I made Owl Rice Krispies Treats so this year I figured I’d try Turkey Leg Treats!
What you’ll need to make Turkey Leg Treats:
- pretzel rods
- mini marshmallows
- white candy melts
- Cocoa Krispies
- butter
- sheet pans
- parchment paper or wax paper
Step 1
Dip the end of a pretzel rod (make sure you’re using rods, not sticks) into melted vanilla candy melts and then attach two mini marshmallows. Let set.
Step 2
After the candy is set, then dip again to cover the top 1/3 of the pretzel rod. This is SO much easier if you’re using a disposable dipping tube like this one for long things like pretzel rods!
Step 3
Form the cereal mixture around the pretzel rod and shape into “drumsticks.” Place on wax paper until cooled and hardened. Don’t refrigerate!
I can’t take full credit for the idea for these Turkey Leg Treats. I follow Kitchen Fun with my Three Sons on Facebook and I saw the idea there. I decided to use chocolate cereal because it looks more like a turkey leg to me and has the bonus of tasting great as well!
Turkey Leg Treats
Ingredients
- 6 pretzel rods
- 1 bag (12 oz) white candy melts (or 1 cup vanilla baking chips)
- 1 bag (10 oz) mini marshmallows (set aside 24)
- 8 cups Cocoa Krispies cereal
- 1/4 cup butter
Instructions
- 6 pretzel rods, 1 bag (12 oz) white candy meltsBreak the pretzel rods in half and melt the candy according to package directions. (I usually do 15-30 second intervals in the microwave, stirring well each time.)
- 1 bag (10 oz) mini marshmallowsDip the smooth end of the pretzel rod and then press two marshmallows onto the end. Repeat until 12 "bones" are dipped. Let sit for about 5 minutes.
- Dip the pretzels again, covering 2/3 of the rod. Let sit.
- 8 cups Cocoa Krispies cereal, 1/4 cup butter, 1 bag (10 oz) mini marshmallowsIn a saucepan, melt the butter and marshmallows, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in cereal. Mix until coated well.
- Allow to cool just a bit and then form the cereal mixture around each pretzel rod, forming a drumstick. Don't try this until cooled enough, or it won't hold its shape! Spray your hands with cooking spray to keep the marshmallow from sticking while you work.
- Place on a wax paper lined baking sheet and let sit until fully cooled.
Notes
- Wait to shape the turkey legs until the cereal mixture has cooled enough to hold its shape
- Spray your hands with nonstick cooking spray as you work to keep the mixture from sticking to you (you may have to do this several times)
- Don't refrigerate-the pretzels will get stale and soggy
- Best served the same day or the pretzels start to get soft
Nutrition
Looking for other cute Thanksgiving desserts for kids? Try making Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats or Turkey Cupcakes to go along with these adorable Turkey Leg Treats!
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Paige says
Such a cute and easy recipe!
Anthony Pelletier says
How long ate they good for amd how do i store them if i wanna make them a day or two ahead of time
Nicole Burkholder says
You could make them a day in advance, but don’t put them in the refrigerator or the pretzels will get soft and stale.
Alexis says
Your wrong on the mesurements
Nicole Burkholder says
Would you care to elaborate on that? Which measurements exactly? It’s a pretty standard marshmallow treat recipe.
Nicole Burkholder says
After double checking, I did notice that the bag size for the mini marshmallows is a bit small. It depends on the brand, but most of them are now 16 oz, and not 10 oz so I deleted that detail. Really, it’s very forgiving-you can work with more/less marshmallows/cereal/butter without affecting it much. I do use more cereal than typical because they hold their form better if they aren’t too “gooey” from marshmallow. Hope that helps!