RICE KRISPIE PUMPKIN TREATS

I usually have no time for special treats like this, but there is just something about the holidays that makes me want to make themed treats, plus Ellis LOVES to help me cook and bake, so I figured we would give these a go on a Friday that I am home with the kids. She is taking them to her preschool class on Monday and she gets pretty darn jazzed about bringing treats to school. They are pretty much your every day rice krispie treat with orange food coloring -- easy peasy. ;)

INGREDIENTS
3 Tbsp. butter
½ tsp. vanilla extract
red & yellow food coloring or orange gel coloring
5-1/2 cups mini marshmallows
6 cups crispy rice cereal
mini tootsie rolls
green frosting

RECIPE:
In a large saucepan, melt and slightly brown butter on medium heat. Add vanilla extract and marshmallows. Stir until marshmallows are completely melted. Add food coloring until desired orange color is reached. Add cereal and stir until completely combined. Turn off heat and let sit for a few minutes, until cool enough to handle. When mixture has cooled enough, spray your hands with cooking spray and mold cereal mix into circles. Unwrap about 14 tootsie rolls and pop them in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Cut them in half lengthwise and shape into stems. Once they are shaped how you want them, pop them in to the freezer for a few minutes so they get hard again. Once they are hard, push them into the top of the pumpkins to make stems. Make some green frosting and use a leaf tip to make leaves.

I made my pumpkins rather small, so the recipe make about 28 mini pumpkin treats.

FREE PRINTABLE: BIRTHDAY CAKE PENNANT TOPPER

A few weeks ago my adorable nephew, Brixton, turned one! I made his birthday cake as a trade of services with his super talented mama for doing my hair! :)

Here is the backstory on why the cake is blue. Brixton loves his blue stuffed rhino named Rupert. Holly wanted the cake to be the same color as Rupert, so she bought the blue icing dye and gave it to me.  I had every intention of making a little rhino out of fondant to place on the top of the cake, but time just got away from me. Imagine that! When that happens, as it often does, I fall back on my graphic skills and make something out of paper! Here is what I came up with!

I made it into a free printable if any of you would like to use it!

Download the free printable HERE.

(print on 8.5x11" paper)

Here is what you will need:

And here is how you put it together:

And here is the birthday boy himself, with Rupert, of course! (Isn't he the cutest?!)

In case you are interested, here is the recipe I used. I got it from my co-worker who said it is pretty much amazing. Another co-worker made it and confirmed - YES, It is amazing!!! so I made it!

(I doubled the recipe and made it in two 12" round cake pans. I put a little bit of the frosting in between the layers to hold them together, then frosted the rest of it with the remaining frosting.)