Mickey Mouse Vegan Rice Krispie Treats! (Disneyland Inspired)
Rice Krispies have been a long-time favorite of mine. Not-too-sweet, buttery, gooey, crunchy goodness is finally within reach thanks to Dandies vegan marshmallows. What takes these treats to the next level? These Mickey Mouse Vegan Rice Krispie treats are topped with cream cheese frosting and decorated for the gods… Talk about decadent!
Mickey Mouse Fan, or Not, These Vegan Rice Krispie Treats Are Divine
Now, you may not be a fan of the House of Mouse, but considering these guys are Disneyland-inspired, it only made sense!
Don’t get me wrong: these are not just for Disney fans
These vegan rice krispies were a complete hit at our family’s holiday celebrations, and I’ve been dying to share!
This is the last vegan rice krispie treat recipe you’ll ever need. One bite and you’ll never go back to “naked” rice krispies again!
Dealing With Dandies for Vegan Rice Krispie Treats
First, I want to say: this recipe took a lot of trial and error.
- One batch was rock solid (ew)
- Another batch’s chocolate didn’t set (sticky mess)
- The last batch was perfect but I ate them all before I could photograph (oops!)
In short: I’ve tested (almost) every method of making these and have some helpful tips to share:
1. Microwave the Dandies vegan marshmallows
I know: I hate using the microwave too. Unfortunately, vegan marshmallows are a bit more difficult to melt than their non-vegan siblings.
What happened?
By the time everything had melted down in a double-boiler, I had overcooked the marshmallows… Which resulted in a rock-hard rice krispie treat. Not good at all.
2. Cut the Dandies in half, or use the mini-version
Again, this just helps everything melt down sooner, preventing any overcooking
3. “Melted together” isn’t what you think
I wasn’t ever sure going into this experiment what the dandies would “melt” down to. Would it be like marshmallow fluff? Smooth? Creamy?
Nope: Dandies don’t melt down like traditional marshmallows (see below for reference)
However!
I like this more, as it leaves surprise pockets of marshmallow in your treat that are a wonderful delight.
A Word on Tempering Vegan Chocolate for Vegan Rice Krispie Treats
Now, if you’ve peeked at the recipe you may notice I call this “Tempered-ish Chocolate”
Why?
Unless you buy high-quality chocolate: chances are the ratio of cocoa butter is too low for proper tempering. When melted down this chocolate will (most likely) be too thick to properly coat anything.
Your options:
- Buy extra cocoa butter and supplement as needed
- Add fats/oil to thin out
Now, unless you’re a chocolatier: you probably don’t have cocoa butter on hand.
My solution?
Coconut oil (refined so I didn’t taste it) worked absolutely perfectly.
I was able to melt everything down to the proper temperature, add my “seeding” chocolate, and still have a texture runny enough for pouring/coating.
Get Any Equipment You May Need on Amazon!
Kitchen Thermometer- Hand-held rolling pin
- Offset Spatula
- Mickey Mouse Cutter
- UNREAL Dark Chocolate Peanut Gems
- Watkins Decorating Sugar
Pin-It for Later!
Mickey Mouse Vegan Rice Krispie Treats! (Disneyland Inspired)
Ingredients
For The Rice Krispie Treats
- 1, 10- oz bag vegan marshmallows such as Dandies brand, torn in half or mini-version
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups puffed rice cereal
For Chocolate Coating
- 1 cup non-dairy chocolate chips divided
- 1/2 Tablespoon coconut oil refined if you don't want coconut flavor
For Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4- oz vegan cream cheese about 1/2 standard container
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons vegan butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Finishing Touches
- Sprinkles of Watkins Decorating Sugar red
- UNREAL Dark Chocolate Peanut Gems
Instructions
Begin with Rice Krispie Treats
- Spray/grease 9x13 baking dish with oil, set aside
- Add butter, marshmallows, and vanilla extract to microwave-safe bowl (double boiler method not recommended (see post for notes))
- Microwave for 20 seconds, remove and mix, and repeat in 10-second bursts until melted (see images above for reference)
- Once melted, combine with puffed rice cereal in a large bowl, and mix with a strong spoon to combine
- Transfer to greased baking dish
- Smooth out by placing parchment on top and pressing down until it's nice and compacted, and as even as possible
- Place to the side and allow to set for a couple of minutes
- Before starting chocolate, oil your cutter and cut shapes out of Rice Krispie mixture
- Smoosh the scraps together and repeat as needed until all the yumminess is used up
Begin "Tempered-ish" Chocolate
- You can use a double-broiler for this, but I found the microwave to be much easier
- Combine chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl, plastic works best as glass retains too much heat (save a couple tablespoons of chocolate for seeding later)
- Microwave for 20 seconds, remove and stir
- Repeat in 10 second increments until completely melted (a few lumps are okay... You don't want to burn it)
- Once melted, use a thermometer and keep stirring until the chocolate has cooled to below 97°F
- At this point, add the rest of the chocolate and keep stirring until the mixture reaches 88°F. (Do your best to keep the chocolate at this temperature while working. 5 seconds in the microwave works if it starts to set too early)
- Using a spatula to help remove excess, dip the face of each "Mickey" into chocolate
- Set aside to let harden
Prepare Cream Cheese Frosting
- Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl
- Using a hand-mixer, combine until smooth and creamy
To Finish Mickey Mouse Vegan Rice Krispies
- Dollop a small amount (less than 1 Tablespoon) of cream cheese onto the bottom half of the shape
- Using an offset-spatula, smooth out and remove any excess frosting
- Press two "Unreal" gems into their proper place
- Cover in decorating sugar, turning over once to remove excess