How-to: Wreath Surprise Treats

Ingredients

6 c. corn flakes cereal

3 Tbsp butter or margarine

10 oz. (1 pkg) marshmallows

green food coloring

strawberry or watermelon Pop Rocks candy (both are red)

waxed paper

vegetable oil

Directions

Gather all ingredients ahead of time. Lay waxed paper out on your work surface.

If you have a microwave, melt butter and marshmallows in it. I don’t have a microwave, so I used my stovetop. If you’re using a stovetop, begin by melting your butter over medium low heat.

When your butter has melted, stir in marshmallows to melt.

When they’re just about melted, add several drops of green food coloring and stir to distribute the color.

Turn down the head to the lowest setting on your burner. Add corn flakes and stir to coat evenly. It’s very much okay if you break some of the cereal – it’s kind of inevitable.

Whether you microwaved your marshmallows or melted them on the stove, make sure they’re cool enough that you can grab a handful with your bare skin. Coat your hands in about a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Grab some of the corn flake mixture and roll it into a 3-4 inch “snake.” Mold the snake into a circle and set it on your waxed paper. Repeat until you have about a half dozen of these.

Wash your hands with some dish soap (that cuts the oil pretty well). Open a package of Pop Rocks and sprinkle them on your wreaths. The reason you only make half a dozen of these at a time is so they stay sticky enough for the Pop Rocks to adhere to them. If you find that the Pop Rocks aren’t sticking, you can carefully remove your wreaths from the waxed paper, place them on a cookie sheet, and warm them in an oven on low heat before adding the Pop Rocks.

Let your treats cool completely before attempting to remove them from the waxed paper for storage or serving. These need to keep their shapes to look like wreaths. I have mine set aside in the fridge in an airtight container, layered in waxed paper (I recycled the paper you see in the photos) for serving to holiday guests. The Pop Rocks add a yummy fruit flavor as well as an explosive surprise for guests who might have expected plain old sprinkles on their dessert. Enjoy!

***

Check out the official Pop Rocks Inc. Facebook Page to see my and other bloggers’ holiday Pop Rocks recipes!