Our history with marshmallow treats goes way back. My mom made rice krispie treats all the time when I was a kid, and we made them for Sarah and Kaitlin when they were young. Kaitlin posted her Chocolate covered rice krispie nuggets a while back (also very delicious), and when we were traveling in China this time last year, I tasted a creative marshmallow treat recipe made with crackers instead of cereal. That idea led me to do some experimenting, and I’m happy to say that after a few tries, I’ve come up with a tasty, salty-sweet version made with buttery crackers, dried cranberries, and toasted nuts, all held together with sticky melted marshmallows for a grown-up take on this classic treat.
With the festive red and green hue of the pistachios and cranberries, we think they’re a delicious Christmas cookie, and a different one at that!
Some of our other holiday cookie exchange contenders were: Cinnamon Sugar Palmiers, Homemade Brussels Cookies, and our Matcha Bacon Sugar Cookies. What are you baking for the holidays this year? Let us know in the comments!
Holiday Marshmallow Treats: Recipe Instructions
Lightly toast the walnuts and pecans in the oven for 4-5 minutes at 350 degrees F and set aside. Once cooled, use your hands to break up the nuts into rough pieces.
Break up the crackers into smaller pieces, but be careful not to crush them too fine.
Melt the butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium low heat. While we’re not a huge fan of non-stick cookware, it makes this recipe (and clean-up) much easier. Add the marshmallows, and stir until melted (about 3 to 4 minutes).
Once the marshmallows and butter are melted together…
Turn down the heat to low and immediately stir in the vanilla extract, toasted nuts…
And the pistachios (or pumpkin seeds) and cranberries.
Add the crackers, breaking any larger pieces as you stir them.
Use a folding motion to mix and stir the entire mixture until everything is uniformly coated. Do not compress the mixture together when stirring.
There are a few options for shaping and cutting your holiday marshmallow treats. 1). Lightly grease a non-stick square pan or spray it with non-stick baking spray and pour in the mixture. Use wax or parchment paper to shape the mixture into a rectangle.
2). Roll out a few crackers on a cutting board or counter to create crumbs (the crumbs will function as a “nonstick” surface to work on). You can also spray the counter-top or place a large piece of wax or parchment paper as your work surface. Pour mixture onto the surface and shape it into a rectangle.
Make a rectangle approximately 1 ½ inches thick (~4 cm) and about 4.5 x 7.5 inches (~11×19 cm). While they’re still warm, use a sharp knife to cut the treats into 1 ½ inch squares, to make a total of 15 squares. You can make your treats thinner if you like, and cut them into whatever size you prefer.
Use a sieve to dust with powdered sugar, and serve these with hot tea, coffee or a tall glass of milk!
