Pumpkin Spice Rice Treats

Tis the season of pumpkin flavored everything, and I'm here with one more pumpkin recipe to add to the list!  I've had these pumpkin rice krispy treats pinned on Pinterest for a long time, but they use regular marshmallows and food coloring to make the orange pumpkin color.  I've been wanting to make them, but I also wanted more than the pumpkin color.  I wanted the pumpkin flavor too!

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Insert Pumpkin Marshmallows!!!!  My very wonderful and amazing twin sister found this bag of Baker's Corner Pumpkin Spice Marshmallows and gave them to me for an early Halloween present.  Did I mention how awesome she is?  Now all I needed to do was make the rice krispy treats.

I was a little disappointed to see that the original Rice Krispies Treats recipe was no longer on the back of the box of cereal!  But I've made these enough times to know there are only three ingredients in the original recipe:  butter, marshmallows, and Rice Krispies.  And since I like to play with recipes, I'm of course adding a couple ingredients of my own.

First melt the butter.

Next add the marshmallows.

Stir slowly until they've completely dissolved.

Almost there.  Keep stirring.

When it's smooth, turn off the heat.  Add in the vanilla and cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.

Add the Rice Krispies.

Just pour them all in at once.

Gently stir until they are fully coated with the marshmallow mix.

Form into balls, err pumpkins!  I used a sheet of wax paper over a muffin tin so I had a guide for the size of each one.

For the stems, I used a Tootsie Roll cut in half.  Press one into the top of each pumpkin.  They stick pretty easily as long as you work quickly.

I used green "writing icing" to make the little leaf beside each stem.

Here's the link to the inspiration pin:  http://pinterest.com/pin/98305204336956989/.

Pumpkin Spice Rice Treats

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 1 bag of Pumpkin Spice marshmallows
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
• 10 Tootsie Rolls, unwrapped and cut in half
• green icing

Directions:

Melt butter in large saucepan.  Add marshmallows and stir until completely smooth.  Remove from heat.  Stir in vanilla extract and cinnamon.  Add cereal and stir until fully coated.  Form into balls and set out on wax paper to cool.  Add a Tootsie Roll piece for the stem.  Use icing to make a leaf.  Makes 20 pumpkins treats.