Gluten Free Candy Cane & Chocolate Dipped Rice Krispie Treats

I'm back, but picture me as a dog with a tail between her legs. I feel incredibly guilty about my lack of posts over the past month or two, but I promise I'm here to make it up to you. Between starting a new job and the holiday season, life has been insanely busy and I have had so little time to cook. Which I hate! I love coming home from work or the gym and making a nice, healthy dinner, or spending Sunday afternoon baking and trying out new, more time-consuming recipes.

Plus, the holidays can be exceptionally tricky for us gluten-free folks. Between holiday parties, cookie exchanges, bake-offs, etc., this time can be a gluten-filled nightmare. I should have been pumping you with delicious gluten-free holiday recipes! Oh well. Enough whining. Because I'm back today with a holiday themed dessert that will knock your socks off.

A few weeks ago I saw this recipe for Peppermint Patty Rice Crispy Treats that the Queen of Quinoa posted on The Balanced Platter. They looked absolutely delicious, but a little too chocolate-y for my liking (I'm not a huge chocolate person). After some creative brainstorming I came up with the idea of Candy Cane and Chocolate Dipped Rice Krispie Treats, and boy were these a good idea.

They were relatively easy to make, not very time-consuming, looked fabulous, and tasted amazing. Oh, and I submitted them in my office's holiday bake-off and won most creative dessert!

Since there are still a few days until Christmas I highly recommend you give these a shot. They'll be the hit of the party.

Candy Cane and Chocolate Dipped Rice Krispie Treats

Total cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

6 cups Gluten-Free Rice Krispies with Brown Rice
1 bag marshmallows
3 tablespoons butter
1 bag Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Chips
1 box candy canes, crushed (I used mini candy canes)

Unwrap the candy canes and place in a plastic Ziploc bag (you may want to double up). Use the back of an ice cream scooper or a comparable kitchen tool to smash the candy canes into little pieces. Pour into small mixing bowl.

Melt butter in a large saucepan on low heat. Add marshmallows and melt completely. Remove from heat and slowly pour in Rice Krispies and stir until fully mixed. Place in a 15 x 10 baking pan (greased) or whatever size you have handy. Distribute evenly and flatten the top. Let sit for 15-20 minutes or until hard. Cut into squares.

Melt chocolate chips over low heat in a small saucepan until completely smooth. Be extremely careful not to burn it. Keep on heat and dip one end of each square in chocolate. Immediately dip the same end in crushed candy cane until covered. Put on a cookie sheet to dry. Repeat until finished. Let sit for at least 30 minutes before consuming or putting into a container for later. They should stay fresh for one or two days.