Rice Krispies Treat Christmas Trees

Before Covid in December of years past, my husband and I would skip town and head straight to Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, Washington. You can have Disneyland. That is my happy place. . It is always cold and rainy outside, but all is merry and bright inside.

There is a fire roaring in the lobby fireplace across from a huge Christmas tree. Big armchairs are parked in front of the huge windows, looking out over the Columbia River. There are miles of hiking trails and a hot tub just waiting outside. Everything is decked out for Christmas and feels cozy and festive and magical. Did I just say magical? It’s true.

A few years ago, we decided to bring our kids along for the ride. We filled three days with holiday fun: making ornaments, doing scavenger hunts, watching movies, eating cookies, drinking hot chocolate, listening to stories read by Santa’s elves.

The best part was we just had to show up. Skamania did all the work. Thank you for making us look like really fun parents!

Our kids were especially obsessed with a huge gingerbread village set up in the lobby. The houses are built from gingerbread fixed onto plywood forms, then covered with shiny icing and every sweet treat imaginable. I brought one of my kids down to the lobby each morning. They pored over the detailed set while I stumbled to the coffee bar (Thank goodness pajamas in the lobby are totally acceptable).

The buildings and animals and elves were really impressive, but the thing that caught my eye were these little green Christmas trees, formed from Rice Krispie treats. A light went off in my head, like, “Huh. That looks like something a 4-year old could make… I could make those!”

So I came home and did just that (perhaps bumping my crafty skill scale up to a solid 2?).

The trees require just 4 ingredients, your standard Rice Krispies treat recipe plus some green food coloring. I bump up the amount of marshmallows for a chewier, softer treat. Then just form into cone shapes and decorate! A friend with three little girls came over and joined my kids in decorating their own little trees. The trees lasted all of 5 seconds before being devoured, but the kids had a good time.

We went to a cookie decorating party at another friend’s house, and she had the perfect method for having kids decorate their own treats. Skip the shared bowls in the middle of the table and just give each kid a paper plate with small puddles of frosting and candy. Hand them a plastic knife and let them go to town! It is so much easier and neater than big tubs of frosting or bowls of sprinkles.

The finished trees are cute and festive, perfect for a simple holiday dessert, sweet little gift, or easy kid activity. And the best part? You probably have most of these ingredients sitting in your pantry right now.